Cumin to Getchya

Second Variation: 29 September 2012

Taking a bite of my first chili, I could already tell there was room for improvement.  Visually, it resembled chili, but it ended there.  It was like hamburger soup and I shudder at the thought of eating it without toppings.  Like sex, I learned a lot from my first time, but was convinced I could improve and wanted to try another crack at it almost immediately.  

Specifically, I improved the preparation time.  I cut the vegetables and put them in the refrigerator the night before – but still didn’t have the timing right and was forced to use the “high” setting on the crock pot.  Already, I knew there would be a third variety. 

I also hit the books before going to the store this week, and learned that cumin, which my wife claimed to dislike, was something used in pretty much every chili since chili’s conception.  It’s even an ingredient in chili power.  Cumin turned out to be a game-changer, as did the amount of chili powder I used.  Hesitant with it on the first batch, I DRENCHED THE SHIT outta this batch with Chili P.  I thought it might have been too much, but this chili ended up superior to its predecessor in every conceivable way.

Unsung hero of the batch has to go to the inclusion of garlic.  I was afraid including that little bulb would make the chili resemble marinara sauce too much.  What a fool I was!  

Ingredients:

½ lb. ground beef

½ lb. hot Italian sausage

1 yellow onion

*3 cloves of garlic

4 jalapenos

1 yellow bell pepper

*1 poblano pepper

*2 serrano peppers

*3 Red Fresno peppers

2 cherry peppers

5 vine-ripe tomatoes

1 can of kidney beans

Spices: 

Chili powder; table salt; pepper; paprika; cayenne pepper; *cumin

Toppings: 

Crispy smoked bacon bits; cheddar cheese; chives; *sour cream

*denotes new ingredient