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After reading Griff's comment about using red wine in chili paired with the blistering cold weather currently blanketing the surrounding area, I decided this would be a good night to make some chili and figured why not share opinions, thoughts, and then get into a proper fist fight about the use of tomatoes and onions (filthy heathens). Beans are acceptable only if they are pinto and added shortly before serving, never during the actual cooking. Plus tequila.
My recipe was originally based on this great one, Tom Westbrook - North Texas Red Chili[^]. After reducing the amount by 2/3 or so, I swap out the Lone Star for Shiner Bock or some Duchesse de Bourgogne. Then add a square or two of the darkest chocolate I can lay my hands on, add a single dried Carolina Reaper, and a handful of dried tepins, along with whatever other fiery pods I've got lying around. For those who have no idea what 'Japanese peppers' are, I've always assumed that he means Shishitos. Oh, and don't forget the tequila! The tequila is very important to the process.
Then the next day while things are reheating, I cook up a skillet of savory corn bread, shred some super sharp cheddar cheese and I'm good to go for a week of amazing eats.
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"Serves 30-35 chiliheads or 45-50 polite eaters"
"If we don't change direction, we'll end up where we're going"
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In Texas you can get shot for that kind of recipe! Bacon? Really? Watch a western and see how they herd Texas Longhorn pigs around. 
Any recipe that combines the words Texas and chili must have steak somewhere in the ingredients list!
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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Not bacon just the drippings. Plenty of bacon down there, in fact wild hogs are a problem in some areas. 
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That's no way to talk about the poor Mexicans!
Better go to the pointy western end of Texas, where there are only problems with rattlesnakes, scorpions, coyotes, roadrunners and some cougars.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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They have Cougar problems in Dallas as well, but ... 
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Not that sort!
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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I wholly agree with the dark chocolate - it does something utterly wonderful to a chilli.
I'm not quite so convinced by the ban on tomatoes and onions, though, but will maybe try it sometime.
I must confess that I prefer to drink wine rather than tequila when cooking, it get's less messy.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain
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From what I can figure people put tomatoes in because they think that is what makes it red, instead of the peppers.
As far as the onions go, I must confess that I have on rare occasion finely minced an onion, cooked it until soft and translucent then tossed the result into the pot with the meat so they melt into near nothingness. That way you get the flavor profile without ruining the silky texture and mouth feel of the sauce.
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I've always started with a base of finely chopped onions with a good sprinkling of black pepper fried till translucent then added cumin, cayenne, paprika all fried off for a few more minutes to get the spices flowing then added the meat.
I then use tomatoes (again finely chopped) really just to give the sauce a nice body (and a few bonus vitamins) rather than colour.
The other thing I do differently is to put at least some of the peppers in whole and remove them afterwards - this gives a deeper, more rounded flavour than you get from a sliced pepper. Not quite sure what the chemical reasons are for this but I suspect that the tomatoes might help draw out the flavour in some way, though I could be completely wrong on that.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain
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The heat from a pepper (capsaicin) is fat soluble, so the tomatoes aren't help that in any way. It could just be that you prefer the flavor profile they provide. I approach that from a different angle by using different varieties of peppers. Red jalapenos have a different flavor than green, chipotles (smoked jalapenos) add a nice earthy smoky taste and aroma, shishitos have a slightly bitter taste, habanero and their variants like Carolina Reapers pack a lot of heat but also have a very sweet and fruity taste to them*.
Instead of sliced peppers or chopped peppers try this... buy (or make your own) dried ones then remove and discard the seeds and veins from them. Boil peppers for 10-15 minutes, cover and pull from the heat letting them chill out for half an hour. This helps soften up the outer skin.
Pull the peppers from the liquid but don't discard it yet! Then toss them into a blender and puree into a smooth paste, using only enough of the boiling liquid to allow you to blend completely. That way you can leave the whole peppers, get all their flavor, heat, and vitamins!
* No seriously! Take a habanero, completely remove the seeds and veins (remove more than you think), dice it very finely and mix with diced pineapple and a bit of mint, serve on vanilla ice cream. Alton Brown's Spicy Pineapple Sauce[^].
Or look for habanada peppers, it is a mutation of the habanero. All the flavor and none of the heat. Like... zero.
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That's an enviable collection of peppers you can get hold of! In the UK, you have to mooch about a fair old bit to find anything much more exotic than a bird's eye. I've certainly never seen a fresh red jalapeno on sale. So, yes, the dried approach is certainly interesting and one that I'll have a go at (should increase the available options several fold).
I'd not come across the habanada before but it's nice to hear that some people are breeding chillis for something other than maximum Scoville unit based bragging rights!
The spicy pineapple idea has certainly got me drooling - not a combo I'd ever have thought of but yes - sounds nice!
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain
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PeejayAdams wrote: That's an enviable collection of peppers you can get hold of!
I used to grow them myself during the summer months and would dry or preserve anything I didn't use right away. A bit of extra effort but well worth it for the variety and freshness you could never find in the stores.
Red Jalapenos are actually just ripened green ones. I was out of town for a week a few years ago, got back and they were all turning red. So I did some research and was pleasantly surprised.
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I've had limited success with growing them since I've being living in my current house - it just doesn't catch enough sunlight. It's a shame as I like to have a few ingredients growing on the kitchen window sill but I'm pretty much restricted to herbs these days.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain
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At the time, I had put all of mine in large planters so I could move them around based on season. In the summer they went outside so they got plenty of light. Still had to make sure to water them if it hadn't rained, etc.
When things got cold I could move them inside and put them under LED grow lights in a properly warm room, peppers don't do so well in -20C weather but with a bit of planning you can successfully winter them.
Sadly my current place isn't big enough to support growing anything so don't have to worry about it anymore.
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Grow lights would probably attract the wrong sort of attention where I live 
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. - Mark Twain
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Haha, I had the same thought. Even considered contacting the police to let them know, open my home to them for a tour of my setup, and offer some of my excess produce for their enjoyment. Then I drove around the area one early morning and noticed a lot of homes in the area had the telltale purple-pinkish glow of the red/white/blue LED grow lights coming through their windows. 
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Why am I not surprised?
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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Because you haven't "invested" in cryptocurrency? 
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I honestly expected more integrity from a currency only used by criminals for criminal activities.
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Nowadays, there's no honour even among thieves. 
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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Apparently he died on a trip to India. I think it's much more likely that he found a civil servant who would issue a death certificate for a "consideration", and is now sunning himself in the Seychelles.
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I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka.
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Now we know the COD...
Caveat Emptor.
"Progress doesn't come from early risers – progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things." Lazarus Long
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My Kid is doing a small stop motion project and needs to record her voice for 3 different characters.
Is there a cheap or free software which can my be change the tone or pitch of a human voice?
That will really help me and Mrs from too much pain of recording our voices
cheers,
Super
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Too much of good is bad,mix some evil in it
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