tnot_john_bosworths_chili.txt - recipes - various cooking recipes
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tnot_john_bosworths_chili.txt (3516B)
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1 # Not John Bosworth's Chili Recipe
2 John Bosworth is an old-school Texan bid-ness [sic] man with an
3 infectious southern charm. He's a character in *Halt and Catch Fire*,
4 a TV show that follows a colourful cast of characters navigating the
5 tides of the early American tech industry. Affectionately known as
6 "Boz" in the show, his sweet talking and rugged humor make him one of
7 my favorite characters.
8
9 Towards the end of the series, Boz makes his famous chili recipe to
10 sooth some grieving souls[^1]. The TV food looked delicious enough to
11 make me wonder if it were a real recipe. Had "Boz" actually made his
12 chili? Or perhaps the recipe belonged to the actor, a director,
13 writer, or cast member. I dug but didn't find anything anything about
14 this little television culinary artifact. Nevertheless moved by the
15 hypothetical food stuff, I decided to make an inspired version of the
16 recipe. But there's a twist: the recipe includes the one ingredient
17 Bosworth vehemently claims doesn't belong in any chili the world over:
18 cinnamon. I added it to tease the old feller! In my imaginary world,
19 Boz comes over to my house for dinner, loves my chili, and learns
20 about the heretical secret ingredient :)
21
22 ## Ingredients
23 Toasted spice mix
24 - 1 tablespoon cumin
25 - 1 teaspoon green peppercorns
26 - 1 teaspoon black pepper
27 - 1 habanero chili pepper
28 - 2 thai chili peppers
29
30 Everything else
31 - 2 tablespoons animal lard, like bacon fat
32 - 5 gloves garlic, minced
33 - 1 cup of finely diced onion
34 - 1 teaspoon dark cocoa powder
35 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
36 - 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder[^2]
37 - 1/4 teaspoon sugar
38 - 1 teaspoon salt
39 - 1 cup black beans, drained
40 - 1 cup corn kernels
41 - 1 lbs ground beef
42 - 1 can of crushed tomatoes (about 750ml)
43 - 1 can of 0.5% blonde lager (355ml)
44
45 ## Directions
46 Toast the cumin, green peppercorns, and black pepper in a pan until
47 they become darkened and fragrant. Remove and set aside. Remove stems
48 from habanero and thai chili peppers, then toast in pan until they
49 become blackened in spots. Remove and add to spice mix. Put both into
50 a mortal and pestle or spice blender. Blend.
51
52 Heat 1 tablespoon of the lard in a high-sided enamel cooking pan, like a
53 Crueset braiser, or a stainless steel pot. (Don't use cast iron, which
54 can react with the tomatoes to make a metallic taste.) Add the
55 beef. Separate with a wooden spoon, retaining plenty of nice big 1"
56 chunks. Cook until the exterior browns and the interior remains red.
57 Transfer to a dish. Remove most of the beef fat from the pan.
58
59 Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of lard in pan. Add onions and gently
60 sweat. Don't let them get browned. When they are shiny and slimy add
61 in the garlic and your toasted spice mix. Stir for a minute or
62 so. Pour in about a quarter of the beer. Use a pan-appropriate utensil
63 (i.e.: silicone or wood in enamel) to scrape the tasty bits from the
64 base of the pan. Add remaining beer, then add beef, beans, salt,
65 sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, chili powder, and tomato. Simmer, never
66 boil, partially covered for ~10 minutes. Add in the corn kernels. Let
67 everything cook for as long as your appetite has time to spare: as
68 little as 10 minutes or as much as an hour.
69
70 Before serving taste for adjustments: Too acidic? Add sugar. Not
71 enough flavor? Add salt. Missing earthy undertones? Add a wee bit
72 (1/8 t or less at a time) more cocoa.
73
74 ## Contributors
75 - ROYGBYTE
76
77 ## Footnotes
78 [^1]: Specifically: season 4, episode 8.
79
80 [^2]: You can use any chili powder. I like to use half chipotle and half ancho powder for a nice smokey flavour.