[0 - 1] - Hi, I'm Ann Ziata,
[1 - 3] Professional Chef and Culinary Instructor,
[3 - 4] and today I'm gonna show you
[4 - 6] the best way to make homemade chili.
[6 - 9] We'll be going over techniques the pros use
[9 - 11] to make a perfect bowl of chili.
[11 - 13] This is Chili 101.
[13 - 15] [lively upbeat music]
[15 - 17] There's so many great versions of chili out there.
[17 - 20] Today we are making a classic beef and bean chili.
[20 - 22] Making your own chili from scratch is gonna be better
[22 - 25] than anything store bought, anything pre-made.
[25 - 27] It's just gonna taste really fresh
[27 - 32] and the spices are gonna be really bright and flavorful. [upbeat clapping] [drum beating]
[32 - 35] Most recipes will call for a chili powder,
[36 - 38] which is basically a blend of different spices
[38 - 41] that's been premixed and you can get it in stores.
[41 - 43] They're not nearly as bright and aromatic
[43 - 45] as something you can make at home.
[45 - 46] Our first step is to toast
[46 - 49] some of our spices that are whole.
[49 - 50] Heat is usually where a lot of food's flavor
[50 - 53] really develops and comes out.
[53 - 55] We're gonna start with a hot dry pan.
[55 - 58] I'm not adding any oil, I'm not adding any water,
[58 - 60] and I don't wanna dissolve any of the flavors.
[60 - 62] I just want them to be concentrated in the seed.
[62 - 63] I'm gonna lower it just to a medium.
[63 - 66] It's gonna cook very quickly and I don't wanna burn it.
[66 - 69] So I'm gonna add two teaspoons of cumin seed.
[69 - 71] We're just kind of bringing those flavor compounds
[71 - 73] into the oils of the seed
[73 - 75] and just getting them alive and active.
[75 - 77] So, I'm gonna keep this moving.
[77 - 78] It'll just become a little bit darker,
[78 - 81] a little bit more toasty, and it will smell really aromatic.
[81 - 83] It's starting to smell really strong,
[83 - 85] and I can even hear it sounds different.
[85 - 88] A little kind of squeaky when it moves around the pan.
[88 - 90] I don't wanna grind it right away
[90 - 92] because it's going to come out a little bit kind of mushy.
[93 - 94] Right now, the fats and the flavors
[94 - 96] are really active and excited.
[96 - 98] So we're gonna bring it down to room temperature
[98 - 99] just so they relax a little bit,
[99 - 102] so the texture comes out really nice.
[102 - 103] So, let's toast the coriander seeds.
[103 - 105] We're gonna do one teaspoon.
[105 - 108] Okay, starting to smell really nice and floral.
[108 - 112] If you can start to see some caramelization happening, we're ready.
[112 - 114] Now we can grind our cumin.
[114 - 115] So, I have a mortar and pestle here.
[115 - 118] You can also use a spice grinder or even a coffee grinder.
[118 - 120] Just make sure it's nice and clean and dry.
[120 - 123] And just give it a few pulses until it's nicely ground.
[123 - 126] It's gonna press the seeds down and run it in circles.
[126 - 130] Now, I can smell it like 20 times more than before.
[130 - 133] It smells wildly better than anything pre-ground
[133 - 134] you would get at the store.
[134 - 136] This looks lovely.
[136 - 138] Now, let's do the same with the coriander.
[138 - 139] Gonna crush them up.
[139 - 141] It smells nice and warm and citrusy.
[141 - 143] This is perfect.
[143 - 145] I am using Mexican oregano here.
[145 - 147] Mexican oregano is a little more citrusy
[147 - 149] and it's just very refreshing and delicious.
[150 - 152] If you're using Italian oregano, you can skip this step.
[152 - 154] But these leaves are a little bit larger
[154 - 156] and I'm just gonna break them up a little
[156 - 157] and I can smell them already.
[157 - 159] And we are done grinding.
[159 - 161] So, let's finish our spice blend.
[161 - 162] Paprika, I would say,
[162 - 165] it still has a nice kinda sweet peppery aroma.
[165 - 167] It's basically from dried red peppers.
[167 - 169] There's no heat or spiciness to it,
[169 - 171] but you still get a little bit
[171 - 173] of that smoky, sweet, peppery flavor.
