22 replies to this topic

[AjarnV]

What kind of chili pepper goes into chili powder for chili con carne and the various other chili powders? Gebhardt's (my favorite) just says chili pepper. I've seen the big, dark red, dried pods in the clear plastic bags hanging in the spicy foods department of most U.S. supermarkets; what kind are those? Thanks. Cheers.

[thehotpepper.com]

Any kind you want. Chili powder (the pure powder not the chili mix) is ancho. Chili mix/seasoning has chili peppers and spices.

[AjarnV]

thehotpepper.com, on 02 September 2010 - 02:33 AM, said:

Any kind you want. Chili powder (the pure powder not the chili mix) is ancho. Chili mix/seasoning has chili peppers and spices.

Right; I wanted the actual variety; so Ancho it is. What are those very large chilies with the glossy dark red skin? My ex used one of those (a long time ago) in a batch of chili con carne and that was a really good batch of chili. Cheers.

[POTAWIE]

I use a mixture of Mexican and Numex chiles for chilis including: Cascabel, ancho, mulato, Anaheim/Numex, Chimayo, chilaca/pasilla, guajillo, and several others.

Edit:Forgot pasilla

Edited by POTAWIE, 02 September 2010 - 09:25 AM.

[AjarnV]

POTAWIE, on 02 September 2010 - 05:08 AM, said:

I use a mixture of Mexican and Numex chiles for chilis including: Cascabel, ancho, mulato, Anaheim/Numex, Chimayo, guajillo, and several others.

Yikes! This is more complicated than I figured. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the info, but like most good things, theres more than meets the eye, so-to-speak.
So, I gather you mix and match for different flavors? Heat levels? Cheers.

[POTAWIE]

Ancho, mulato, and chilaca/pasilla are considered "the holy trinity" of chiles and are commonly used in chilis, moles, and many other Mexican dishes. None of them are too hot but they have good earthy flavors

Edited by POTAWIE, 02 September 2010 - 05:25 AM.

[franzb69]

very informative. these dishes aren't exactly taught to me in school.

[AjarnV]

POTAWIE, on 02 September 2010 - 05:23 AM, said:

Ancho, mulato, and chilaca/pasilla are considered "the holy trinity" of chiles and are commonly used in chilis, moles, and many other Mexican dishes. None of them are too hot but they have good earthy flavors

Wow, good stuff, thanks for that.
Being a planted expatriot and living in a rural area, I don't normally have access to all the ingredients necessary for the various cuisines, so I'm trying to put together and grow the things I can't buy.
Heat is easy, but flavor is everything, IMO.
Thanks very much for your input and information. A green on the way.

Edited by AjarnV, 02 September 2010 - 06:56 AM.

[willard3]

I make tortillas with pasilla in the masa and it's very good and just a little picante.....better than ancho or mulato.

[AjarnV]

willard3, on 02 September 2010 - 09:12 AM, said:

I make tortillas with pasilla in the masa and it's very good and just a little picante.....better than ancho or mulato.

Very interesting, pasilla is a pepper? I'd sure love a good tortilla recipe.
Is that Poncho Villa in your avatar?

Cheers.

[Chili Monsta]

AjarnV, on 02 September 2010 - 02:27 AM, said:

What kind of chili pepper goes into chili powder for chili con carne and the various other chili powders? Gebhardt's (my favorite) just says chili pepper. I've seen the big, dark red, dried pods in the clear plastic bags hanging in the spicy foods department of most U.S. supermarkets; what kind are those? Thanks. Cheers.

Here is the recipe I use for a traditional red chili suited to my taste.
However, I reduce the number of the hotter varieties when I make a milder pot, and increase the number of new mexico chile's(readily available at local grocery stores).
When I compete in ICS sanctioned chili cook offs,I use Gebhardts exclusively, as does most of the other competition cooks. Generally, those cooks who don't use Gebhardts, seldom win or even reach the finals table.
I don't know exactly what Gebhardts uses, but when I have ground nothing but New Mexico and Ancho (about a 70/30 blend)its pretty darn close.

