Chili in Argentina

This is about Texas chili and how you can make it in Argentina. For anything containing turkey or noodles, for meatless dishes, or anything white in color, go somewhere else. I can't help you.

Argentina is a great place for meat; it is cheap and good. They also make outstanding sausage, cold cuts like salami and mortadella, and prosciutto (jamon crudo). The bacon and smoked pork loin is some of the best I have ever had anywhere. At first it may seem a little too smoky, but that is because it is really smoked over wood, not injected with liquid smoke as is too often the case in the US.

The first step in making chili is to select the meat. I like the Argentine cut called "roast beef". It is cheap, with some fat but not too much, and not too many tendons. Using expensive meat would miss the point of chili, and expensive cuts would not stand up to the long cooking time. Get at least a couple of kilos. You should never use ground beef in chili, ever.

Some people who call themselves purists object to beans in chili. I like plenty of beans, which are very authentically Mexican and Texan, and which used to be a major part of the diet on the old cattle drives. And they seem to make the chili more satisfying, as well as healthy.

You probably won't be able to get decent chili powder in Argentina, but you can get everything to make it. I like to use the original Gebhardt's chili powder, the first commercial chili powder, invented in San Antonio, but they don't sell it here. Here is a simple recipe to make your own:

Chili Powder You Can Make In Argentina

1 part paprika (pimenton dulce in Argentina)
2 parts ground cumin (comino)
1 part dried oregano
1 part ground red pepper (aji molido)
2 parts dried garlic powder (a little coarser than in the US)
salt to taste, no more than 1 part (optional)
Mix it all together. Some people like to toast it, but you will be doing that anyway.

Here are the ingredients for basic chili. Be sure to see the optional ingredients. I never make just the basic.

Basic Ingredients

4 pounds beef, cut into small cubes
2 onions coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
Any available chili pepper - fresh jalapeños, those round ones the Bolivian women sell, or canned chipotles in adobo are also good. Quantity depends on how hot you like it. Two canned chipotles will make it pretty spicy. One fresh jalapeño or one chipotle is enough for most people.
6 - 8 Tablespoons of chili powder, more if you like it
3 - 4 Tablespoons ground cumin
2 cans of chopped tomatoes (cubitos con pure).
Beef broth - made with cubes or extracto de carne
Plenty of black pepper
Salt to taste

Optional Ingredients:
- 1 or 2 Morcillas (Argentine blood sausage) remove the skins and chop them up, adding to the chili after you add the liquid
- Game like deer or jabali (Argentine wild boar). You can get it smoked but it's expensive
- Bacon or other smoked meat. If it is very fatty, brown it separately before adding to the chili
- Beer. I know it hurts to open a beer and not drink it, but it is good for the chili, so you are in a quandary. Dark beer or stout is maybe better than regular.
- Beans. In Argentina you can get kidney beans (porotos colorados) and something that looks like a pinto bean. You can't really get canned beans suitable for chili in Argentina, but if you have some canned pintos or kidney beans, use them but be sure to rinse them well in running water. Cook dried beans until they are tender before adding to the chili

Brown the meat in a big pot with a little oil. If you get a lot of liquid in the pot, ladle it out and save it for the chili.
Remove the meat when it is browned, add a little oil if necessary and add the chopped onions and garlic.
When the onions and garlic are almost tender, add the chili powder and cumin and stir until you get that delightful aroma coming up. Cook a couple of minutes, stirring.
Return the meat to the pot and stir it to coat it with the onion and spice mixture
Add the tomatoes and all the liquids – liquid from the meat, beef broth, beer, or water if you live in extreme poverty, enough to make it sort of like a thick soup. You will be cooking it down.
Simmer on very low heat for about an hour, then add the beans. Add liquid as necessary. I keep a tea kettle full of hot water ready. Any additional beer you have, you should drink.
Simmer for at least another 30 minutes to an hour, adding liquid as necessary.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Every once in a while I like to sprinkle some fresh chopped onion on top when I eat it. Some people add cheese, or chopped cilantro. Not me, but who am I to criticize? Like most highly spiced dishes, this is better the second day. Always have plenty of saltine crackers available.

You should feel free to experiment with chili, but within reason. Try to keep it to basic ingredients – no canned Sloppy Joes or macaroni, or ketchup (you can add that in the bowl if you want), no bird meat, celery, carrots, bell pepper or anything like that. When you get into that stuff, you have left the realm of chili and you're just making some kind of stew.