Chili!
<cross-posted w. medievalist, merging>
The best part about autumn in Atlanta is that it gets cool enough to cook things that require simmering. Here's one of my favorites:
Pork Chili (no, really--it's good)
- 1.5-2 lbs. pork tenderloin
- couple teaspoons lemon juice
- 4 strips bacon
- 2 large yellow onions
- 3 fresh jalapenos
- Carol Shelby's chili mix. (The one that used to come in a little brown paper bag--apparently they switched to a box not too long ago. )
- 3 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
- 3 14.5 oz. cans pinto beans
- 1 of the honking great large cans of chicken broth
- cheddar cheese & sour cream (for garnish)
1. Slice the pork tenderloins into bite size pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice & let sit for ~15 min. (The acid in the lemon juice tenderizes the meat--anyway, you'll rinse it off later. Trust me. )
2. Start frying the bacon in a large cooking pot. While the bacon fries, chop the onion into smallish cubes. When the bacon is cooked, take it out of the pot & chop it up. Add a bit of vegetable oil to the remaining bacon grease.
3. Add chopped onion to the pot & soften.
4. Chop up the jalapenos into wee little bits maybe 1/8" on a side. If you strip out the seeds during the chopping process, they aren't too hot. If you like hot, leave the seeds in. Either way, the green part of the jalapenos add a lot of flavor. Add the jalapenos to the onions. Saute for a while, maybe 1-2 mins. The longer you cook them, the milder they get.
5. By now, the pork should be about ready. Rinse off the lemon juice using one of those strainer things. If you like really hot chili, you can sprinkle red pepper on the pork at this point.
6. Add the pork to the mix. Cook until slightly browned. The chili boils long enough to dispel any fears of pork tartare, so don't go nuts in this stage--stir frequently and only cook until the surface of the meat is white.
7. Dump in the big bag of spices from the chili mix. Stir to coat. Dump in the big can of chicken broth, the 3 cans of diced tomatoes, and the salt packet from the chili mix. Add the chopped bacon, minus a piece or two for the dogs.
8. Personally, I like to rinse the slimy goo off the pinto beans, but whatever. Rinsed or not, dump them in.
9. (Optional ingredients) I actively dislike the bag of masa flour in the chili mix box/bag. Your choice, but if you want to add it in wait until ~10m before you're ready to serve. The wee little red pepper baggie in the box of chili mix works for me but, again, your call.
10. Simmer over medium heat until the meat is cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 45 mins-1 hr.
11. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle with cheese, and serve.
12. Next morning, get up and run 8 miles to work off the fat in this recipe.
13. Upon completion of the run, realize that it was worth it.
ETA: Both beer (1/2 can) and coffee (~1/2 cup) are suggested added ingredients. Never tried them both in the same batch, but either works well individually