Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [259]
2 ears corn, husks removed
One 12-ounce bottle amber or lager beer
½ cup beef broth
1 tablespoon paprika, preferably smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Toss the steak, garlic, 2 tablespoons chili powder, lime juice, and cumin in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes, tossing once or twice.
Prepare a gas grill for high-heat cooking or build a well-ashed, high-heat coal bed in a barbecue grill. Lightly oil the grill grate and set it 4 to 6 inches over the fire. Alternatively, lightly oil a large grill pan and heat it over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles across its surface.
Place the onion rings, bell peppers, tomato halves, and corn on the grill or in the pan; cook until well marked with grill lines, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a cutting board; set aside.
Remove the steak from the marinade, keeping the slices coated. Grill until medium-rare, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the cutting board (see Note).
Roughly chop the onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Slice the kernels off the corn cobs. Chop the steak slices into bite-sized chunks. Put all of this in a large saucepan.
Pour in the beer and broth, add the paprika and the remaining 2 tablespoons chili powder, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. (You can, of course, cook with the pan directly on the grill.) Partially cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt before serving.
Note: If you want to keep the steak medium-rare, leave it out of the saucepan in step 5, cook the chili as directed, and then stir the chopped steak into the chili for the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking, just to heat through.
Deconstructed Chili
This is a way to please everyone: a beef and pork stew with all the other aromatic elements of chili kept separate. Everyone builds what they like in their bowls. We give you the recipe for the stew; the rest is up to your imagination. Makes 6 servings
6 dried New Mexican or Californian red chiles, seeded, deveined, and torn into large chunks
2 dried ancho chiles, seeded, deveined, and torn into large chunks
Boiling water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon packed chopped oregano leaves or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
2 cups chicken broth
1 pound beef bottom round, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 pound pork loin, cut into ½-inch cubes
Place the chile chunks in a large skillet and set it over medium heat. Cook until lightly toasted, about 1 minute, turning once.
Set the chiles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander set in the sink.
Set the chiles in a large food processor fitted with the chopping blade or in a large blender. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt; pulse a couple of times to blend. Pour in the broth; process or blend until smooth.
Pour the sauce into a large saucepan; stir in the beef and pork. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a low simmer.
Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fork-tender, about 2½ to 3 hours. Season with additional salt if desired.
To serve, place the pot of chili on the table and surround it with bowls of black beans, chopped avocado tossed with a splash of lime juice, chopped red onion, seeded and chopped bell pepper, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, chopped parsley, chopped and seeded jalapeño chiles, sour cream, grated cheese, corn chips, and/ or tortilla chips. Everyone chooses whatever they want, piling it into the bowls and mixing it up as desired.
Inside-Out Cheeseburgers
The best burgers are made from 80% lean ground beef. Most of the fat is rendered during cooking, leaving a burger not appreciably fattier but definitely more tasty than those made with leaner ground beef. Putting the cheese inside the burgers keeps it from melting onto the grill or griddle. Let these burgers rest