Rarely do foods invoke passion to the extent that chili does. It doesn’t exactly have the same amorous connotations as, say, chocolate, but fiery debate, heated competition, and spicy stories surround this staple of American cuisine.
While its origins are a bit hazy, chili appears to be an American creation influenced by Mexican or Navajo cuisine that was popularized by the cattle drivers and trail hands in Texas who enjoyed the mix of chile peppers, garlic, onion, and oregano and whatever meat was available. There’s no question that San Antonio is where chili first became a popular dish and gained national notoriety. The earliest written description of chili came from J.C. Clopper in 1828 when he described a dish eaten by families there when he visited: “a kind of hash with nearly as many peppers as there are pieces of meat – this is all stewed together.” This original “Chili Con Carne,” as it was called by the Spanish term for “peppers and meat,” had a simple recipe shared by range cooks: Cut up as much meat as you think you’ll need (beef is probably best, but any kind will do) into small pieces, about the size of a pecan. Put it in a pot with enough suet so the meat won’t stick to the pot, and cook it with about the same amount of chiles, wild onions, garlic, and oregano as you have meat. Put in some salt. Stir from time to time and cook until meat is tender.
That wasn’t terribly complicated and whatever meat was handy could easily be made into a spicy stew with peppers, onions and herbs that were easy to grow or find along the trail. It was likely the “Chili Queens” who sold chili from festive decorated carts in San Antonio’s Military Plaza from the late 1880s until the 1930s that refined and added sophistication to the dish. The Queens made their chili at home and then loaded colorful chili wagons with their pots and cookware to the plaza, where they built mesquite fires to keep the chili warm. From nightfall until just before sunrise, when the vegetable vendors would appear, the Queens, dressed in fancy costumes and flowers, dished out chili to customers from beside the wagons they lit with colored lanterns and diners sat on wooden stools placed nearby to enjoy the fiery concoction. What a sight that must have been! A testament to the popularity of the dish is the fact that in 1893 there was a “San Antonio Chili Stand” at the World’s Fair in Chicago.
In 1977, chili was proclaimed the official “state food” of Texas “in recognition of the fact that the only real ‘bowl of red’ is that prepared by Texans.” Texas Red is all about the chiles! This recipe secured from the Institute of Texan Cultures (updated for current shopping) is probably close to the “original” San Antonio Chili served in the plaza:
Original San Antonio Chili
2 lbs. beef shoulder, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 lb. pork shoulder, cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ c. suet
¼ c. pork fat
3 medium-sized onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 qt. water
4 ancho chiles
1 serrano chile
6 dried red chiles
1 Tbsp. comino seeds, freshly ground
2 Tbsp. Mexican oregano
Salt to taste
Preparation:
Place lightly floured beef and pork cubes in with suet and pork fat in heavy chili pot and cook quickly, stirring often. Add onions and garlic and cook until they are tender and limp. Add water to mixture and simmer slowly while preparing chiles. Remove stems and seeds from chiles and chop very finely. Grind chiles in molcajete and add oregano with salt to mixture. Simmer another 2 hours. Remove suet casing and skim off some fat. Never cook frijoles with chiles and meat. Serve as separate dish.
By the turn of the century, chili had definitely become a national dish, with chili parlors popping up all around the country. During the Depression era, chili shacks were in almost every town. For many of those on the streets seeking work chili was the meal that kept them from starving. The chili was cheap and filling and the crackers were free.
By the 1950s, with the spread of the dish’s popularity beyond Texas to other cities, everyone was talking about chili and writing about it too. Variety and preferred ingredients became a hot topic and the bean versus no bean argument got much attention. A Texas journalist named Joe Cooper, who had spent much of his life studying chili, wrote “With or Without Beans.” In the book, he discusses the best chili on record to date and released his own recipe, which used dry chile pods or chili powder instead of diced peppers and, notably, did not have beans. Whether the use of tomatoes and/or tomato sauce was acceptable for “proper” chili also sparked debate. Variations on that traditional Texas Red were gaining ground and establishing their own place in the chili world.
