Our Ward's cook-off had 9-10 competitors, and ours won second place.
Description
Forgetting to take pictures won't stop us! This chili has somewhere from a red (tomato base) to a brown (pulled pork) hue. The green and red peppers and black beans give it a medium amount of color variety. The end result is a very chunky and is as spicy as a mild salsa (stings about 10 seconds but doesn't distract from the flavor).
Pulled Pork Ingredients (based on http://www.recipebridge.com/g/99/2147797055/ultimate-cheater-pulled-pork)
- (1) 3 lb. Boston Butt Pork Shoulder
- The Rub:3/4 TBSP Paprika3/8 TBSP Salt3/8 TBSP Black Pepper3/16 TBSP Garlic Powder
- 3-4 TBSP Liquid Smoke
- Chili Ingredients
- (1) 15 oz. can of Black Beans
- 2 tbsp. flour
- (2) 14.5 oz. Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- (2) 8 oz can of Tomato Paste
- (4) Chipotle Chiles in Adobo, chopped
- (1) 4 oz. can of Green Chiles, chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 medium Sweet Onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp. Spicy Brown Mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp. Ground Cumin
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cracked Black Pepper
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Garnish Ingredients
- 1 bunch of fresh Cilantro, chopped
- 1 Loaf of Cornbread crumbled and toasted in pan
- Mexican Table cream in a squeeze bottle (bottle can be bought on ebay for $5)
Cornbread Mini Croutons Instructions
You should do this The day before serving.
Pulled Pork Steps
You should start cooking this 8-10 hours before serving.
You should do this The day before serving.
- Make cornbread as per the recipe.
- Let cool.
- With a paring knife, carefully slice strips of cornbread off. Take the strip and dice it into mini croutons, being careful not to tear them.
- On a baking sheet, dry the croutons on the over ~300-325. This will require opening the oven to release the moisture so be patient (takes ~an hour of this). Notes: You should probably give this step its own day unless you have a dehydrator or are pro at making croutons. At temperatures from 350-375 the croutons will turn dark brown, which is ok as long as they are relatively dry. You should be wary of broiling them, as they will turn dark and still be moist inside.
- Once relatively dry, let cool and they will dry substantially more.
Pulled Pork Steps
You should start cooking this 8-10 hours before serving.
- Cut pork into 2-3 in chunks.
- Cover with rub
- Add 1/2 cup of water for even cooking.
- Place in crock pot for ~9 hours (give or take a few hours).
Chili Steps
- Combine the sweet onion, garlic, Chipotle peppers, spices, and liquids into a pot.
- Add the fresh vegetables. Stir as needed.
- Pull the pork apart and add. Avoid stirring in these later steps to not damage the tomatoes etc.
- Add the precooked vegetables (beans and tomatoes).
- Simmer for 1/2 hour.
Duh, Winning!
I actually won my ward's chili competition with this recipe last year, however I did not use a rub on the pulled pork, I used less tomato paste, more beans, a yellow bell pepper thinner shredded pork, home-roasted tomatoes, not-so-perfect cornbread crumbles, and no cream garnish.
Improvements
We didn't win this year, and if we use this recipe again, we will modify in the following ways:
- It was too red. We may not rub the pork with the paprika, or we may use less tomato paste.
- I feel that many steps are unnecessary, like making a rub for the pork. Next time we will just salt, water, and liquid smoke it.
- The chili was very colorful (intended), however the colors did not pop because of the dark nature of the base. For example, the black beans were dark, the meat was dark, tomato sauce is dark, etc.We may add sour cream to increase contrast.
- This years winning chili included bacon, sausage, beef. I call it the meat lovers chili. Adding more meats might not be a bad idea.
- This years winning chili also included corn. It definitely had a nice crunch to it and color.
