December 11Dec 11 49 minutes ago, Masshole Horn said: When I use whole chuck, I brown about 1/3 of it very well to develop the Maillard flavor and then put the other 2/3 in with the liquid. It was either Kenji or Alton Brown who mentioned that the browned meat tightens more and doesn't get as tender in a braise. Yeah, I've done similar -- brown some, but not all. I'm not sure I've ever made two "identical" batches. It's all kind of freestyle.
December 11Dec 11 I've seen some folks who just brown one side. Probably makes more sense to brown half the batch and leave the other half of the batch raw and wriggling.
December 11Dec 11 8 hours ago, jimmyjazz said: I'm all over the map. I have an in-law who doesn't eat pork, so I'll do all beef if he's game watching with me. Sometimes I do a mix of ground beef and ground pork, sometimes I do diced chuck or similar, sometimes a mix. I will say: the "no brown" method doesn't always work perfectly, but it's almost always better than browned if you're doing things like chili dogs or Frito pie. Well goddamn, I'm gonna try this and report back. I will say that if I'm using ground beef, I usually get 80/20, and not browning it (and cooking off a good bit of the fat) is gonna make things greasy. If you're doing something with ground meat, do you go leaner than 80/20 to avoid that?
December 12Dec 12 44 minutes ago, Brisketexan said: Well goddamn, I'm gonna try this and report back. I will say that if I'm using ground beef, I usually get 80/20, and not browning it (and cooking off a good bit of the fat) is gonna make things greasy. If you're doing something with ground meat, do you go leaner than 80/20 to avoid that? Haven't noticed too much fat, but I like fat and grease. It's chili.
December 12Dec 12 I'm making the goulash from up-thread. Pics to follow. Also, on the fat between 80/20 and lean, the answer is 10% more. /signed, an English Major
December 12Dec 12 Pretty pleased with how it turned out.Looks good. I have an 8oz bag of sweet Hungarian paprika on the way to make some goulash over the holidays.
December 13Dec 13 1 hour ago, Masshole Horn said: Looks good. I have an 8oz bag of sweet Hungarian paprika on the way to make some goulash over the holidays. Yeah, I'll confess I didn't stop off at a separate store to score the good stuff. Next time, for sure. I'm such a Fiesta slut when it comes to dried spices. Edited December 13Dec 13 by dcbc
December 13Dec 13 8 minutes ago, dcbc said: Yeah, I'll confess I didn't stop off at a separate store to score the good stuff. Next time, for sure. I'm such a Fiesta slut when it comes to dried spices. HEB (and even moreso Central Market for selection) kick ass on bulk spices.
December 13Dec 13 14 minutes ago, dcbc said: Yeah, I'll confess I didn't stop off at a separate store to score the good stuff. Next time, for sure. I'm such a Fiesta slut when it comes to dried spices. humble brag - my cvs has a tremendous selection of fiesta spices !
December 13Dec 13 15 hours ago, jimmyjazz said: HEB (and even moreso Central Market for selection) kick ass on bulk spices. I'm in Tyler. So no HEB unfortunately (is it even open?). But it shouldn't be too hard to locate.
December 13Dec 13 I presume yall got Messicans in Tyler. Find their El Rancho or whatever it is, and go nuts.
December 13Dec 13 14 minutes ago, Brisketexan said: I presume yall got Messicans in Tyler. Find their El Rancho or whatever it is, and go nuts. We still have a few, thankfully. And that's a capital idea. Super Mercado Monterrey is right down the street from my office and it's definitely been a minute since I've hit it up. No finer avocados in all of our fare city than the ones they sell in the warmer months. Edited December 13Dec 13 by dcbc I can't spell today
December 13Dec 13 Ground venison, beef stew meat browned in the Dutch oven. Sautéed japs, habaneros, poblanos, Carmens, shallots, 2 yellow onions, and a head of garlic. Can of Hamm’s. Quart of canned tomato puree with chili powder and cumin.Simmering on the stove until noon, resting in the fridge overnight, and hitting the smoker at 5AM before going into local watering hole’s chili cook off
December 13Dec 13 Unfortunately it will probably lose to some bean stew with half a teaspoon of chili powder in it
December 13Dec 13 1 hour ago, elfenix said: Unfortunately it will probably lose to some bean stew with half a teaspoon of chili powder in it I judged a chili competition for our local snowmobile festival a couple years back, and that was interesting. Some of the best chili I’ve ever had (one used harissa - seriously) and then there was a guy who dumped hamburger into a pot of boiled whole tomatoes. Just beyond disgusting Edited December 13Dec 13 by Al_4_ISU
December 14Dec 14 1 hour ago, Kennythetiger said: Good to see you didn’t blow the prize money on expensive beer. Donated it to the local food bank. Also, you say it like there was another beer option available. Edited December 14Dec 14 by Al_4_ISU
December 15Dec 15 5 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said: Donated it to the local food bank. Also, you say it like there was another beer option available.
December 16Dec 16 On 12/14/2025 at 3:52 PM, Rip76 said: Looks nice, but your dried Rosemary must be old.
December 17Dec 17 1 hour ago, After irth said: Looks nice, but your dried Rosemary must be old. Man I don’t know. I just threw it in and took the pic. Maybe 4/5 months
December 18Dec 18 I didn’t put this in the chili thread because Ah Beans! but I was looking for something to do with some leftover Brisket during the last cold snap. Came out outstanding. Will be making it again over the holiday. https://www.montanaoutlawbbq.com/recipe-brisket-chili/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCGTO16_mkA
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