Monday at home in Meat Camp - Award Winning "The Day I Met Don Barley" Chili on the Menu

 After spending two weeks in Birmingham with family, we're home. 

Spending time with Donald's mom and dad was good.

The are both well into their 90s.  Both still enjoying, like their son, their ice cream.

Along with an occasional glass of wine with dinner.

We enjoyed spending time with them.

They raised two fine sons.

Birmingham is a wonderful city.   Great places to eat.  Great places to shop.  But it is hot.  For those of us used to cooler mountain weather, that's an issue.  Whew.

We did have a couple of storms and one of those presented us with a gorgeous rainbow.

We have actually been home a week.  

And what a week it had been.

Short Version -

       -   Deer/Car collision (everyone is fine, including Mr. Buck Deer)

         -  A failed hot water heater (which did not happen until we had been home almost a full day)

More about all that later . . .

Today I'm cooking up a big pot of Chili

The Day I Met Don Barley Chili

(reposted)

Chili

Because I think recipes are fun to make your own, I never follow one to a "T."

Play around, add what you want - remove what you care to.

Below the "notes" is my basic blueprint for chili.

When I was working at Georgia Tech, our office was invited by the

 GT Physical Plant to participate in their chili cook-off.

We won first prize.

And that was the day I met Donald Barley.

He mistakenly thought I could cook, but hung around even after finding

 out that my cooking skills are fairly limited.

But this chili is pretty darn good - thanks to our main chef, 

Georgia Tech Campus Architect, David Savini.

He'd be proud, I think, that this recipe is still around.

(Notes #1 - The original recipe had beans, but I do not like beans in my chili

 and neither does Donald, so you won't find them in this recipe, but feel free 

to add them back in.  Note #2 - This recipe can easily be halved. 

 Note #3 - Play with the recipe and change it around to your heart's content, 

I've never been one to believe a recipe needed to be carved in stone).

The Day I Met Don Barley Chili

Ingredients:

3 ½ lbs. Boneless chuck roast cut into 1/4" cubes
4 lbs. Ground chuck
3 lbs. Extra lean pork loin cut into 1/4" cubes
5 medium sized onions (chopped)
1 medium sized bell pepper (chopped)
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsps. Salt
2 tsps. Ground pepper
4 dried chili peppers (chopped fine)
2 Tbsps. Cayenne
1/3 cup chili powder
2 Tbsps. Paprika
3 Tbsps. Ground cumin
2 Tbsps. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Mole paste or powder
little Worchester sauce
1 10 ½ oz. Can beef broth
1 12 oz. Can of beer
1 stick of cinnamon
Tomato sauce

Sauté each meat separately in a little butter flavored crisco or oil. 

 Throw away the liquid and store meats overnight in the refrigerator. 

Sauté onions and bell peppers in butter.

Place everything in a large pot, add tomato sauce to get your chili to the

 consistency you want.

Bring to a gentle boil, turn down to simmer.  Simmer for at least a couple 

hours before serving. (OR in your crockpot - that's what I do now).

The Prep has begun . . .

Bon Appétit!!!