Works great with tacos too!

Here it is, not a recipe, just a way to cook the hamburger. A lot of people somehow screw up browning meat. Make a giant burger patty out of it. Throw it on the grill, grill it just like it was a hamburger, except smash it towards the end to squeeze liquids out.

Heat up a pan on the stove. Take the patty and run your spatula through the middle of it and split the giant burger in half so that you have one side that is grilled/browned and one side that is medium well inner part of burger. Place on pan with the non grilled side down. Leave sit for 2-3 minutes until you see it start to brown.

Then break up the meat as you would browning any normal burger/sausage.

This will do three wonderful things for you. First, no need to drain the meat because you squeezed the excess fat and juices out into the grill. So I just saved you cleaning a strainer. Second the grill will allow the meat to brown faster and better because it will evaporate the liquids faster. Lastly you will get a nice smoky flavor to the meat, which turns average chili to awesome.

Final step, take a couple of ounces of water or beef broth and pour it in the pan you are browning the meat in and stir. This will pull all the yummy bits that stick to the bottom of the pan up and make an au jus of sorts in the meat. Second bonus, the pan just got 25 times easier to clean, no scrubbing required.

Don't have a grill or way too much work? Do the same thing in your cast iron or SS pan. Cook giant patty in pan instead and add the step of draining back in. Just please never ever put a hunk of meat in a cold pan, if you do so the burger will drop all of it's liquids as well as cool the pan and never properly brown.

This works super awesome with tacos as well, I also do it with spaghetti too except I use the gas grill instead of charcoal because I don't want the stronger smoky flavor.

Was going to add this to the Texas Chili recipe thread but I don't eat mine that way. I add tomatoes, peppers, onions, and God forbid beans to mine.

No other changes need to be made to how you normally make chili and I promise you, your family and friends will think you have came up with a new and improved recipe.

That's how I do mine, much better flavor!!

Make sure to put kidney and black beans in it too.

Mmmm, SOOOO good.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Make sure to put kidney and black beans in it too.

Mmmm, SOOOO good.

He said chili, not stew.

quote:

Originally posted by Dallas239:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Make sure to put kidney and black beans in it too.

Mmmm, SOOOO good.

He said chili, not stew.

Here we go: the bean/no bean debate begins!

Heat it one time.

Throw it in the fridge.

Heat it up again.

Bre! Start the sammiches! They're on about chili again!

quote:

I also do it with spaghetti too except I use the gas grill instead of charcoal because I don't want the stronger smoky flavor.

Booo! Booo!
I make meatballs and mildly smoke them on my BGE specifically to get some smoke flavor.
Being indirect heat, they don't lose moisture like what you throw on directly over flame/heat. When about done drop them into the pot-o-sauce I've been simmering for 5+ hrs. and it transfers a hint of smoke to the tomato sauce, reducing the smoke on the meatballs to mild, making a wonderful blend.

Hell, I smoke my lasagna and meatloaf.
Dang, I'm going to have to do meatballs and sauce tomorrow.

quote:

Originally posted by G-Man:

quote:

Originally posted by Dallas239:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Make sure to put kidney and black beans in it too.

Mmmm, SOOOO good.

He said chili, not stew.

Here we go: the bean/no bean debate begins!

Please don't. This is just a method of browning meat, has nothing to do with your recipes that you use in the end to make it. As I stated I add things that people would say "that's not chili". I have yet to meet someone who didn't like my chili, but I wouldn't care if they said, "tastes good, but the beans ruin it".

To each their own.

This is most of the reason I didn't post this in the Texas Chili thread, as my chili bears no resemblance to Texas Chili. Trust me all forms can be appreciated, and if you try this method for browning the meat and make no other changes, you will be happy.

In addition to the ground beef I like to add a pound or so of finely cubed sirloin or tri-trip (or any good beef steak), sometimes a half pound of good sausage, and a squirt of mustard.

A bowl of chili MUST be topped with a dollop of sour cream, finely chopped onions, freshly grated quality cheddar cheese, jalapeños or Chiles, and a fistful of slightly crushed Fritos. Must have Fritos!

Add a fine cold adult beverage.

Protection will be required.

