Grandpa Gotta Cook—Chili With Beans And Steak
It's Good To Be Back
Sometimes, when it comes to cooking, you've just got to get back to your roots. You know, your man roots. One week it's Pad Thai, the next, you've got nothing. So, somehow, someway, you've got to get back in the game.
Now, I have no idea what my roots and chili have anything to do with each other, but creating a chili from scratch is where I went next. I'd been wanting to eat chili for a while, and instead of using ground beef, I wanted to try some steak. It just seemed like the man-thing to do.
So, I fired up the grill and got to burning some steaks. Literally. For some reason I couldn't keep the temperature down on the grill, so it was constantly exceeding 500 degrees Fahrenheit. I kept the cooking time down but still managed to char one of the sides. The meat did not dry up, though, and for the most part, the steak still tasted very good. Helping matters was the salt and pepper that I put on the steaks while they were sizzling away.
For the several minutes in between flipping steaks, I spent some time cutting up garden fresh onions, green bell pepper and red chili pepper. That along with tomatoes and kidney beans would round out the vegetable part of the meal.
The recipe I was using to build this chili from scratch included chili powder, crushed red pepper, minced garlic, and cumin.
After having thrown the onions, bell peppers and a red chili pepper into a pot to cook, I added in a can of stewed tomatoes. They proved insufficient, so I quickly cut up three tomatoes (also fresh from the garden) to add to the pot. Two cans of kidney beans also went in and then the meat, after giving the chunks a thin layer of butter.
It was supposed to sit and simmer for about an hour and a half, but as is normally the case when I cook, people were getting hungry so total simmering time was closer to an hour. It still could have used another 15 minutes at least, but I went ahead and called it.
For the final twenty-five minutes of the simmering, corn bread from a mix was a last minute baking entry. It probably could have stood another five minutes baking, too, but when the wolves start to gather and circle, you do what you gotta do.
As it is, I think it all turned out just fine. Good flavor, though maybe a little too much chili powder for my taste, and plenty spicy. It probably could have stood another can of beans, and maybe some bacon. Just because you can hardly go wrong with bacon.
I added some shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits and sour cream to mine.
As luck would have it, it was a hit with everyone. I guess they could tell it was eat up or shut up.
For your listening pleasure, I provide you a little bit of theme music that seems to go with this chili's attitude.
Enjoy!
About This Post
Grandpa Gotta Cook is an ongoing cooking/eating series now in conjunction with Food Fight Friday. Anyone who would like to participate is welcome to. Just talk about food, be sure to use the #fff tag, and post sometime on Friday. All images by Glen Anthony Albrethsen using an iPhone 6s.
I don't think I've ever heard a truer word spoken... uh, typed. I have to say I think bacon goes with almost anything. Maybe not Mint-choc-chip ice cream, but most other stuff.
As always, another great entry from Grandpa 👍
Well, thank you, @sivehead. I've been trying to keep it interesting here. Sometimes that's easier said than done because I would rather just throw something together from a can or box. :)
I can't say I've tried bacon with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream, but I wouldn't rule bacon out there, either. :)
Grandpa sure can cook. Lovely. You need to do something about the fire though. The beef looks rather burnt. But otherwise, all looks good. Have a great weekend.
Hey, @quotes-haven.
Yeah, it did get burnt on the one side. I had the heat dials turned down to below half where I normally put them and it still wasn't enough, so I turned them down some more. At any rate, the meat was pretty good on the inside, and the top part gave it kind of a smokey flavor, which I actually like in chili, so all in all, it turned out good for this particular setting. By itself, maybe not so much.
Do you have any weekend plans? My wife is recuperating from hernia surgery, so we're not likely to be going anywhere, though she does want to go grocery shopping of all things. :)
Thank you for your reply @glenalbrethsen.
No, I don't have any plans for today. I had a lovely Saturday evening catching up with old classmates. I posted it on my blog earlier. Have a look if you are interested. :-)
Is it wise for the misses to be grocery shopping when she is still recuperating from surgery? See if you can dissuade her. Have a great Sunday whatever you are doing.
Cheers!
Hey, @quotes-haven.
We've managed to push it back to tomorrow. I think she'll be okay for a little while as long as I do the bulk of the work. We have an appointment to go to anyway, so we might as well try for both things at once.
I think she finally realized sometime yesterday that maybe she's been doing too much. It's just reminding her of that fact continually. :)
And that's where you come in. Subtle hints and gentle reminders. :-)
"I added some shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits and sour cream to mine." - You sold me! lol
Hey, @adammillwardart.
Well, cheese, you put on because you like it. Bacon bits, because it's, well, bacon. And sour cream cools things down a bit plus it enhances some other flavors so, you know, the combo is pretty good just by itself, let alone when you put it onto something. :)
Tahat's a nice dinner you made there, but....
I know I am anything but objective in this subject, but...
Do I have to say it or do you already know?
Hey, @docsmith.
re: do I have to say it
Um... well, maybe. Other than that's a pretty wimpy knife I used to cut things up with.
The only other guess I have is that you're a chili aficionado and I've done something horribly wrong with my chili concocting, which if that is the case, I'll just blame it on the people's tastes for whom I cook for. :)
Oh, it's the knife all right. 🤣
Come on Glen, that's just wrong, so wrong. Go to Walmart or somewhere and buy yourself a $10 chef knife. You can't be my friend and use a knife like that 😉
And I'm sure your chili was just fine.