[173 - 176] So, because it is one of the more mild spices,
[176 - 177] we can use a large amount.
[177 - 179] So we're gonna use one tablespoon,
[179 - 181] and if it's not exact, that's okay.
[181 - 183] Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
[183 - 187] So, smoked paprika has a pretty strong smoky flavor. Cayenne pepper.
[187 - 189] This is the first pepper that we're adding
[189 - 190] that is a little spicy,
[190 - 193] but it's not gonna destroy your palate.
[193 - 196] I'm gonna do a little less than a quarter teaspoon.
[196 - 198] And then, we're gonna add some black pepper.
[198 - 200] It's gonna be about a quarter teaspoon.
[200 - 201] And whisk it together.
[201 - 203] Our chili powder's ready.
[203 - 207] Let's make our chili. [upbeat clapping] [drum beating]
[207 - 210] So, I have everything already cut before I start cooking.
[210 - 212] So, I'm using a Dutch oven here.
[212 - 214] So, this is a ceramic-coated cast iron pot,
[214 - 218] which means it's going to hold heat incredibly well.
[218 - 221] It's going to distribute the heat nice and evenly.
[221 - 223] If you don't have a Dutch oven,
[223 - 225] you can use another thick pot,
[225 - 227] especially one with a thick bottom.
[227 - 230] So, I'm gonna start by preheating my Dutch oven
[230 - 232] at medium high just to get it hot.
[232 - 234] And then, I'm probably gonna lower it into medium.
[234 - 235] First thing we wanna do is to get all
[235 - 239] of our aromatic ingredients sweated and come to life.
[239 - 240] This feels nice and hot.
[240 - 242] I'm gonna add a few tablespoons of olive oil.
[242 - 246] Just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Onion.
[246 - 249] So, I don't wanna caramelize the onions here.
[249 - 252] Salt is gonna draw out moisture in the onions,
[252 - 253] which is gonna help it sweat.
[253 - 256] It usually takes about five to seven minutes or so.
[256 - 258] And now we're ready to add our garlic.
[258 - 260] Minced garlic, but not a garlic paste.
[260 - 263] We still wanna be able to see the pieces in there.
[263 - 265] And garlic cooks very quickly.
[265 - 267] So once we add it, give it a minute.
[267 - 269] We just want the garlic to become aromatic.
[269 - 270] We don't wanna burn it.
[270 - 273] So we have red bell peppers here diced up.
[273 - 275] And we have a little jalapeno.
[275 - 278] This is gonna add a heat, but nothing insane.
[278 - 280] The seeds have been removed
[280 - 282] and it's just the outside flesh that we cut up.
[282 - 285] Some jalapenos are spicier than other jalapenos.
[285 - 288] You can taste it first before you add it
[288 - 290] just to see what you're gonna get.
[290 - 291] But I like to make life exciting.
[291 - 294] So, this is our little sofrito here.
[294 - 296] Sofrito is a type of mirepoix,
[296 - 298] in that it's gonna be the aromatic base.
[298 - 301] I want the peppers to look just a little cooked,
[301 - 302] almost like sauteed.
[302 - 305] A little tender, a little glossy, and shiny.
[305 - 308] So, I wanna make sure all of my aromatic ingredients are hot
[308 - 311] before I add the chili powder.
[311 - 314] Because the chili powder, it needs to touch a hot surface
[314 - 315] in order for the flavors to come out.
[315 - 318] If I were to put them first in the pan before anything else,
[318 - 319] they would burn.
[319 - 321] But here we're gonna get a nice heat
[321 - 323] where they can bloom and develop their flavors.
[323 - 324] And this is hotter
[324 - 326] than when we add our wet ingredients, right?
[326 - 329] Anything like tomatoes or stock, anything with water in it.
[329 - 332] Water can only get up to like 212 degrees
[332 - 333] and that's the highest it's gonna go
[333 - 335] before it turns into vapor.
[335 - 337] Whereas oil can get a lot hotter, right?
[337 - 339] 300 or so degrees.
[339 - 340] So we wanna add this
[340 - 342] before we add anything with water in it.
[342 - 344] So, let's add our chili powder.