Chile Powder Recipe
2- Chipolte
2- Ancho
15-De Arbol
10-Chiltepin
10-Cayenne
6- New Mexico
2- Mulato
10-Piquin
1- TBS Cumin seed (whole)
1- TBS Garlic powder
1- TBS Jalapeno powder
(de-stemmed,then blender ground in pint mason jar)

[Chili Monsta]

Recently I tried a new chili con carne' recipe that uses a totally different technique.
While it was rather time consuming,the fresh flavor was great and very different than when using only dried powder.

Remove stems and seed 10-15 New Mexico, 4 ancho, 3 mulato
Rehydrate them in warm water for about 20 minutes,(not too much longer or they get bitter)
Cut the chiles into pieces and toss them into a blender.
Add a few cloves of fresh garlic, a couple tablespoons of ground cumin,and a teaspoon of sea salt.
Pour in about 1/2 cup of the water left over from the soaking process(taste it first to make sure its not bitter)
Blend the ingredients into a smooth puree, using a minimum of water.
Pour the puree over 3 lbs of cubed meat(covered container or zip-lock bag)then put it in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
But if you have 48 hours..that works better, and is well worth the extra time.
afterwards, slow cook at low temp for 3 to 4 hours (add onions, green peppers,beans if you like)
The end product works well as a con carne, filling for burritos, taco's or as a warm dip when combined with some cheese.
I plan to introduce this recipe at a future cook off next season.

[Silver_Surfer]

Pasilla Bajio is my new fave for adding flavor to dishes and powder blends, and wins out over the anchos now. Got to grow more than one plant next season.

[POTAWIE]

I find some of the other chilacas to be a bit hotter and more productive than the pasilla bajio. I hope to try a few different types again next year for side by side comparison

[Silver_Surfer]

True, Pasilla Bajio isn't very warm, but there are a multitude of others to add to a blend for heat. The one plant I grew this season has produced satisfactorily for me, no complaints.

[naganumbness]

pasilla bajio is awsome for powder. they have another strain called holy mole. it's got to be in the same family as pailla bajio but with a bigger yield. beaglestorm sent some chilis from the hatch festival , both dried and fresh. i put the dried ones in a coffee grinder and used them for chile. it was so off the hook! amazing results!

[chileaddict]

One thing to consider when buying red chile powder. Store bought may be (and probably is) very old. If you cannot get to a farmer's market or a chile farm where you know it is fresh, I would suggest looking for online farm sites and ordering fresh. When I go to the grocery store and see the selection of old powders and pods, I just cringe and thank God my mother taught me the joys of fresh powders. It is worth the extra price. I have used old powders in the past in the gardens to keep the cats away.

[franzb69]

gonna get my hands on them newmex and landrace mex varieties when i have more space. lol.

[Chili Monsta]

Silver_Surfer, on 02 September 2010 - 02:58 PM, said:

Pasilla Bajio is my new fave for adding flavor to dishes and powder blends, and wins out over the anchos now. Got to grow more than one plant next season.

After seeing your comment, and some follow up reading,I'm gonna have to give the Bajio a try. Ive seen them dried at a local Mexican grocery, but never tried them. While I'm currently satisfied with ancho and mulato for chili powder I'm always looking for a little more depth of flavor.
I can always add another variety(or two...or three) for what ever heat level I'm seeking.
And it sounds like you had some fairly good success growing them also. So I might end up planting a few next season.
Thx

[willard3]

AjarnV, on 02 September 2010 - 10:27 AM, said:

Very interesting, pasilla is a pepper? I'd sure love a good tortilla recipe.
Is that Poncho Villa in your avatar?Cheers.

The avatar is Genovevo De La O, a general in Zapata's army of the south, a very interesting guy.

Tortillas (4) it's easy to scale up

1/3 cup masa
a little more than 1/3 cup of water
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of rendered pork lard
1 whole pasilla ground in molcajete

Put water and lard on stove and boil.
Add boiling water to masa/pepper/salt/chile and mix with a fork
Knead masa on a board until very smooth and homogeneous
Separate to 4 equal-size balls and put in tortilla press
Flatten and cook on a comal....they cook very quickly, less than 1 min

You must have a tortilla press. You can fake it, but only the tortilla press works well.
Masa is in many high-end markets and Mexican markets.
A comal is what we call a skillet.