brisket chili attempt

[kaskiles]

Ok, my usual stove top chili tastes like chili, but this attempt did not.  It wasn't bad, and maybe I just needed to double or quadruple my chili powder amounts.

I used 4 cups of chopped brisket left over from last weekends smoke, and also figured I'd get creative by attempting to quickly smoke some vegetables for it...  Needless to say, my wife had to take our son on a 30 minute stroller rider shortly after I brought the smoked veggies (or whatever this was) back in the house.

I assembled some chili like vegetables:


I had soaked some kidney beans overnight in water, strained and rinsed these:


Sliced everything up and put in on the racks:


Set everything, including beans in the smoker for 2 hours pecan with no heat:


OBS ran around 100 - 120 F for the two hours, and right after the smoke seemed to clear, I pulled the racks and brought inside.  Big mistake, the smell was very powerfull, just the vegis sitting on the racks.  This is when the stroller ride was beginning, and I starting rushing...

Anyway, I got everything in the pan and pretty much reduced down:


I had to open all the windows during the simmering, very strong smell.  Good thing it has cooled down here, and wasn't very humid today.

It ended up having a very strange flavor, not bad but I don't know what to compare it to.  Sort of tasted like unsweetened bbq sauce, but not really.  I melted in a couple tbls of goat cheese into my bowl, and it was actually pretty good.

I don't think I'll do this again :)

Here is the cook/smoke log:
http://kaskiles.org/smoke/smk003/smk003.html

[classicrockgriller]

Some days you eat the Bear ....

And Some days the Bear eats You.

At least now you know.

[Habanero Smoker]

It does look good.

I was reviewing your log and it looks as if you applied smoke to everything, including the seasoning and spices you had. How was the smoke flavor? Too much smoke may be the base of that strange taste.

[kaskiles]

Yes, I tried to apply smoke to everything, including the spices.

It is not a smoke flavor like what is on meat, there is a distinct smell to it still, a lingering of that smell that came off the veggies right when I brought them in the house.  I'm thinking I should have at least left them in the cooker for an hour with no smoke, or maybe just sitting out in the fresh air to air out.  I'll have to review some details on smoking vegetables.

Could the veggies have been too cold when I applied smoke, should I have heated them up some prior to smoking?  I was just planning to puree and add to hot skillet, so it didn't matter if I cooked them some.  The tomatoes were just barely warm.

I tasted it again this morning, just plain (no cheese).  For lack of a better comparison, it tastes like Manwich / Sloppy Joe...

[Habanero Smoker]

Too much smoke can give it a strange/bitter taste, but that is not what you are describing. Looking at your recipe, I would cut back on the cumin, and use a chili powder along with your other spices.

Spice Islands makes a pretty good commercial chili powder. It is a dark with a slight smoky flavor, and very little heat; made with New Mexico chillies. What I like is that it has good flavor that allows you to adjust the heat by adding your own cayenne pepper. Or do a search to view some homemade chili powders, and make your own.

[ArnieM]

Sorry you didn't care for it.  A good part of the fun is experimenting and trying new things.  Maybe too much smoke.