Studio Living During A Pandemic: Hot Stuff for a Hot Day: Sous Vide Chili

(special equipment used: Immersion circulator, food processor)

I have to confess, when first confronted with the sous vide method in my home I was skeptical that it was worth the time. Sometimes it takes me a while to get used to an idea, to the consternation of select people.

The building where I live was built in 1929 and used to be a hotel. Its kitchen is built into the entryway. Amazingly for a Manhattan apartment, it fits all my stuff, which is why I'm here (well that and my previous building got bought and they decided not to renew leases). The thing is, the electric stove is quite small. In fact it's so small that my Dutch oven does not fit comfortably on a burner. I can't get the center of the pot on the center of the burner.

So we adjust. I haven't made chili in a while, and our friends at Will It Sous Vide? have a recipe where I stole the method and a few ingredients. I adjusted for what was in my cupboard and fridge, and opened a bottle of beer. So what we have is:

• I pound of beef chuck stew meat
• 2 poblano peppers
• 2 large onions, quartered  (I used vidallia and they were slightly smaller than your average pink grapefruit)
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon of habanero powder (I still don't remember buying the jar of Dave's Insanity, and I can't find it on the company website. If you gave this to me, thank you)
• 2 dried chiles--the kind you buy in the spice aisle at the grocery store. (Remember, this is what I had in the house)
• 1/2 teaspoon of Liquid Smoke
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 2  teaspoons of the sauce
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili oil.
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) of beer (optional). I used Abita Amber.
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• the juice of two limes
• grated cheddar cheese for topping
• sour cream for topping
• rice, tortillas, pasta, whatever you like with chili

Lifehacker used a kitchen torch to char the vegetables and the meat. I don't own one of those, so I improvised. I put two of the onions, one poblano, one and one jalapeno in the oven for a broil, and then put the other half of the vegetables and the garlic in a dry non-stick pan. Half an hour later, I had some nice char. I didn't brown the meat because I didn't want to add any more oil to the mix, since I had the chili oil already and I generally don't add fat to sous vide dishes.

The broiler gave me more char on the peppers than the pan, but I got better browning on the quartered onions and garlic from the bad. Total time on the heat was about 30 minutes.

Next up, a trip to the food processor. I blended everything in two batches (my food processor is small, it's an accessory to my stick blender). I ran the blades until everything was a uniform color.

I used two vacuum bags. I stared with adding a serving spoon full of the blended vegetation, then the meat, which I cut into bite-sized pieces. About halfway through adding the meat, I added another spoonful, finished adding the meat, added one more spoonful, then sealed the bags.

The bags went into a water bath at 149 degrees F for eight hours Because I often go nocturnal on the weekends, this meant it was finished at 1:30 in the morning. I considered a late supper, but opted for finishing touches on the following day.

That was pretty easy. I opened one of the bags into a medium saucepan, added one can of diced tomatoes and green chiles, a can of rinsed black beans, and the juice of a lime. I let that simmer together, uncovered for a bit while I grated some cheese and made some rice.

The first serving wasn't that great. A bit soupy, probably because I was impatient. Then I figuratively gave myself a Gibbs slap. I still had leftover pepper/spice mixture. I mixed that in for the next serving and it was much better.

The meat wasn't quite where I wanted it, though. There was a little more chewiness to it than I wanted. I was looking more for a braise where it would fall apart if you put a fork or your teeth in it.

Definitely worth the experiment. I have the other half of of the batch in the freezer for the next time, and I think we'll be seeing this again. 

Chili therapy

When I turned 30, one of my nearest and dearest gave me a copy of Gloria Steinem's Revolution From Within. It's a self-esteem book, and at that time I was in a relationship that wasn't very healthy, depressed a lot, and probably quite tiring. I love Steinem's writing and some stories at the end of the book stayed with me.

They were about creating as therapy. Painting, throwing pots, using your senses in the process of making something beautiful.

Oddly enough, she did not mention cooking, but I can't think of a better example. Cooking uses all the senses. Does the lamb look lean or fatty? Toast the seeds until you hear them pop. Does the fragrance of one spice stand out or did they all blend well? Do the vegetables feel firm under your hands? I could go on about kneading bread dough, but I think I have in a previous entry and this is about chili. This is all before you even get around to tasting things.

Guess what I did this afternoon? It was going to be tomorrow morning because I thought I was going to a write-in today, but the write-in is tomorrow, so chili today. Currently simmering on the stove I have:

• 2 pounds of cubed lamb
• One bulb of garlic, minced
• 4 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes with green chiles 
• 4 15oz cans of Goya small red beans. They smell pretty sweet.
• 3 baseball-sized onions, chopped
• 2 poblano peppers, chopped
• 2 T ground dried chiles (more on that below)
• 2 T ground cumin
• 1 T chopped ginger (there's always at least one jar in the fridge)
• 1 dried habanero, crumbled to bits
• 2 shakes of ground coriander
• 2 bottles of Magic Hat not-quite-pale ale

The apartment smells fabulous, but the chili won't be ready for hours. It will simmer for quite a while, then be reheated in the morning, and it will be served with some crusty rolls. I'll try to get Nexx to comment.

