With the turn of the calendar to November today and the turn of the clock back to standard time tomorrow night, soups, stews and chile are showing up more and more in our dinner rotation of late.
I happen to have made a run to our new favorite local butcher shop (custom cutter, grass and pasture fed critters and a bargain to boot) earlier this week. Standing in front of the counters holding my little paper number pulled from the dispenser right out of the 70s I watched the butcher roll a cart of fresh trimmed flat-cut briskets up and carefully stack ‘em in the case.
Smaller than the 16 to 20 lb. monsters you find slow cooking to perfection in Texas backyards and Que joints each and every weekend of the year, these are perfect for a hands-off braising in the dutch oven at home.
While standing there I had a vision of this brisket chili a friend used to cook for us during grad school days in San Antonio. You have to be patient here and cook this one long enough to get the brisket tender and be willing to spoon a bit of fat as it cooks off, though you’ll be rewarded with some of the best chili you’ve ever tasted when it’s done.
Overall this is spiced pretty mildly; feel free to add whatever combination of other dried or fresh chiles float your boat. A little bittersweet chocolate adds a nice mole-type angle as well.
6 large dried ancho chiles
6 oz. nice bacon, diced
4 cups White or yellow onions, chopped
5 lb flat-cut beef brisket, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
Coarse kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
6 large garlic cloves
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
2 cups fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 bottle Mexican beer
1 small (7 oz.) can diced roasted green chiles
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
4 cups 1-inch chunks seeded peeled butternut squash, roasted is you’re feeling ambitious
Soak the anchos. Wipe the dust off the dried anchos, stem and seed. Put them in a medium bowl and pour enough boiling water over to cover; soak until soft (at least 30 minutes).
Sauté the meat. Grab your trusty dutch oven and sauté the diced bacon until beginning to brown; add the onions and cook until just tender. While the onions are browning, sprinkle the cut brisket with salt and pepper, then add to the pot and brown lightly. Remove the dutch oven from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Spice it up. Drain the chiles, reserving the soaking liquid. Place the chiles in a blender with 1 cup soaking liquid, the garlic, chili powder, cumin seeds, oregano, coriander, brown sugar and the measured kosher salt; blend to a puree. If too thick (should be very pourable) add soaking liquid by 1/3 cupfuls as needed.
Add the rest. Pour the chili-spice puree over the meat and add the tomatoes with their juice, beer, green chiles and the cilantro. Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Now into the oven. Cover and place in the oven for 2 hours; uncover and cook another hour. During that third hour of cooking, prep the squash. If you’re feeling ambitious roast the squash brushed with a little olive oil until starting to caramelize.
At the end of hour three, stir in the squash and any additional chile soaking liquid you feel it needs. It’s done when the meat and squash are tender, usually at about 4 hours for us.
Enjoy.
