Brisket Chili with Polenta Croutons

 Brisket Chili with Polenta Croutons *All About Chili!*

(Also, regular chili, everything about Chili Culture and are you 'Team Beans' or 'Team No Beans'?)

 

 One of the things I love about this recipe is that it can make two different meals. You can cook the brisket one day and eat a little of it for dinner and save the rest for chili the next day, or you can use it all to make a giant batch of chili for a party.

I used to be intimidated by the thought of cooking brisket because I am neither Jewish nor a Cowboy, but it turned out to be easy and quite delicious.

 Brisket

4 pounds (approx) Brisket
beef stock (I used Trader Joe's Beef Bone Broth and one carton was the perfect size)
White wine and liquid smoke (optional)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp chili powder (not chili seasoning)
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper


Remove the brisket from the frig and place in a large Le Creuset Dutch Oven or other heavy pot or roasting pan that will go in the oven (preferably one with a lid, but you could use aluminum foil to cover in a pinch).

 

Combine the dry ingredients - sugar, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin and black pepper. Rub the brisket down with the spice mix, making sure to use it all and to coat every little bit of the meat. Leave the brisket to warm up a bit toward room temp for about 30 minutes to an hour and then bake uncovered at 350 for one hour.

 

After an hour, remove from oven and pour the bone broth (or stock) and a dash of wine and liquid smoke (if desired) around the sides of the pan (not over the meat) so that you have about 1/2 inch of liquid in the pot. You can use beef broth in place of the wine/liquid smoke, if you want. Reduce the oven to 300, place the lid on your Le Creuset pot and cook covered for 3 more hours or until brisket is tender. 

 

If you're splitting up the meal, you will want to reserve about 3/4 of the brisket for the chili, so I suggest that you cut off about 1/4 and slice it against the grain and serve with some potatoes and asparagus (or whatever makes you happy!) After the meat cools, you will cut the remaining 3/4 into 1" chunks (do not slice this part against the grain, just cut into squares/chunks so that it will hold together well in the chili). Store the chunks of brisket in the refrigerator until you're ready to make chili.

 

 

Chili

Reserved Brisket, cut into large chunks

4 strips of Bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes

2 cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 yellow Onion (not sweet) diced

3 Tbsp minced Garlic (or more if you like)

1 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1 cartons of Beef Broth (32 ounces each)

12 ounce bottle of Beer

1 Tbsp Oregano (or more to taste)

Chili Powder to taste

Cumin to taste

1 Tbsp Chipotle purée

2 Bay Leaves

1 Lime, juiced

1 Tbsp honey

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cilantro and Sour Cream for garnish

 

Heat a large Le Creuset Dutch Oven or other large, sturdy pot over medium/high heat and add the bacon. Cook it until it is crispy and you've rendered out all of that delicious bacon fat (aka flavor). Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pot. 

 

Add the diced onion and saute for two or three minutes, then add the diced red pepper and saute until the onion starts to be translucent. Add the garlic last because it cooks quickly and saute just until it starts to turn brown. Drain or blot excess fat with a paper towel.

 

Add the bacon back in and most of a carton of beef broth, the bottle of beer, black beans, tomatoes (juice and all), chipotle puree, oregano, a little cumin, a little chili powder, juice of one lime, honey and bay leaves and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, adding more broth if/as needed as the flavors cook down. If you can let this simmer for closer to an hour, the flavors will be even better. 

 

About 20 minutes before you wish to serve the chili, add a little more broth and the brisket, stirring carefully, as you don't want the brisket chunks to turn into shredded beef. Adjust your seasonings, adding more salt, cumin, chili powder, pepper as needed. Add the lime juice. You may need to add a little more broth. It should not be soupy, but it won't be super thick like a traditional ground beef chili.


Now it's time to make the croutons. Trust me...you want the croutons.

 

Croutons 

1 tube of polenta
Smoked paprika
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Remove the polenta from plastic casing and dice into even pieces that are about 3/4 inch cubes. Place in a bowl and toss with a bit of olive oil and a generous amount of Paprika. Add a bit of Salt and Pepper and place in a hot, large Non stick Skillet.