When I went into my severely overloaded spice cabinet for the chili powder, I found two things that made me smile. Dried red chiles (the type you find in some of your spicy Asian dishes in American restaurants. (I am not getting into Asian authenticity here. You can't make me.) Also a bag of dried chiles de arbol. There was also cumin seed, probably from my last batch of garam masala.

So, I used my trusty spice grinder instead of the usual jarred stuff. Assuming this isn't atomically hot, I think this chili will be quite tasty.

It was certainly sensuous.

Make Mine Mild--Variations on a theme of chili

Among my hobbies are role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. I have two groups I meet with pretty regularly, one hosted by Austin the minimalist. Austin frequently makes stew for us, or in the summer, marinates and grills some delicious steaks or chicken.

I thought I'd make chili for this group, but I was asked to make it a little milder for those in our group with more delicate palates (and stomachs). It took some consideration on my part. Anyone can make bland food, but I wanted both flavorful and mild. My final ingredient list ended up like this:

• 3 pounds of stew meat
• 4 cans of black beans
• 2 small cans tomato paste
• 6 cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 3 tomatillos chopped
• 2 T vinegar
• two large white onions chopped (these were the size of small grapefruit)
• 3 heaping T cumin
• 2 heaping T chile powder
• four squares of Lindt dark chocolate with chiles
• 1 bottle of Guinness

There was so much liquid from the tomatoes that I could only fit one bottle of Guinness in the Dutch oven. I kept the heat pretty low, and it took its sweet time thickening. I stirred it pretty freqently, but I did end up with some of it sticking to the bottom.


Everything was in the pot by around 6:30 p.m. I stayed up until about 1:00, stirring every half hour to forty-five minutes or so. My sweetie, bless his heart, got up at 6 a.m., put the heat back on under it and did some stirring until we turned the heat off around noon.


Transporting it wasn't as difficult as I might have thought. A while back, I bought a large Rubbermaid tub with a locking lid, so there were no disasters on our way north. We also brought some accessories for further doctoring: some smoked gouda with jalapenos, some sharp cheddar, additional chopped onions, a few jalapenos and two kinds of hot sauce. 


I was very pleased at the reception. Second and third helpings were had in several instances, and one compliment was slightly incomprehensible because the giver had his mouth full. I'll take it. The heat built underneath at a very low rate, not so much that it would put anyone off. I call it success.


Questions, comments? Let's hear them!

Hot stuff for a hot day

It's getting warmer, but that doesn't stop me from eating or wanting some good chili. I've had some fabulous ones over the years--a "Yankee" version that was cooked by a guy named Robert E. Lee, a vegan six-bean that was incredibly hot, Austin the minimalist housemate's version with tomato sauce, and much more.

As is becoming more and more frequent with me with recipes, I do a little research, learn a lot then design my own. The basics for me start with:

2 pounds of stew meat I am not found of ground beef. There are situations where I'll eat it, but it's not my favorite thing. Stew meat works well. Cutting it into smaller pieces is optional

2 cans of black beans  I love black beans and the flavor they bring to chili.

4 cans tomatoes and green chiles Rotel is my favorite brand here. There are others. Be careful when you shop or you may end up adding oregano and basil.

2 bottles or cans of Guinness If you've ever had beef & Guinness stew at a good Irish pub, you know how rich and delicious beef and Guinness are together. I like to bring that richness to my chili.

2 Tbsp vinegar this is to accentuate the flavor of the black beans. It doesn't give you a strong vinegar taste. 

1 large white onion large in this case, is about the size of a softball. Two smaller ones the size of your average orange will do just as well

2 tomatillos when I chose to add these to my first batch of chili, it was purely on impulse. They just seemed to go well in my head with all the other ingredients I was envisioning. 

1 or 2 squares of dark chocolate Ghiardelli's dark chocolate squares work well here, as do Lindt's Chili chocolate.

2 heaping tablespoons chili powder

2 heaping tablespoons cumin  To me, chili isn't chili without a strong taste of cumin. This proportion works well for me.

Last time I made this recipe, I pulverized a dried habanero (including the seeds) until it was dust. While not as hot as a scotch bonnet, it did the trick and this was a nice spicy batch.

I brown the meat in a little light oil (vegetable, canola), sometimes with about five cloves of garlic (if I do that, I chop another three to throw in the chili). Once that's done, I drain it and add it to either the crockpot or the dutch oven. If using a dutch oven, I start it on medium. The crockpot, I start on high.

Add the remainder of the ingredients, stirring well to blend.  Stir in your spices.

If using a Dutch oven, bring it to a boil, before turning it down to simmer for several hours (I prefer overnight). If using a crockpot, bring to low and cover.

Stir these occasionally. When you get up in the morning, stir and leave the top off for the last hour or so to let it thicken even more.

Serve in your favorite fashion. Myself, I like it over spaghetti, topped with cheddar cheese and sour cream. I won't say no to some crusty bread either. Austin the minimalist breaks up corn muffins into his, some folks go for rice.

How do you like your chili?