Out in the Midwest, Cincinnati Style Chili (popularized by Skyline Chili) was making a name for itself. Created as a spaghetti sauce made with Middle Eastern spices such as cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cocoa, it’s generally served “Five Way” over spaghetti and topped with chopped onion, red kidney beans, and lots of shredded cheese, along with oyster crackers and a side order of hot dogs topped with more shredded cheese. Not too far away, in Springfield Illinois, Springfield-Style “Chilli” was being made as a loose ground beef mixture with a more cumin-heavy spice mix, and generally a generous portion of beans. Out in California, the famous Chasen’s restaurant in Beverly Hills became well-known for serving up their “Soup of the Devil” to international celebrities, including Jack Benny, J. Edgar Hoover, Clark Gable, and Elizabeth Taylor, who it is said had some flown to Rome when she was filming “Cleopatra.” Owner Dave Chasen kept the recipe a closely guarded secret, divulging only “It is a kind of bastard chili.” When First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt requested the recipe, she was refused, and they graciously sent a complimentary order of the chili instead. Chili was served just about everywhere from jailhouses to fire stations and each had its own recipe. Will Rogers was said to have judged towns by their chili and kept scores of places he visited.
Cincinnati Chili
Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 qt. water, or amount to cover
2 onions, finely chopped
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (1 oz.) square unsweetened chocolate
1/4 c. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
1 bay leaf
Preparation:
Place ground beef in large pan, cover with water, and bring to a boil, stirring and breaking up beef into a fine texture. Slowly boil until meat is thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes, remove from heat and refrigerate in pan overnight. The next day, skim solid fat from top of pan, and discard. Place beef mixture over medium heat, and stir in onions, tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chocolate, chili powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cloves, allspice berries, and bay leaf. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours. Add water if necessary to prevent chili from burning.
All these variations have inspired passionate debate about the “best” way to make the dish. Today, however, many chili aficionados take a view like Carroll Shelby’s, “The beauty of chili to me is that it’s really a state of mind. It’s what you want when you make it. You can put anything in there you want, make it hot or mild, any blend of spices you feel like at the time. You make it up to suit your mood.” What we do know is that everyone loves chili. In fact, February 25 has been named National Chili Day! There’s no single “right” way to make it and they’re all good! Preferences for different varieties, flavors, and ingredients have spawned innovative and delicious creations like the white chicken chili that Boz made a staple at Gnat’s Landing and a winner in our local chili cook-offs.
White Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) great northern beans, drained, dividfed
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped jalapeno pepper, optional
Preparation:
In Dutch oven over medium heat, cook chicken and onion in oil until lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in broth, chilies, cumin, oregano and cayenne; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. With a potato masher, mash one can of beans until smooth. Add to saucepan. Add remaining beans to saucepan. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and onion is tender. Top each serving with cheese and jalapeno pepper if desired.
Chili variations and personal taste preferences are the basis for chili cook-offs all across the U.S., where chefs, restaurants, teams, and home cooks pit their own special and unique recipes against each other to settle those longstanding debates over which is “best” (at least until the next cook-off). These culinary competitions are a time-honored tradition and range from church fundraisers to the annual World Chili Cook-Off held by the International Chili Society. (And by the way, Texas purists, this governing body recently added a division specifically for chili with beans, so it IS acceptable.)
Here on St. Simons Island, the Red Hot Rotary Chili Cook-Off is now in its 15th year. This spring island tradition presented by the Golden Isles Rotary includes a Judged Competition where chili is rated based on taste, consistency, aroma, appearance and heat, and a People’s Choice competition for the popular vote of the attendees at the event. Additional trophies are awarded for Best Heat, Most Unusual Chili, and Best Themed Chili Booth. On Saturday, March 5, Postell Market in the Village will be filled with teams from restaurants, local businesses and community organizations competing for bragging rights. To get sampling and voting privileges, buy a ticket to become an Official Taster and get your spoon. Tasting begins at 11:30 a.m. and the fun-filled day of live music, community fellowship, and spicy sampling wraps up with presentation of awards at 2:15 p.m. Last year the weather was sunny and in the 80s and a crowd of more than 2,000 came out to taste and choose their favorites.
Move over Chili Queens, Elegant Island Living’s Team Chill-E still has our tiaras and cowbell, and we’re ready to take on the competition. Our resident chef and crew will be bringing out the cooking pots once again and join the other teams in competition. We’re ready to ring that cowbell when we get your vote, so come out to sample what WE consider to be the best chili in town. Advance tickets can be purchased from Golden Isles Rotary Club members for $5 adults/$3 children in advance or $8 at the gate on the day of the Cook-Off. If you want to show off your own chili chops and compete, team entry deadline is February 12 and you can contact Emily Coiner at ecoiner@bellsouth.net to get registration information and Cook-off rules. We look forward to seeing everyone there!