I don't get as elaborate as the OP, but I've always gotten a pretty good browning for just about any purpose. Never used the grill though.

My wife on the other hand can make it about as plain and gray as a hospital kitchen. Absolutely no browning at all. I have forbade her to do that anymore. I do all that. Even she agrees that the way I do it makes things taste better.

quote:

Originally posted by ASKSmith:
Heat it one time.

Throw it in the fridge.

Heat it up again.

THIS is the true secret to awesome chili.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Just please never ever put a hunk of meat in a cold pan.

Very interesting post!

Thanks for the above info as well. I've done it when cooking meat for spaghetti. Thanks to SF, I'm slowly learning...

Perfect timing in the funnies
https://www.arcamax.com/newspi...59/15962/1596243.gif

quote:

A bowl of chili MUST be topped with a dollop of sour cream, finely chopped onions, freshly grated quality cheddar cheese, jalapeños or Chiles, and a fistful of slightly crushed Fritos. Must have Fritos!

My granddad once proclaimed with a certain edge in his voice, that he was unaware of when 'chili' began requiring 'condiments'.

While I've enjoyed a very similar dish as described above, such peripherals can not be seriously considered as defining the real sole basis for what is 'chili'. Can it?

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Just please never ever put a hunk of meat in a cold pan, if you do so the burger will drop all of it's liquids as well as cool the pan and never properly brown.

Have to dispute this part. How, exactly, will putting meat in a cold pan cool the pan?

Also, browning meat can easily be accomplished starting with a cold pan, and I prefer doing so especially in cast iron as it is less likely to stick and burn. Burned meat doesn't impart any flavor that I like in a chili.

Smoking it first on the Egg does sound like an interesting twist for added flavor though.

Regarding the "condiments"...diced raw onion and cheddar cheese are necessary. Sour cream and Fritos? I don't know about that. I do love sour cream though so I may have to give that a try.

Cook brisket on smoker.

Slice brisket into small cubes about the size of a sugar cube.


Make chili with smoked brisket, in a cast iron dutch oven, on a Big Green Egg which will allow you to impart a smoke flavor if you desire.


Enjoy the best chili you have ever made.

Hmmmm....

Actually cooking it on the Egg?

You've piqued my interest.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Just please never ever put a hunk of meat in a cold pan, if you do so the burger will drop all of it's liquids as well as cool the pan and never properly brown.

Have to dispute this part. How, exactly, will putting meat in a cold pan cool the pan?

Also, browning meat can easily be accomplished starting with a cold pan, and I prefer doing so especially in cast iron as it is less likely to stick and burn. Burned meat doesn't impart any flavor that I like in a chili.

Smoking it first on the Egg does sound like an interesting twist for added flavor though.

Regarding the "condiments"...diced raw onion and cheddar cheese are necessary. Sour cream and Fritos? I don't know about that. I do love sour cream though so I may have to give that a try.

OK, let me make it make more sense. It will make it take forever to heat up to temp for Maillard Reaction to occur (but if the meat is below room temperature it will also cool the pan too). Even when you reach temp, the meat will be releasing juices held in by fats that are now melting prior to achieving Maillard Reaction temperature, making a watery mess that needs to steam off before browning occurs.

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entr...226ce4b09ecde1d9a365

Above is a link describing it, if you don't want to trust me.

Give it a try once, you'll see. Instead of gray ugly meat, you'll end up with actuality browned and flavor filled meat.

quote:

Originally posted by signewt:

quote:

A bowl of chili MUST be topped with a dollop of sour cream, finely chopped onions, freshly grated quality cheddar cheese, jalapeños or Chiles, and a fistful of slightly crushed Fritos. Must have Fritos!

My granddad once proclaimed with a certain edge in his voice, that he was unaware of when 'chili' began requiring 'condiments'.

While I've enjoyed a very similar dish as described above, such peripherals can not be seriously considered as defining the real sole basis for what is 'chili'. Can it?

I'm sorry. Is there a Chili Police that determines what is chili and what is not?

I grew up eating it over rice, mainly because there were 7 of us kids and my parents were not wealthy people. My wife grew up with putting a layer of Fritos down in a bowl, then the chili, then a dollop of sour cream. Are those ways "wrong"?