Pecos Valley Spice Company was started 40 years ago by me, Jane Butel; in Santa Fe, NM as Pecos River Spice Co. honoring the fact that we owned the Pecos River Ranch in Pecos, NM.  The ranch is very special, having a huge history--being deeded to all Spanish blooded citizens by the King of Spain in 1540.  Any boy over the age of 12 had to learn to "bear fire arms"  within the year of turning 12 years of age to live on the ranch.    The ranch was developed as a refuge from the Indians who had frequently scared the Spanish up to the top of Starvation Peak,  adjacent to the ranch.  (The River in our company name got changed when Seagram invested in us. The executives felt that chiles grow in valleys, not rivers--we had to give in.) 

So each of  you can help us celebrate our anniversary, we are  taking 40%  off all of our chile products until midnight, Saturday, June 2, 2018..  We hope you will take advantage of this very special offer as our chiles make the very best chili and barbecue sauces and other Southwestern dishes.  It is now chili competition time and a good time to stock up. 

Why are our chiles so special?  They are processed without chile stems and seeds and are 100% pure and very clean.  No silicates are added to prevent lumping and no diethylene oxides are added to retain the beautiful, fresh red color.  With our chiles--you always get consistent heat and quality.  No guess work is required as it is when you cook with pods.  They can very up to 15,000 heat units per chile.

Early next week, we are off to Oaxaca, Mexico for our very special culinary tour!  We have 10 participants and can still make room for 5 more if you would like to "drop everything" and come enjoy with us.

To celebrate June, here  are two of my signature favorites using red chiles.

BOWL O’ RED 

The influence behind this recipe came from my maternal grandfather, who was in charge of the line extensions going west from Topeka, Kansas.  While working with the Santa Fe Railroad, he was stationed a long time in Dodge City, KS which was the end of trail for the cattle drives.  He developed this recipe after commiserating with lots of “cookies,” or trail cooks who cooked for the cowboys bringing cattle up from Texas and Northern Mexico.  It has won numerous chili cook-offs and is one of the really true original chilis. I like to gussy it up with side dishes of Fixin’s ‘n Mixin’s of chopped onion, pickled jalapenos, mixed grated cheddar and Jack cheeses, sour cream garnished with lime wedges edged in powdered mild red chile and a bowl of pequin quebrado minced Habeneros for those who like it red hot! 

Yield:  6 to 8 servings 

2 Tablespoons lard, butter, bacon drippings, or rendered beef fat

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3 pounds lean beef, cut into ½-inch cubes

3 medium-sized garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup pure ground hot chile or to taste

1/4 cup pure ground mild chile

1 Tablespoon ground cumin, divided

About 3 cups water

1-1/2 teaspoons salt 

1. Melt the lard in a large heavy pot with a flat bottom and straight sides over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened.  Remove from heat.
2. Add meat, garlic, ground chiles and ½ the cumin to the pot.  Break up any lumps.  Stir in the water and salt.  Return to heat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 2-1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender and the flavors are well blended. NEVER COVER.  Placing a lid on a stew such as this will steam the meat, toughening it, rather than allowing it to break down and become quite tender.   Add more water if necessary.  Taste and adjust seasonings, adding remaining cumin. Serve with fixin’s ‘n mixin’s as noted above.

JANE'S BEST BARBECUE SAUCE

This is my all-time favorite Barbecue sauce. It will keep almost forever and is the best on Barbecued Pork Ribs and Chicken.

Yield: approximately 1 ½ cups

2 Tablespoons bacon drippings or butter

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

12-ounce bottle ketchup

6 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoons dark brown sugar, packed

1 to 2 Tablespoons pure ground hot red chile, or to taste

1 to 2 Tablespoons pure ground mild red chile or to taste

¼ teaspoon pequin or cayenne pepper

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander seed

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1. Melt the bacon drippings in a two quart saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is transparent.

1. Add the remaining ingredients through the liquid smoke, reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set the sauce aside until you are ready to use it.