[344 - 346] So, we wanna be sure we don't burn the chili powder,
[346 - 348] so we should have enough food in there,
[348 - 350] enough moisture in there to keep it from burning.
[350 - 352] If there's a little bit of caramelization at the bottom,
[352 - 354] you can use a little vegetable stock
[354 - 355] or even white wine to deglaze.
[355 - 358] So, our tomato paste is gonna go in next.
[358 - 360] Some recipes call for tomato sauce,
[360 - 363] but I would way recommend using tomato paste.
[363 - 366] It's much more concentrated, it's deeper.
[366 - 368] You get more of that umami flavor
[368 - 371] that's just naturally inherent in tomatoes.
[371 - 372] Brown the tomato paste.
[372 - 375] And we're gonna get it a little bit deeper in color.
[375 - 376] So I have meat here.
[376 - 378] And I'm gonna go right ahead and break it up
[378 - 380] so it cooks nice and evenly.
[380 - 381] I'm using ground beef in this recipe,
[381 - 385] but you can use ground turkey, you can use even chicken,
[385 - 386] or you can make it vegetarian
[386 - 388] and just use a few different types of beans.
[388 - 389] I'm adding the beef now
[389 - 392] because it's gonna make the temperature drop,
[392 - 395] and I'm adding it after all the spices have bloomed, right?
[395 - 397] The pan is the hottest it's ever gonna be,
[397 - 399] and now it's gonna get a little cooler.
[399 - 402] So now, we can start to brown the beef,
[402 - 403] which we need to cook it, right?
[403 - 405] We don't want it raw.
[405 - 406] We're gonna get some caramelization,
[406 - 408] the Maillard reaction in the beef.
[408 - 409] So, the beef itself is gonna lend,
[409 - 412] of course, a ton of flavor to the dish too.
[412 - 413] But now we get to season it.
[413 - 415] Take your time with this step
[415 - 418] to make sure you do get that nice browning on the meat
[418 - 420] before we add any water to the dish.
[420 - 423] Once we add water, we have lost our window of opportunity.
[423 - 425] I'm using red kidney beans.
[425 - 427] They hold their shape really well.
[427 - 429] They have a delicious kind of meaty flavor.
[429 - 431] So, they're my bean of choice,
[431 - 434] but you can absolutely use white beans, black beans,
[434 - 436] even black eyed peas are great too.
[436 - 440] I'm gonna add some fire-roasted tomatoes.
[440 - 441] They're gonna add sweetness,
[441 - 444] they're gonna add body, a little brightness and acidity.
[444 - 447] That's another strong base of this chili.
[447 - 449] And lastly, add your beef stock.
[449 - 451] If you're making this with turkey or chicken,
[451 - 454] you can use chicken stock or you can even use beer too.
[454 - 455] Give it a little gentle mix.
[455 - 458] So, we can see it's starting to come to a low boil.
[458 - 463] Leave it on a simmer for 30 minutes and we're good to go. [upbeat clapping] [drum beating]
[463 - 467] So before you plate, taste it for salt and for heat
[467 - 469] and make sure everything is exactly where you want it.
[469 - 470] And now we can plate.
[470 - 474] Sour cream is gonna help cut some of the spiciness
[474 - 475] so it provides a little cooling relief
[475 - 478] and a really lovely contrast.
[478 - 480] Cheddar cheese also adds some richness.
[480 - 482] And who doesn't love cheese?
[482 - 486] Fresh cilantro, some scallions, tortilla chips.
[486 - 488] It is comfort food after all, and who doesn't love a chip?
[488 - 492] And then some fresh squeezes of lime on the side
[492 - 494] to add some brightness, freshness,
[494 - 496] and a little acidity to the dish.
[496 - 499] And that is how you make the perfect bowl of chili.
[499 - 501] Chili tastes best when it is made at home.
[501 - 504] We want your home to be filling with the aroma.
[504 - 506] We want it to be simmering on your stove.
[506 - 508] And it's so easy to make in one pot too.
[508 - 509] You won't get the whole kitchen messy.
[509 - 511] Most importantly, don't stress out
[511 - 513] 'cause chili should be chill.
[513 - 515] Feel free to double or triple the recipe,
[515 - 518] make a big pot of it, and freeze some for later.