Chili question Or maybe it should be chile question 2665

Rich

Probably a lost cause. Gebhardt's is an old, famous, and very successful brand. Their exact blend is likely to be an I-could-tell-you-but-then-I'd-have-to-kill-you grade of industrial secret. And in things like chili powders, the differences in stoichiometry can be small yet crucial.

Is the problem that you can't get Gebhardt's? It's available in a lot of grocery stores, and I have no doubt if you go to froogle.com you can find a reasonable online supplier.

I generally adulterate it with extra cumin, garlic, oregano, and hot paprika, but even with none of those it makes clbuttic chili.

Starting from scratch, you'll want a mix of earthy, bright, and hot chile varieties. Guajillo, ancho, and pequin, for example. With several thousand varieties to choose from, the combinatorics are astronomical.

Then add some cumin, garlic, and oregano (Mexican oregano if you can get it, but only for authenticity; the regular kind is fine), and maybe onion.

The peppers and herbs should all be a dry type, if your goal is a powdered mix. Doing it all from fresh creates a very different, but very interesting flavor.

I make a damn good chili already, using powdered chiles, dried chile pods, fresh garlic, onions, etc. I'm just trying to make some of that "World Champion Chili" to see what the fuss is all about. I don't want to mess with the recipe, I just want to replicate it as closely as possible. The reason I was asking about the ingredients in Gebhardt's is just wondering if it really is necessary to the recipe or is there because Mr. Wilkey knew that cookoff sponsor ConAgra was adding $5000 to the prize if the winning recipe included Wesson¨ Oil, Gebhardt¨ chile powder, Hunt's¨ Tomato Sauce, Ro*Tel¨ Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, and Tabasco¨ Pepper Sauce.

It's all pretty straightforward except for those "mild," "hot," and "red" chili sic powders. I plan to use Chamayo Hot New Mexico and the Chamayo Mild New Mexico, and go with anchos powder for the "red" in my initial test batch (as suggested by zxcvbob). Oh, and I will use all the ConAgra products initially, too, at first, including the Gebhardt's. Later, if I like the result, I'll experiment with replacing the commercial products with homemade. The canned tomato products and the canned broths are loaded with salt, for example, and I prefer to control the seasonings independently. My own broths will certainly be an improvement, especially the beef broth. The commercial poo is mostly salt and caramel coloring. --

--Rich

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