Cook_s_Country_-_October_2019

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 29

COOKING FOR TWO

WHEN MOST PEOPLE think of
chili, they think of a large pot of rich,
spicy meat and (sometimes) beans
simmering for hours on the back of
the stove. It’s quintessential weekend
food: easy to prepare, feeds an army,
and makes great leftovers. While a big
batch of chili is the norm, sometimes
I want a faster, more contained option
that is doable on a weeknight—a small
pot of chili for two. But here’s the
catch: I wanted my chili with chunks
of beef, not ground meat. Could I still
make it weeknight friendly?
While we love the beefy flavor
and silky texture of well-marbled
chuck-eye roast, I didn’t want to buy
a giant hunk of meat for just two serv-
ings of chili. I chose beef blade steaks
instead, which are also cut from the
chuck—and thus have a similar big,
beefy flavor—but are readily available
in smaller portions.
I stuck with a simple, pantry-friendly
flavor profile of chili powder, cumin,
oregano, canned chipotle in adobo
sauce, and garlic, which together
delivered earthy, smoky spice but didn’t
overpower the beef. As for the beans,
we favored pintos for their creamy tex-
ture and small size. Onion and canned
diced tomatoes rounded out the flavors,
providing aromatic sweetness and acid-
ity. A tablespoon of brown sugar added
complexity and depth.
I built a batch of my working chili
in a medium saucepan and simmered
it until the beef was tender, about
1½ hours (an improvement over the
2 to 3 hours required for larger batch-
es), but with less simmering the canned
tomatoes stayed too firm. I tried tomato
sauce instead, which conveniently came
in a smaller 8-ounce can.
The chili was delicious, but I won-
dered if I could further streamline
the process. A coworker suggested
throwing the whole shebang in the
oven instead of simmering it on the
stovetop; I gave it a go and it worked
great, eliminating the need for fre-
quent stirring and monitoring. What’s
more, I could comfortably cook the
chili at a higher temperature (and
therefore faster) without the threat of
scorched chili on the bottom of the
pan. My cooking time was now down
to an hour and change, with most of
that being hands-off. The result? A
Tuesday-night chili for two with an
all-day-Sunday taste.

BEEF CHILI FOR TWO

You will need a medium ovensafe

saucepan for this recipe. Before using

the blade steaks, trim and discard their

interior line of gristle. You can substi-

tute sirloin steak tips (also known as flap

meat) for the blade steaks, if desired.

Serve with your favorite chili garnishes.

1 pound beef blade steaks, trimmed

and cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle

chile in adobo sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1. Adjust oven rack to middle posi-
   tion and heat oven to 325 degrees.
   Pat beef dry with paper towels and
   sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat
   oil in ovensafe medium saucepan over
   medium-high heat until just smok-
   ing. Brown beef on all sides, about
   8 minutes.


2. Reduce heat to medium, stir in
   onion, and cook until softened, about
   5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin,
   chipotle, garlic, and oregano and cook
   until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir
   in tomato sauce and water, scraping
   up any browned bits. Stir in beans and
   sugar and bring to boil over high heat.
   Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until
   beef is tender, about 1 hour.


3. Let chili sit, uncovered, for 10 min-
   utes. Season with salt and pepper to
   taste. Serve.

This rich and

meaty chili comes

together easily.

Beef Chili

Making small-batch chili shouldn’t require any sacrifices—

except maybe the long cooking time. by Jessica Rudolph

A Cut Above

We tried every beef cut in the book

for this chili before landing on blade

steak. This cut, which comes from

the chuck, has a big, beefy flavor

and, unlike some fattier cuts that

require several hours of cooking,

gets nice and tender with just about

an hour of simmering (most of which

is done hands-off in the oven).

Two-Part Cooking Method

Start on the Stovetop

For clear visibility and high heat when

browning the beef

Finish in the Oven

To eliminate the risk of the bottom

scorching