Category: Holiday

Chili Colorado | Chili Con Carne

Chili Colorado made with beef cheek meat, served with steamed white rice, green onions and Cilantro.

Mexican Beef Chili

Most Texans believe they have the best chili in the world and they’re not wrong but there are some other Beef Chili recipes out there that have become an American Staple on Mexican Food. This Chili Colorado or Chili Con Carne, as it’s known in Tex Mex, is a great example. It’s origins, however, derive their flavor from the Chili Colorado, which means, ” Red Chili”; hence the name.

Stainless Steel bowl with a dozen Guajillo Chili’s.

The Chili Sauce Peppers

The very essence of this recipe comes from the flavor of the Chili Peppers that are cooked down and blended together, with a few other ingredients. Being that this recipe is called, “Chili Colorado” it would be assumed that the Colorado Chili should be used and, technically, that’s true but there are a few others that can be used that are practically the same thing.

California and Guajillo Chilis can be used as well. The only main difference is that they technically belong to different pepper families, though, all portraying that beautiful burgundy hugh that gives this recipe it’s rich color and flavor.

Though, 3/4 of the dried peppers I use in this recipe are red chili’s, it’s quite common to add a few dried Pasilla pods as well. These peppers are much darker and look and smell like a cross between a pepper and a prune. All of which are de-seeded and have the stems removed, before cooking.

40 oz of red chili sauce in a large container and spoonful of sauce.
2.75 lbs of cubed and seasoned beef cheek meat in a large stainless steel bowl.

The Beef you should use

In this recipe I’m using Beef Cheek Meat, which takes a lot longer to tenderize when it’s cooking. In fact, unlike how I demonstrate in the video tutorial, it took me 6 hours of braising to get this meat to break down the connective tissue and become tender enough to eat. Big but here, though, the flavor Cabasa or “Cheek Meat” gives off is stronger, like lamb or venison. If you have either of those available, for a good price, I recommend using those instead. Otherwise, for this recipe, stick with a couple of lbs of Beef Chuck.

Chili Colorado/Chili Con Carne, in a large pot, ready to be served.
How to make Chili Colorado video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.
How to make Red Chili Sauce video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.
Chili Colorado Ingredients:

4 to 5 lbs Beef Chuck, cut into 1″ to 2″ inch pieces

Guajillo or Chili Sauce

12 Guajillo Chili pods, stemmed and de-seeded
3 Pasilla Chili pods, stemmed and de-seeded
3 qt. Water
5 Cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Knorr Chicken Bouillon
1 tbsp Cumin, ground
1 tbsp Mexican Oregano, dried
Adobe All Purpose seasoning to taste (1/4 to 1/2 tsp)

Meat and Seasoning

Beef, Pork or Chicken

Kosher Salt and Pepper, evenly sprinkle
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika, evenly sprinkle (optional)
1 tbsp Ground Cumin, evenly sprinkle (optional)

Sear seasoned meat ,10 to 12 minutes, under Broiler or in a pan or on a Grill. Then Braise in Guajillo Sauce 1 1/2, lid on, another 1/2 hour, lid off to reduce sauce, if needed. Otherwise, keep the lid on. 2 hours full cook time.

This is great, served with steamed rice or in tacos and burritos.

Picanha Steak | Top Sirloin Caps

Easy Barbecue

If you’re not familiar with Picanha, just know that it is the caps of Top Sirloin and that it isn’t an overused muscle so, the meat tends to be super tender when it’s cooked. It’s also fairly inexpensive and the popularity of these cuts are growing because of the amazing results achieved from a simple barbecue or rotisserie. Brazilian restaurants like Rodizio’s and Tucanos have introduced this style of cooking and slapped the staple on this fine cut.

Preparing Picanha

Technically, you can cut up these caps and serve them any way you like. I tend to clean each cut, cutting away the silverskin and unwanted fat, and then slice the steak ,with the grain, into for pieces; all being equal in thickness not length. These steaks can then be seasoned and cooked as is or shanked onto shish kebab skewers for a rotisserie or easy flipping on the grill or under a broiler.

Grilling Top Sirloin Caps

The easiest way to cook these Picanha steaks on the grill is cook on low, with the lid down. I time it, flipping every five minutes for approximately 20 minutes total. It’s not a bad idea to monitor the internal temp with a meat thermometer, if you’re a bit inexperienced, especially if you like to “reverse sear”. In this video tutorial, I demonstrate grilling under bad circumstances to show you how to overcome hot spots and flare ups.

final results

Truthfully, these are the WORST looking picanha steaks I could’ve put on camera but, as you can see down below, the results were tremendous. So, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. These steaks were great and I even made tacos, the next day, with the leftovers.

Picanha Top sirloin Steak Ingredients:

2 Top Sirloin Caps

1 tbsp Garlic, minced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper

Blackened Seasoning, optional

Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini

A green handled Bowl of Beef Stew with Ditalini pasta and a spoon.

The Best Beef Stew

You won’t be able to deny this stew, it’s that good. It’s very similar to a recipe I posted a few years ago but this really packs that stick to your ribs punch. I’m talking about comfort food that makes you feel so warm and cozy inside that you melt with each bite. As you can see by the title, I’ve also added a small italian soup noodle called “Ditalini” to make this recipe a little more filling and you’re going to love it. I’m telling you, Beef Stew can’t get much better.

Cooking the Beef and Vegetables

The most important thing to understand, in this recipe, is that everything must be seared. Sear the chopped onion, potatoes, carrots and certainly the beef. Also, be sure to season everything as you go with Kosher Salt and Pepper. The Beef is braised so it gets a dusting of all purpose flour, as well.

The fresh herbs I use in the video are slightly different than the written recipe, however, but it’s not a big enough difference to make a stink about. It’s just going to be up to your personal preference and how you like your Beef Stew to taste. In the video, I use 4 different fresh herbs, Bay leaf, Oregano, Thyme & Rosemary. In the written recipe, I only use 2 dry ingredients, Parsley & Thyme.

My wife claims to like the written recipe better, though, if it’s any consolation. You might even want to look into trying my Pork Loin and Hominy Stew. It’s delicious.

Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Easy Beef Stew with Ditalini Ingredients:

3 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2 lb Beef Chuck, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/4 cup flour (all purpose), for the beef
1 Onion, Chopped 1/2″ pieces
2 tbsp Butter
2 Large Russet Potatoes, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 Large Carrots, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 qt Beef Broth
1/2 cup Spaghetti Sauce/Ragu
1 tbsp Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
2 cup Water
1 cup Ditalini pasta

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Sautee the chopped Onion in butter for 5 minutes and season
with salt and Pepper. Add the Potato and Carrot, cook 10 minutes
and season again with salt and pepper, Parsley and Thyme.

Pre-season the cut beef with Kosher Salt and Pepper and mix
with the flour until fully coated. Remove the vegetables from the
pot, place in a bowl, add the Olive oil and meat to the pot and
sear the meat on all sides for 5 minutes over medium high heat.

Add the vegetables back to the pot and stir everything together.
Add the Beef Broth, Ragu and 1 cup of water. Stir and bring the
soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 2 hours,
stirring occasionally. After 2 hours add 1 more cup of water and the
Ditalini pasta. Simmer, covered, for one 1/2 hour, then serve.

Watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this delicious Roast Beef Stew with Ditalini recipe.