No chili fan in their right mind is going to think of what I served up at the 2019 Bartels H-D Chili Cook-Off as a legit chili. That’s fine. I make variants like this for the folks in their wrong mind, like myself.
For the last several years, I’ve entered the annual cook-off at Bartels Harley-Davidson here in Los Angeles as a way to enjoy myself and share something different with the crowd. It’s like having an open air lab full of biker guinea pigs. No one’s shanked me yet, so so far, so good.
My previous entries have included a white pork, verde, and Jamaican Jerk pork chilies. This year, I wanted a Sichuan vibe using the pepper of the same name. Some have likened the tingling the Sichuan imparts to that of a weak electrical current or a carbonated soda. I wasn’t in the mood to use tingle water but the sensation of licking a AA battery terminal without the taste of licking one intrigued me. This concoction uses tons of Thai chile peppers, garlic, ginger, and onion, as well as the pepper. The kick is solid, plateaus quickly on the backend, and then drops off after about five minutes. Note that this meal requires advance preparation.
- 5 lbs pork shoulder or loin diced
- 20 cloves garlic
- 2 bunches green onion
- 1 nub fresh ginger 2x2x4-inch
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 20 red Thai chiles, dried
- 20 star anise
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp sichuan peppercorns
- flour to thicken
- 4-6 cups water
- Pulse the garlic, white part of the green onions, star anise, and ginger in a food processor until finely chopped. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors get friendly.
- Heat the oil on high in the stock pot that you'll use for the chili. Then, add the garlic/onion/ginger blend, Sichuan, and Thai chiles to it and fry it all in the pot until they release their aromas.
- Add the liquids to the pot. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- While the pot is simmering, brown the diced pork.
- Mix the pork into the chili pot. Continuing simmering for another hour.
- Cut up the rest of the green onion, mix it into the pot after simmering, and serve it up.
Latest posts by Mark Masker (see all)
- 2024 Scovie Awards Call for Entries - 07/07/2023
- 2024 Scovie Awards Early Bird Special: 3 Days Left - 06/29/2023
- 2024 Scovie Awards Early Bird Deadline Looms - 06/25/2023