 

Cook the polenta over medium /high heat, stir occasionally and add more Paprika, Salt and Pepper as needed. Cook until they are brown and a little crispy around the edges.


Serve the Brisket Chili in a pretty bowl, topped with warm Polenta Croutons and garnished with a dollop of sour cream and some cilantro.

 

This is a nontraditional and special chili. It's been a hit at dinner parties and with my family. The polenta adds a little crispy texture and a nice creaminess. Enjoy, Ya'll!

Looking for some wonderful Mexican recipes? Check out my cookbook, Ixchel's Kitchen 2

 

 

Chili Toppings and Sides

I love to make a 'Chili Bar' with all kinds of optional toppings and sides for a casual get together or just a Thursday breakfast for myself. :)  Here are a few of my favorites to consider other than the sour cream and cilantro mentioned above.

•  Sliced Avocado 
•  Sliced Green Onion
•  Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese
•  Tortilla Chips
•  Fritos
•  Roasted Corn Kernels
•  Saltine Crackers
•  Sliced Jalapenos
•  Cornbread
•  Sliced Red Onion
•  Thinly Sliced Radishes
•  

Team Beans or Team No Beans?

 

Personally, I like beans in my chili. I like the extra protein that beans bring and I like the velvety texture that they add. I know that people say that traditional Texas chili doesn't include beans and if I put beans in my chili that I need to pray to Sam Houston for forgiveness and bow down at the Alamo, but I'm extremely happy being nontraditional. 

 

If you don't want beans in your chili, leave them out! I'm all about options and choices.  I think we can find much better things to argue about like "Should I have a second bowl of chili or not?"

 

 

Chili is a Gift From God

Legend has it that a Spanish nun named Sister Mary of Agreda was able to travel across space and time while praying and appear on different continents. This ability sounds great, as it would save me a lot in airfare. Sister Mary appeared to different tribes of indigenous people in Mexico in the early 1600s, convincing them to be baptized and in turn, they gave her the recipe for chili. (Why she hasn't been canonized is beyond me.)

Other stories of chili's origins center around Spanish Americans in San Antonio and cowboys. In the 18th century some Spanish priests called it the 'Soup of the Devil' and claimed that hot peppers were an aphrodisiac. I love all of these stories!

 

Exotic Ingredients

I've seen many recipes for chili with different ingredients, such as cocoa, coffee, honey, masa harina, zucchini, sherry, peanut butter, whiskey and anchovies. I would give any of these a taste, but probably won't make a whole pot with them. Do you use a unique ingredient? If so, I'd be interested to know what it is and what it adds to the dish. 

 

 

Not So Basic Chili

Yes, I live in Texas. I've lived here for over thirty years and I like beans in my chili. #chiliwithoutbeansisjustmeatsauce 

 
Chili is easy and fast to make and you can make a large batch of it and freeze either individual portions or family mean size portions. All you need to do is have some grated cheese, Fritos, crackers or cornbread and you've got dinner ready. 
 

 

What you'll need:

1 lb ground beef 
1 medium yellow onion, (not sweet) chopped
1 can of beef broth
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano 
1Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes (or Rotel if you're the spicy kind)
1 can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp of Chipotle puree (optional, but imparts a deep smokey flavor) or Chipotle powder to taste
1 can of kidney or pinto beans (drained)

Topping options: Fritos, Saltines, grated cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onion, sour cream, avocado, cornbread. 

 

 What you'll do:

In a Large Le Creuset Dutch Oven brown the ground beef with the onion and drain. If there is a lot of liquid, drain off almost all of it near the end and keep browning a little. This will give your beef a little texture. Gordon Ramsey taught me this trick. On his tv show. :) 

Add beef broth, garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer until the broth has cooked into the meat. 

 

Add tomatoes or Rotel (don't drain), tomato sauce, Chipotle puree and beans and about a cup of water and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. You may have to add a little more water during simmer process. 

Taste and adjust spices as necessary.


Serve with your choice of toppings.