is the title of a Food Network Show that I love to watch. While watching I always wonder, “If I were asked to be on this show, what would I say?” Today, I figured it out.
It all started with my search for the perfect chili recipe. I wanted to make chili for our big storm that was coming this past Tuesday and Wednesday. Since I had never actually made chili before, I wasn’t sure where to start. So, I started where I always do - with Alton Brown. The recipe was on a video for pressure cooker chili, so I wrote down his ingredients and then searched out some other recipes to know how long chili generally needs to cook in a slow cooker. While searching I found a recipe for Chili-Corn Casserole. I saved the recipe for the casserole in case I wanted to visit it later.
I went to the store, gathered the ingredients, went home and got started. Here’s how Alton Brown did it.
(If the frame disappears, just click the arrow.)
I ended up doubling the recipe, and with 3 guys and myself there was only a cup and half of chili left. It was just enough for the casserole recipe so I hid it in the freezer, but more on the casserole later. Alton’s recipe is amazing. Don’t skip any ingredients. The only thing I tweaked was that I added about 1 cup of brown sugar. It made the chili melt in your mouth. It was the perfect blend of flavors. Since I didn’t have the pressure cooker lid, the only thing about the cooking that changed is that once the meat was browned I moved it to the crock pot. Once I finished browning all the meat I used the beer to get the meat stuff off the bottom of the pan and then went ahead and added all my other ingredients to the pan and let them simmer for a minute so all the flavors would come together. Shortly after, I poured the contents of the pan into the crock pot and cooked it on high for 5-6 hours. I helped myself to several taste tests throughout the day, and it definitely got better the longer it cooked. Oh, and I added the brown sugar at the very end. I used light brown sugar.
With a cup and half of chili leftover I decided to revisit the Chili-Corn Casserole recipe. So, I went back and read a little deeper. As it turns out, I had no desire to shuck the kernels off of fresh corn, and since I don’t even know what polenta is, I decided to take the idea of the Chili-Corn Casserole and give it my own twist. (If you want to check out the original Chili-Corn Casserole recipe you can find it here.)
I turned to a recipe given to me by my friend Gay Elkin. It’s a corn casserole that her grandmother gave to her. You mix 1 can of cream corn, 1 can whole kernel corn drained, 1 1/2 sticks of butter (I only used 1 stick of butter), 1 box Jiffy Muffin Mix, (it calls for chili peppers and chopped onions, but I skipped those), 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, and 1-2 cups of cheese (hers calls for cheese mixed in recipe and then covering top, but I didn’t mix in the cheese.). You cook it at 350-375 degrees for 1 hour. Gay also recommends using bacon grease in the bottom of the baking dish.
While my bacon grease was heating in my glass 7.5 x 9.5 inch baking dish I mixed all the ingredients (except the cheese). Before adding anything to the baking dish I swirled the hot grease around the dish, getting as close to the edge as possible. First, I added half of the mixture to the hot baking dish, I covered that with 1 cup of shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese. I then put the chili on top of that. ( I would probably recommend more than a cup and a half of chili, but it’s all I had, and it was still amazing!) I then poured the rest of the mixture on top of the chili and another cup of cheese on top of that. I baked it at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes (because I was starving and couldn’t wait the entire hour). I covered it with foil about half-way through the cooking process to keep the cheese from browning too much. It came out perfect! It was bubbly and beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to dig in. I let it set for a couple of minutes and then filled my bowl. I took my first bite and in that moment I knew… I knew that if I was ever asked, “What’s the best thing you ever ate?” I would know.
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