Oh, we've got proper knives. I just like this one. :) It doesn't cut so much of my finger off anytime I accidentally slice it. I'll make sure not to include it anymore photos, though. Out of sight, out of mind. :)
hahaha if everyone is hungry enough, they'll eat anything!! You've finally solved your ongoing "who's gonna like this" dinner dilemma without even trying :)
I haven't made chili for a long time and it looks delicious!!
I really want to give you a big ol' upvote, but I've been judging entries all day for the contest I'm involved in, and my voting power is simply abysmal!
It does seem to work out the best to just let people starve for about an hour and then give them something to eat. :) Okay, starve is a little extreme—eat later is more like it, and actually, it wasn't really that much later than normal. At any rate, they were hungry, but I don't think it was because of the food coming later.
It was pretty good. Needed to simmer a little more and for my taste, some more beans, but otherwise, I'd recommend it. :)
And everyone's too busy stuffing their faces to critique it 😅
The longer the simmer, the better; Chili, like spaghetti and most soups are always better the next day too.
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Aaah nice one with adding the instead of ground beef....and of course everything would be better with bacon, but it looked like it turned out tasty enough.
Good to see you back this week
😊
Thank you, @lizzib.
It's good to be back, even in a more limited capacity than I'm used to. While my wife continues to mend, I'm going to be on and off Steemit like normal folks. :)
I think it turned out pretty good. A little less chili powder, maybe all fresh tomatoes, more beans and another twenty to thirty minutes of simmer and it would have been even better.
This week will be interesting to see what people say since I kind of went overboard again. :)
haha! sir Glen how are you this fine Saturday? Ennio Morricone! lol that's some great music... oh man I could smell those steaks from here! been way too long. wonderful post!
Seems to me that except for the beans, chili is pretty Keto-friendly isn't it? Or would the tomatoes put you over carbs? At any rate, it can't be that far off. And steaks on their own would be keto, especially with the fat, so not sure what you're waiting for. :)
I'm doing okay. Just got back from an hour of walking around with my wife. She seems to be doing pretty good. Keeps wanting to do stuff she probably shouldn't do yet, or else make me do it, which is what I as actually more concerned about. :)
I figured the theme song from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly would fit well with my chili. :)
haha! the theme song was brilliant sir and yes the meal was close enough to being Keto that I would scarf it down in a heartbeat! so good. hey ain't there other people around to help and do things?
that way you could escape to your office.
Well, yes, and they have been helping out here and there. And I have been escaping, just not all day like i'm used to doing. So, my numbers are going to reflect that. It's already 3 pm here and I've not done much at all and I've also got to cook, so that will probably take a few hours out of it, too, and I do plan to knock off around 9:30 pm if not sooner.
what the?? 9:30? you think you can just live a normal live or something? you're supposed to be addicted. lol.
Well, I am hoping that the two and a half weeks my wife is gone to Mexico, I will be able to spend the majority of my time doing this. She doesn't leave until September 12, and while she is getting better, I'm sure that I will doing more things, particularly around the house. As it is, I need to regroup if I'm ever going to make a decent run for the engagement crown again. Need to figure out how I can best do that, still be me, and grow my account faster.
no no no there's no need to make a run for that silly engagement league crown, that's over rated. you need to be spending time on more important things to build your account. lol.
I kind of figured you see it that way. :) At any rate, it's not going to happen for a while, even if I do try, and by then, I could be working somewhere and not have the time or energy to do it. So, it's probably a passing fancy. Forget I even mentioned it. :)
Haha… the theme music was a nice touch. Well done sir! Also, the line about the stewed tomatoes proving inadequate was perfect- really, well done sir. It’s awsome to witness all of your cooking successes, here, on food fight Friday. It seems this is another one for the books. You say your chili could of simmered longer… I find no matter how long my chili simmers, it’s always best the next day anyhow.
Thank you for sharing your very manly entry. It’s good to have you back :).
Mmmmm! Chili! I think I now know what I will be cooking today! Yours looks so good!
Well, thank you, @melinda010100.
As I've been saying to others, it was somewhat rushed, but people ate it and liked it so I guess that's the most important thing. It's actually cooler here than it has been for a while, so maybe I should have waited a little longer before I went and heated up the house with it. :)
Yeah, it's hot here in Wisconsin, too and the air conditioner is running. Maybe I should wait to make mine. But it is beginning to feel like fall is getting closer, with the kids going back to school and football games beginning to appear on TV!
Personally, I can't wait for the football games. There's never enough college football to my liking. Pros are okay, but they seem to be a lot more defensive minded. It's been a while since I've been to a high school or middle school game. Those can be exciting too, especially if you have a kid on the team that gets to play. Otherwise, it's more frustrating. :)
Well, hopefully, there will be many opportunities for chili. I'll be trying it again down the line I'm sure, and starting it earlier. :) There's probably plenty of crockpot recipes I could try, right? Maybe I should just start doing those.
I'm sure chili would cook just fine in the crockpot and there are probably thousands of recipes. I always cook mine on top of the stove and reheat it the next day. I like it better on day two when the flavors have had a chance to blend together better. I'm looking forward to real football. Go Pack Go! I just don't have time for more sports, so I have never even begun watching college football. I would probably love it way too much!