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Michael Halpin on the creation of Cheeseburger Chili in ParadiseWhat makes chili CHILI?There seems to be a lot of controversy over what ingredients can be added together and still be considered chili, once cooked together slowly over time with love and passion to warm, heart-healthy, comfort-foody perfection. I experienced this discussion when I entered, and won, my first church chili cook-off. There were about 30-40 chili contestants for my first attempt at a real competition with what my wife calls, "the best food ever" with pretty much whatever I cook, in this case, chili. They had spicy chili, 3 alarm chili, chicken chili, pork chili, turkey chili, Skyline chili, Texas chili, grandma's chili, grandad 'a chili and the kitchen sink. I figured my chances were slim to none with these seasoned chili experts, but I gave it my best shot. I had a handful of questionable ingredients that aren't included in more traditional recipes. Keep reading. As I moseyed through my kitchen and pantry, thinking about ingredients, what I had to work with and what I might have to go purchase, I started with, "burn your face off" ideas. After all, the best dishes in the world can definitely make you cry as you start them and again when you realize it is all gone and you have to return to something less exciting. I started getting out the Cayenne Pepper, ground garlic, black pepper, hot sauce, etc., then thought about cheese. Maybe I was thinking about one of my favorite things, spicy cheese and salsa for chip-dipping. Then, I thought about beef, the basic staple for ANY good chili. (I have never really cared for "soupy" chili. You know, the kind that has lots of tomato, lots of broth, lots of water and feels more like Fagioli.) So beef, cheese, ...cheeseburger?...Spicy cheeseburger? Yes, SPICY CHEESEBURGER CHILI. If you have read enough and just want the recipe, just go directly to HOW-TO CHILI now. As I marveled about my own original concept and came to the realization that I could be on the brink of a new thing, like an archaeologist discovering an ancient undiscovered creature, I thought of all of the things that go into making an amazing, flavorful cheeseburger, and it is quite a many things if you think about it too. Let's, begin with, the wonderful, "not-too-hard-not-too-soft" perfect bun that contains all of that majestic wonder. Then you have to have a perfect burger, which would mostly contain ground beef, but could also contain seasonings like Worcestershire Sauce, bread crumbs (if your were shooting for a meatball style burger), spice, pepper, A1, garlic, all types of cheese, jalapeños, not to mention other meats, like pork, chicken, turkey, even buffalo (Not the sauce, but the animal.) A perfect burger, for me, has a medium outside with a little kiss of flame charring, but a pink interior, not rare, but just barely dead. It has to be oozing natural juices or it is more than likely overcooked. What other deliciousnesses are added to the sandwich part of a cheeseburger to make it America's Favorite thing? Almost anything really, but let's think about the basic, All-American CheeseBurger. Lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard, mayo and sometimes the "secret sauce" which isn't a secret, it's thousand island with ketchup, am I wrong? In today's bistros, there is almost no limit to the burger creativity. Fried onions and jalapeños with a chipotle sauce for a western flair, blue cheese, chives, eggs, avocado, and even more like mango, mushroom, kimshee, feta, pimento, olives, aioli, teriyaki and wasabi. Lastly, there are some AMAZING vegan recipes out there also and for all you meat lovers, many of them are wonderful and can give your body a break from all of that red meat. It's all about balance right? See other HEALTHY CHOICES for more information. So many of the ingredients that go into making an awesome cheeseburger just wouldn't do well in a boiling pot of goodness, like bread...hmmm? I figured this one out. Keep reading. Lettuce, same. Too easy to wilt up. That definitely would not make it in the pot. Everything else seemed like fair game and I had some ground beef in the fridge. Now, during this invention, I got lucky the first time and had a brilliant idea that helped it turn out amazing. If you have read enough and just want the recipe, just go directly to HOW-TO CHILI now. So I had to make a pretty large batch of chili for this contest and I had a fairly large supply of ground beef, but thought I might just need a little more. I dove into the freezer. I found a good supply of frozen cheeseburgers from a previous grilling weekend and decided to supplement with those. Started defrosting. As it turns out, the grilled burgers definitely changed the overall flavor of what was already in the pot. I mean, every inventive chef must taste the miracle-in-progress every step of the way, right? Once the grilled burgers were added, I could really taste the cookouty goodness. This is the secret ingredient, or maybe better stated, the secret process to you making an amazing, grilled-to-perfection cheeseburger chili of your own. Find the best produce and my recommendations for great places to get your supplies on my HEALTHY CHOICES page. |
Spicy CHEESEBURGER CHILI in PARADISE
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