Buffalo Chili

Buffalo Chili

Not being able to replicate Esther's chili, this is an homage to her as well as South Dakota in general – hence the buffalo. Buffalo is getting easier to find, if a tad on the expensive side, but any meat will work, regular ground beef, turkey, and a finely diced tri-tip roast is also excellent, but may cost more than the buff. Even better news is that buffalo are making a strong come back, so there's no reason to feel guilty about munching on one in this century, though they are majestic beasts and I highly recommend a trip to Custer State Park in SD to see them on the hoof. My wife and I had little money at the time so it was nice to pack a lunch, drive out to the wild life loop in Custer and sit on the hood, eating lunch and the herds walked by – now that is quality time.

To be honest I rarely measure, preferring a “shoot-look-shoot” approach to cooking, that is to say I add and taste as I go along. I'll include a recipe for you to follow, but I highly advise, especially when adding spice, to add a bit and taste. This should be common sense, but I have found folks will take recipes as gospel and plop in the entire tablespoon of ground ghost pepper thereby rendering the dish inedible – even the coyotes won't take a chance with that. Salt is another one that people tend to dump in, probably because they see some schmuck chef on TV dump a handful of kosher salt in a dish and say it isn't that much, it looks like a lot because the grains are bigger, not willing to admit the dish is now inedible. Bottom line, taste all your spices so you have an idea of how strong they are, then start small and work your way up tasting as you go. Also, if you skipped this bit and went right to the recipe and it is way too strong, it is because you are an idiot. Just sayin'.

I added some non-typical things to the brew, including a can of original Rotel and a couple shots of whiskey, because the alcohol helps the tomato in the Rotel and the tomato paste release more flavor and the taste of the whiskey adds a nice undertone. I also changed up on the beans using dark and light kidneys and pintos, mainly because I really like pintos. You could be bold and even toss in some black beans, they work out well in most anything calling for beans. In fact eventually we'll talk beans exclusively because they are tasty (except for nasty Limas) and a cheap source of protein, especially handy while the price of beef is through the roof.

Buffalo Chili

2lbs ground buffalo (you can substitute Bison if you prefer ;) )

3 strips of thick bacon diced

2 32oz cartons beef stock

1 10oz can of Original Rotel ( a mix of diced tomato and chili peppers)

1 15oz can Dark Red Kidney Beans

1 15oz can Light Red Kidney Beans

1 15oz can Pinto Beans

1 5oz can tomato paste

1 small onion diced

1 tsp mince garlic

2 Tbs chili pepper

1 Tsp cayenne (for the love of whatever deity you fall to your knees for taste as you add this!)

1 Tbs brown sugar

1 shot of whiskey

1 Tbs canola oil ( you may need a bit more as buff is very lean so keep an eye on it).

salt and pepper to taste

Start by adding the oil to a hot pan and browning the diced onion, bacon, and garlic. You can add a couple pinches of kosher salt at this point. Once the onion is starting to brown up a bit add the beef and brown it up good. Once browned dump in the Rotel, tomato paste, whiskey, and all the spices including the sugar. Mix well and allow to simmer a bit, then add one carton of the beef stock (buffalo stock is tough to come by) and stir. Simmer for around 45 minutes stirring occasionally, tasting occasionally and adjusting the spices and adding more stock if needed – the meat should be covered. Simmer until thick, or dump it in a crock pot on low and let it ruminate for a couple of hours.

Browning bacon, onions, and garlic

Brown the buffalo

Add Rotel, whiskey, and spices

Add beef stock and simmer

It is so quiet, too quiet...

Well the fat man has sung, he's back home slipping Mrs Claus a little holiday cheer and taking all the credit for the elves hard work. Such is life, and hopefully life at home has calmed a bit and the garbage man has come to whisk away the mounds of wrapping, boxes, and toys that didn't make the cut, and your relatives are nothing more than a distant memory and some coffee rings Uncle “I Don't Use a Coaster” Ed left on the nice coffee table. Hope he enjoys his crappy thrift store ties emblazoned with “Welcome to Six Flags.” And now it is time to cobble together some meals with the leftovers.

The leftover tamales ( remind me to hide the good ones from the kids next time) pretty much take care of themselves. Little velvety pillows of corn and love made by the best tamale chef anywhere will disappear all on their own. The leftover ham and turkey are a different matter, though they can be viewed as finger food as Emily Post is dead and gone, we can combine some other things and hit most of the food groups and empty the refrigerator in doing so. Potatoes and ham, for instance were pretty much made for each other and can be resurrected as scalloped potatoes and ham. I know, I know it is actually escalloped potatoes and ham, but we called 'em scallops when I was a kid and so be it. Whatever you call them, ham, a cheesy white sauce, and potatoes are considered a delicacy in these parts, especially on a cold winter's eve. IF you happen to have some leftover pork roast hiding away, you can combine slices of the pork, slices of the ham, some pickle slices and yellow mustard, place them between two pieces of crust bread, slather with butter and heat them in a sandwich press for some fairly authentic Cuban Sandwiches. 

The turkey is pretty utilitarian and can be used in almost anything. My favorite way of using up the bits and pieces from the bird is to make a slice of toast, place it on a plate then top with a big dab of hot mash potato, then some sma

ll pieces of heated turkey meat and smother in gravy. Had a dish like that in diners and the school cafeteria, when school cafeterias cooked real food and didn't consider ketchup a vegetable. Push comes to shove you can drop the turkey bits in leftover Christmas Eve chili, or any soup, really. I've even dropped shredded turkey in with some refrieds, rolled them up in a tortilla and made turkey chimies or turkey enchiladas.

The most important device in your cooking tool box is your imagination (tempered with common sense) allowing you to visualize the leftovers, or any food for that matter as a part of a delicious whole. Develop some ideas combining leftovers, spices, and things on hand and go for it – your only tough task will be pawning all those dirty holiday plates, pots, and pans off on someone else for cleaning.