I know it sounds funny to be cooking hot and spicey foods in the heat of summer, but it is the season. Chili and barbecue cookoffs are starting across our country to determine the best in each area.  Pure chiles are the answer for sparkling, tingling great flavors.  With that in mind, we are offering a 25% off sale on our pure hot and mild chiles through next Sunday, June 25.

I find a combination of the two makes for a great taste.  The mild pure chile is only 1 heat unit above Paprika and creates a flavor base. 

And, did you know that super market spices can sometimes be as old as 8 years before you buy them.  This is due to the fact that only  small amounts of each spice are often used and the need for a new spice is often only spurred by a move.  And, to make matters worse, the spice shelf is often near the range, with the heat making them age faster, yielding a stale, murkey flavor.  That is why I recommend  you store our chiles in the refrigerator or the freezer to keep them fresh.  That way, they will last as long as you have them.

Adding mmy hot chile, makes for a great flavor and you can add just as much hot or a hotter chile to create the spiciness you prefer.

One more tip--always store your chiles in glass jars.  Glass does not brethe, so the flavors will not spread though your refrugerator or freezer and best of all, the pure, fresh flavors will be locked in.

Did you know that many of the commercial chile or chili powders have preservatives such as Diethylene Oxide and other preservatives and Silicates to prevent caking.  I always say--the lumps on my chiles are a great thing--you know there are no additives.

We still have a very few openings in our Green Chile Fiesta class a week from this Thursday and many openings in our classes the rest of the summer...which are Red Chile Fiesta July 13, and another Green Chile Fiesta on July 27.   And in August on the 10th, a a Special Taco Party and on the 24th and New Mexico Favorites on August 24. 

Our next weekend class is  July 7 through 9 and our next week long class is October 23 - 27.

Here is my award winning Bowl o Red Chili recipe and my favorite Barbeque Sauce.

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.

ng occasionally. Set the sauce aside until you are ready to use it.

1. 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.