LAN Party Chili
Contributed by Lanfranc
Ingredients:
1 beef brisket or pot roast 3.5 lbs (find a cut without too much fat)
2-3 cans of black beans (drained and washed) (540mL)
2-4 cans of corn (drained) or equal amount of frozen corn (341mL)
3-4 large jars of mild/medium salsa (650mL) People may need less depending on how much juice the tomatoes give off.
1-2 packs of taco seasoning (or add Spice Melange)
1 can of diced tomatoes (796mL)
Directions:
1. Place the pot roast into the slow cooker, and dump a tin of tomatoes over the roast. If the liquid doesn’t come to half way up the side of the beef, add water or beef broth till it does. Add some salt for good luck (don’t put any pepper in!!). There’s not much point in putting in seasoning in at this point, as the meat doesn’t retain much of it by the end of the process.
2. Turn the slow-cooker to LOW for 8-10 hours depending on size of meat. Try not to leave the meat cooking for more than 10 hours, as it will start to lose some of its texture. If possible, flip the meat once or twice while cooking so the top doesn’t dry out.
3. Pull the beef out onto a plate. The meat should be easy to separate with a fork. Take two forks and start shredding the meat into bite size bits. If the beef has any fatty pockets, remove them from the rest of the beef. You don’t want that goo in your chili. You can always freeze/fridgify the meat at this point if you don’t want to finish-up the same day.
4. If you’re going to eat it that day, empty out the slow-cooker (but no need to clean it) and put the meat back in. Turn it to HIGH. It’ll need around 2hrs, so if that’s too long, use the stove top. If you’re just going to freeze everything, do Step 5 in a large mixing bowl or unheated stock pot.
5. This is where you need to look and taste. Start by adding one can of black beans, one can of corn, two jars of salsa, and 1 package of taco seasoning. Mix it up with a large spoon. If either the beans or corn seem particularly scarce dump another can in. The salsa adds the moisture/liquid to the chili, so if your chili looks more like a vat of shredded beef, add a jar or two of salsa to get it to a more chili-like consistency. Play with it until you reach the ideal bean to corn to meat ratio. Similarly, if there’s not enough “flavour/spiciness”, toss another ½ or full packet of taco seasoning into the mix.
6. Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and black tortilla chips. Leftovers freeze nicely, and are handy for making nachos.
Geek note:
This is a recipe that involves simple planning that even Leroy Jenkins couldn’t screw up. This makes enough for a small Clan, and can easily power the team into the wee hours. Protip: send them home before the beans kick in.
