chili powder puzzlement

Hi George!!

I think the ole "chili powder shuffle" has a lot to do with "my secret ingredient". You are absolutely correct in saying that every chili powder is different in taste.

There is a recipe out there for a rub called BRITU, which won the 1994 American Royal rib contest. One ingredient is chili powder. No one can quite get this rub to taste exactly like the original because Mike S. used his own blend of chili's.

I have made my own chili powder and of course it is the best! However, I don't always have the peppers available so will buy from different suppliers. There is a VAST difference in taste among the many chili powders out there. I will never again buy "store-bought" chili powder.

Not sure if this is what you wanted, but it's my 2 cents worth!

Thanks Stogie,

I, too, grind my own chili powder for the simple reason that I want to be the one to add the additional seasonings. Also, I wonder how long some of that "store bought" stuff has been sitting on the shelf.

Well, now that we have determined that chili powder is the secret ingredient, I wonder if some of the forum members would tell us what they use when a recipe calls for chili powder. Might be interesting.

- George

Howdy,George.....You can usually find whole dried Ancho chiles at super wally...It is easy enough to toast your own and run through the grinder......This will give a smokey,fruity flavor without affecting the heat index....If you are in the chili making/Tex-Mex frame of mind ,IMHO the 5 lb. container of Gebhardt's Eagle Brand is indispensable in everyone's refrigerator. ...Luckily down here we have a population that supports fast use and a good turnover.....IMHO the minumum amount of chile that goes into bark building over a long cook period,compared to the volume of meat it touches is not a MAJOR factor, unless it is a bad product....This is not to say I don't concur completely with pure peppers, or blends of peppers ,in sauces or pastes on shorter cooks. Just my $0.02 worth and welcome to the forum.