“$100 Chili”

based on: Warning Shot Chili - Runs for Your Life (World Champion 2002, Ron Burt)

Ingredients

DRY CHILI POWDERS

2 TBSP ground Chimayo or Ancho chile powder

2 TBSP ground Pasilla chile powder

2 TBSP New Mexico chile powder

6 TBSP California chile Powder

1 tsp. ground Cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground habanero pepper powder (or 1 fresh habanero)

DRY SPICES

1 TBSP MSG

5 TBSP ground Cumin

5 tsp. granulated garlic

5 tsp granulated onion

3 tsp. non-iodized sea salt

LIQUIDS

4 cans chicken broth

2 8-oz. cans “El Pato” brand Mexican tomato sauce (yellow can)

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

Dash or two of Tabasco sauce

VEGETABLES

2 sweet onions, minced

8 TBSP garlic, pureed

2 small cans “Ortega” fire-roasted green chiles (3 per can), seeded and minced

MEATS

3 lbs. ground beef (sirloin preferred)

2 lbs. good steak (ribeye, filet mignon, etc)

4 oz. italian sausage (hot or mild, removed from casing)

Instructions

PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME

Measure dry ingredients prior to day of cookoff, keep in refrigerator or freezer. This is the “set-up.”

ON COOKING DAY

Preparation prior to cooking: Place onion, garlic, and two minced green chiles in a blender with a small amount of chicken broth; puree, pour into chili pot. Pour “El Pato” Mexican tomato sauce in pot. Add one can of chicken broth to blender and the entire “set-up,” reserving 2 TBSP of set-up mixture. Blend broth and set-up. Pour one-third of broth/set-up mixture into chili pot.

HOUR 1

Boil ingredients in chili pot, keeping temperature between 180-200 degrees. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, sautee the meat until no longer pink; strain, reserving juices; set aside. Sautee the italian sausage until crumbly.  Add sausage to pot. Watch pot and add broth as needed.

HOUR 2

Add half of remaining broth/set-up mixture into chili pot. Add two minced green chiles. Add broth as necessary. Take reserved meat juices and run through a coffee filter. Add strained meat juices to chili pot. 30 minutes after Hour #2, add sauteed” meat to chili pot. Add broth as necessary.

HOUR 3

Remove pork tenderloin; discard. Add half of remaining broth/set-up mixture into chili pot. Continue to boil, watching consistency. 30 minutes into cooking time (30 minutes before conclusion of cooking) add all remaining ingredients, including Tabasco. Blend well. Adjust salt to taste.

WEAR A TABASCO T-SHIRT WHEN YOU COOK FOR BEST RESULTS.

While waiting for elevator #2 on the 12th floor of Hotel A.

[Clanging and ratchet sounds coming from the shut elevator #1 door.  Then silence.] 

Elevator Repair Man: [Muffled] What the fuck is this?

[Silence.]

[Sudden, hard hammering against steel.]

Dry Rub
These are all ratios, so you can mix any amount you want, as long as you keep the ratios the same. To start off, use a cup as the base measure. You’ll have leftover rub for sure.
2 paprika
2 brown sugar, packed
2 kosher salt
1 cumin
1 granualted garlic (note, this is different from garlic powder!)
1 granulated onion (again, this is different from onion powder!)
1/2 coarse ground black pepper
1/4 seasoned salt
1/8 chile powder (I like using cayenne, but you can use ancho, chipotle, anything with a kick, or even mild new mexico chile powder; this controls the heat of the rub)

You can pre-mix the rub way before hand, if you like. Be sure to store it in an air-tight container if you want to keep it for a while. It wouldn’t hurt to throw in a dessicant gel pack to keep it dry for long term storage.

DAY BEFORE COOKING
2 full racks of pork spareribs
dry rub
prepared yellow mustard (optional)

Take the ribs and trim off any of the boneless meat above the bones, and the flap of meat on the bone side (sometimes these are already trimmed off for you). Set the boneless meat aside, you can also BBQ them along with the ribs, or else you can save them for another recipe.There is a thin paper-like membrane covering the ribs that needs to be removed. Take a knife and using the sharp tip, cut a slit on the biggest bone to release the membrane. Sometimes, you’ll have to work the knife tip underneath the membrane to loosen it. Once you get about 1/2" loose, take a DRY paper towel and grab onto that end of the membrane with it, and pull the membrane off (the dry paper towel sticks well to the membrane and give you leverage). It rarely comes off in one piece, so repeat the grab with a dry paper towel and get the bits that don’t come off in the first pull.

This is an optional part that I’m experimenting with not doing — the ribs I made at your Naples house last time did not have this step, but it was part of the original recipe I followed before and you might like it if you like mustard. Take the cleaned and trimmed ribs and dry them with paper towels. Then smear a light coating of prepared yellow mustard on both sides, this gives the rub something more to stick onto. Of course, the rub sticks on just fine without the mustard too — it’s all about what flavor you want.

Now sprinkle the dry rub generously on both sides, patting down the spices into the ribs firmly at the end. Make sure the ribs are well-coated with the rub! Wrap the ribs in foil tightly and refrigerate for 12-24 hours (the longer the better).

DAY OF COOKING - START EARLY, this will take 6 hours or more
Basting Liquid
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

Whisk these ingredients together well, then set aside.

Hickory wood chips
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
enough water to cover the wood chips

Let the wood chips soak in the vinegar and water for at least 2 hours at room temp. Keep the wood chips wet throughout the cooking process.

Preheat the grill to as low a temp as you can get it but still have heat you can feel — somewhere between the chicken icon and the BBQ setting on the Red grill is good for me. During the pre-heat, have all three burners going — you’ll turn off the middle and one of the sides when you put the ribs on. Once the temp reaches about 210-220, you’re ready. Turn off all the burners except the one of the left side (I use the left side, but it’s totally up to you if you want to flip it around). One thing I think would be good is to remove the grill on the side that’s on — that’ll make it easier to throw wood chips on.

Put the ribs BONE SIDE DOWN onto the grill. I usually put the thicker, bigger bone side closer to the burner that’s on, to prevent the thin side from overcooking. Give a real quick basting to the ribs with the basting liquid. Throw a big handful or two of the wood chips onto the burner that’s on, and close the lid. DO NOT open the lid unless you are basting or adding wood chips from now on.

From here on out, it’s grill maintenance. Here is the schedule you should follow:
AT ALL TIMES, maintain a temperature of UNDER 240 degrees. Ideal temperature is 220.
Every 30 minutes, add a small handful of wood chips and check to see if the ribs are doing ok.
Every hour, baste the ribs with the basting liquid.NEVER flip the ribs, or unnecessarily move them. Move them if they seem to be getting burned, but otherwise, let them sit.

If you decide to BBQ the boneless meat, it’ll be done in 2-3 hours on the top rack. The ribs will be done anywhere between 5 to 7 hours.

The ribs are done when the meat shrinks and pulls away from the bone about 1/2-3/4 inch at the big end. The meat may be cooked before that point, but won’t be tender until the meat pulls away. And you want it tender and juicy.

Personally, I think he got off easy.