RECIPE: Brute Force Chili ("Electro-Sport Chili") Approx 1 hour prep time. 2 to 24 hours cooking time. Please note that it won't fit in a 5 quart crock pot without letting it reduce (boil down) overnight. If you buy the Shredded Beef, make sure you let it cook at least 3 hours -- 6 or 12 hours is even better. (I start it the day before and let it cook all night.) This recipe is courtesy of Mike "Brutus" Dratch, former Chili Director at Electro-Sport. I have been tinkering with it ever since 1987... Brown these three ingredients with a little oil in a pan or two. 4-6 lbs Chuck roast. Chop it up into little bite-size pieces. I am now a firm believer in buying the "Shredded Beef" at your supermarker butcher counter. (Cook as long as possible, like 6 hours or more.) Another alternative is to ask for the coarse "chili" grind; not all butcher counters will be able to do this. 1 TB or more Garlic powder. Or a dozen or so cloves of fresh garlic. I usually just shake in more garlic powder (or fresh garlic from a jar) each time I put more meat in the pan. 1 Medium onion, dice into small pieces. I've been using red onions lately. Drain off the fat, then mix EVERYTHING in your pot: 16 oz can of stewed tomatoes. (A 14.5 oz can will do.) Last time around I used an 8 oz can of Mexican-style and an 8 oz can of Italian-style. 2-3 cup beef broth. We used 2 cans of Campbell's, but you could use boullion. 1 pkg brown gravy mix 4 TB Cajun Seasoning. (Recipe originally called for 1 oz California or New Mexico chili powder; New Mexico chili powder will make the chili very spicy hot.) 2 TB ground Cumin. You'll find cumin and chili powder in the Mexican section, it's often cheaper that way. 1 TB Oregano or Italian Spices. 1 tsp black pepper 1 TB Paprika. This is mostly for color. 1 beer Any kind. I used Coors "Cutter" most recently. 1 TB brown sugar 7 oz can diced green chilis. This is the larger of Ortega's two can sizes. 1 tsp dry mustard 6-10 yellow chili peppers. They come in a bottle. Cut off the stems, squeeze out most of the seeds, dice them up and throw them in. I used 8 last time around. 1 TB vinegar. We used the vinegar from the chili pepper bottle (above). 1 juice of a lime. Recipe originally called for 1 TB lime or lemon juice. Cook all this for at least two hours over a low fire. If it's not thick enough, thicken it with flour or cornstarch (we used flour); if needs to be thinned, add water or beer. The yellow chili peppers are optional. Obviously, all of these ingredients can be varied to taste. Brutus suggests getting a bottle of hot sauce, such as Tapatio or Louisiana Hot Sauce for those who like it a little spicy. (We got Red Devil La. Hot Sauce, but I didn't use it myself.) Also diced onions and/or shredded cheese on top is good. (I put some cheddar on top every time.) Brute Force Chili can trace its origin back to a chili cook-off winner printed in a newspaper long ago. The current evolution is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and can be made as hot & spicy as you like it. "As is" it's a good tasty chili, made for rolling up in tortillas with lots of cheese and whatever else you like to eat your chili with. It should cook for at least 3 hours, 6 hours or overnight if you can spare the time. The longer it cooks, the more tender it gets, however you may get tired of the smell after a day of cooking it. When it's been cooking long enough, the meat gets so tender the chunks are literally falling apart. It's good, though. "Chili" Baden, Institute for Chili Studies, Box 17522, Anaheim CA 92817 August 1987, May 1991, July 1992, March 1994 * * * * *