The Big Chili
© Lisa Casey Perry
Though perhaps not southern in the strictest, purest sense, chili is nevertheless prepared and enjoyed all over the south. It could even be argued that Chili is the all-American food, as American as Apple Pie, some have said. Its origins are not as many suppose, Mexican. Historically, it has been noted that the dish did not appear anywhere in Mexico until the 20th century and then only in areas where American tourism was flourishing. Native Americans certainly have a fair claim that they were making a kind of chili long before it began making its appearance in the jailhouses of Texas. More likely, though, the dish we call chili today was probably the concoction of thrifty and creative chuck wagon cooks on long cattle drives, making use of a little meat, peppers and spices to satisfy the appetites of as many trail hands as possible. Reference: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/C...
No food topic I know of generates as much discussion as chili! Just do a little search on the World Wide Web and you will quickly discover the various and stubborn schools of thought. The international Chili Society's website at http://www.chilicookoff.com/ is a fun, informative place to start and has a pot-full of wonderful and traditional recipes to boot! Here are the main debate points:
If you know beans about Chili, then you know chili don't have beans!
To tomato or not to tomato, that is the REAL question. (For you clam chowder cooks, is this familiar refrain?)
Beef, pork, venison, armadillo, ground, or cubed?
Was it Wick Fowler or H. Allen Smith that made the best bowl of red?
1 alarm, 2 alarm, 3 alarm? (Referring to the "heat" in the dish)
Personally, I have never found the one and only perfect chili recipe. I love many and I've made it all kinds of ways to my family's happy satisfaction. I have an even mix of loved ones who like it hot and those who prefer a milder tomato-y flavor. Some of us dump shredded cheese all over the top and some of us can't resist a heap of ketchup as a garnish. The point is, chili is just good food, the ultimate ribsticker. Make it like you want it and then if you're feeling really brave, find a chili cookoff somewhere and give it your best shot! I promise you'll have a good time!
Now if I were really pressed to name my favorite, it would have to be what I always called, "LBJ's Chili". I am now informed that it is truly called, "Pedernales River Chili", named after the river near President Lyndon B. Johnson's home. This was LBJ's own recipe and it has been said that the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, loved it so much that she got "chili pangs" for it. In her ever southern and lady-like fashion, she had the recipe printed up on fine card stock stationery. I just love that-homey and elegant all at once! You can see the card and the recipe at The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum here: http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/arc...
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