The Great US vs UK Food Debate

This is what it should look like. No idea if you can get it in Britain as you guys don't have real food there. Maybe you could order it online. You literally can't make real Chili without it. It's the key ingredient.

 

Maybe try this.


You'll need some type of Chili powder. I know you have Indian chili powder but I don't know if it's the same.

 

And even then, I think that's the SPAM-like British corned beef the article is referring to, which is nothing like what we eat in the US.

 

Over here Schwartz are probably the big name for dried herbs and spices and they do a chilli powder ofcourse.

http://m.schwartz.co.uk/Products/Herbs-and-Spices/Chillies/Chilli-Powder-Hot.aspx

I imagine all 4 of the big supermarkets have loads of different chilli powders.

 

I thought it might be a mixture of stuff. I've got chilli powder, some generic brand.

 

Yeah, but is it the Tex-Mex/Mexican type of Chili powder, or Indian stuff?

 

It's just dried chilli. Nothing but heat in terms of taste.

 

I've checked the ancient McMonsly history book and there's no record of any beef whatsoever. We once ate a goat in the 18th century but that's it.

 

Yeah, there's chilli mixes but I wanted to do it from scratch, just using herbs and junk. It's proving to both uneconomical and unsatisfactory.

 

The supermarkets rip you right off when it comes to fresh herbs and spices, do you have an old school market in your area? Being South London we have one of course but the prices are so much better. Comes in handy when you want to follow recipes, Jamie Oliver doesn't consider the cost of the stuff when he scribbles it all down in his books!

 

No local markets I'm afraid. I've been making curries recently so I'm quite well stocked on spices, thought a chilli would be a nice variation but its just not really paying off. I don't know how it's meant to be cheaper - jars and sauces are just so much cheaper.

 

I can get huge bundles of herbs for 50p each so it isn't too bad for me.

 

The recipe I gave you works, but you need a potent chili powder. Not sure if what you have will cut it. Don't forget the sugar either. It gives it a sweetness that balances out the spiciness.

Also, use lean ground beef. The fatty stuff will give you a nasty layer of fat on the chili that you don't really want.

 

Free meat and cheap herbs? The rich get richer indeed.

 

I've got a hot chilli powder and a mild - I'll go for the hot stuff this time. What sugar works best? I've got Demerara or plain white.

 

Use the unrefined stuff. Something like "sugar in the raw" or whatever the UK equivalent is.

 

Do you not have a green-grocer then? They should be cheaper.

 

Yeah, but not near me and they're not that cheap. I mainly wanted something much better than a jar or powder mix - be good if it were cheaper but that's not going to happen I reckon.

 

Corned beef came out perfect after 8 hours in the slow cooker. It was tender, but not mushy or stringy the way stuff sometimes gets when it cooks too long. I have a lot of leftovers. Will probably do reubens.

 

And here mine is. Wish I had some thousand island dressing right now.