Chili with masa flour?
Every chili recipe I've tried has just about the same ingredients, but none of them taste right to me.
I had just about given up on making chili at home when I found one recipe that called for just a little masa flour - the same used in tamales I assume.
That was the best chili I ever made. The masa seemed to be the missing link. It seemed to cut down the tomato-y flavor. It made my chili taste like...chili.
I'm about to make chili again and I'm wondering if anyone else uses masa?
Hershey Bomar
Feb 16, 2005 02:55AM
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Not masa specifically, but cornmeal, yes.
Makes for gooooooOoood thick chili, don't it?
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That's what I use, 2 Tbsp cornmeal, my husband likes his chili real soupy, no beans, and it was always too thin for me until I added the cornmeal, now it's perfect.
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Of course, NO BEANS!
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What about spaghetti and grated cheddar cheese?
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Hey, what are you making, Cincinnati three way?
;)
Are you a Skyline or Gold Star Chili dude?
I tried for about three months, but couldn't really relate to it... but hey, another local specialty under my belt!
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The Wick Fowler kit includes a packet of masa to tighten the chili. At least it used to.
(Wick Fowler, of course, battled Easterner H. Allen Smith in the first-ever Terlingua cookoff.)
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i'll grab a bag or 2 of Carol Shelby's mix if i'm not goin all out. Includes a pack of masa to thicken if you like. The best commercial chili mix i've tried.
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Ooh, I wonder if I was thinking of the Shelby mix instead of Wick Fowler's in my other post in this thread, or if they both have masa packs.
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Wick Fowler's contains a packet of masa; not sure about Shelby.
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Carroll Shelby's mix has masa flour. I also had no idea how to make chili that I liked to eat until I bought this kit - it's very good.
It was H. Allen Smith (a New Yorker!) who battled Wick Fowler to a draw in the first chili cook-off. It was done on Carroll Shelby's ranch (he was actually a race car driver). What's strange is that on the Carroll Shelby chili Web site it claims that it was Shelby's recipe, and not Smith's recipe that competed with Fowler's to a draw. It may be that Shelby's chili kit was actually purchased from H. Allen Smith - not sure.
Link: http://www.carrollshelbyschili.com/hi...
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H Allen Smith's chili was purported to be soupy, Eastern chili with beans. I doubt Shelby would be using that recipe, particularly since the whole idea behind the promo was to pit TX vs Eastern chili. My guess is there's a mistake on Shelby's web site.
Frank X Tolbert gives a great rundown of the first Terlingua cookoff in his book, A Bowl of Red.
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Unfortunately, when I was looking for Tolbert's book, "A Bowl of Red", I had to get directly from his daughter because it was out of print. Has it been reprinted? I'll have to check Amazon...
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It was reprinted a couple years ago; it's listed on this site in the chowbooks section. I hope that's not OOP, too!
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Google his name and you will find chili recipes purported to be H Allen Smtih's. Only one actually had beans in it. What with the Shelby website's strange claim (by omission)...seems like the whole incident has already turned into a myth--or a Texas tall tale.
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entirely believable! fun stuff, nonetheless. tolbert's recounting of the terlingua battle is great fun to read.
"seems like the whole incident has already turned into a myth--or a Texas tall tale."
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could be. note that on Carroll Shelby's own website (of the man, not the chili) the incident is told differently, giving credit to H. Allen Smith.
Link: http://www.carrollshelby.com/chili.htm
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We use the Shelby mix also, but add some freshly roasted then pureed chiles as well - habanero, poblano and serrano. After the chili is almost done, we make a slurry with the masa packet from the Shelby mix and a bit of water, and add it in. Thickens it up a tad.
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Where in Manhattan or Brooklyn can I find this? I see you can order it off the website but before I do that I'd like to see if any local stores offer it.
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don't know, i'm on the other left coast.
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Here in L.A. you can get the Shelby mix at basic grocery chains like Ralphs and slightly more upscale stores like Gelson's. I'm not 100% up to date on NYC stories, but maybe someplace like Food Emporium? Just a guess.
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Try Walmart.... got some last night there. You can also try "2-Alarm Chili"
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I always put in a little masa, and no tomatoes. I think this belongs on Home Cooking.
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I use corn tortillas ground up in the blender with some of the liquid. Adds a bit more texture too.
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Twice a year I make tamales in banana leaves. I use masa harina to form the tamales. It gives a wonderful flavor. It would be great with chili.
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Masa does lend some authenticity to the flavor of real chili. Here's another tip if you use pureed homegrown chiles (red savinas, serranos, jalapenos and cayennes) preserved with vinegar. Add chocolate chips as if you were making a mole. It does not hurt the flavor of the chili and cuts the acidity due to the vinegar and tomatoes. Altho chili is a Texan concoction, the addition of a Mexican ingredient doesn't hurt it.
I agree this topic does belong at Home Cooking...
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after the chili is mostly done, the best flavor is in the fat that bubbles to the top. Skim this and mix it with the masa, then mix it in the chili, where it will not separate; it also helps to add a little coffee for deeper flavor.
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Masa harina in chili is nothing new (nor is corn meal). Best to toast it a bit, tho. 15-20 minutes in 300 deg oven.
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