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Firehouse Chili Gumbo
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Let's eat: Firehouse Chili Gumbo

Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette

Let's eat: Firehouse Chili Gumbo

Firehouse Chili Gumbo

PG tested
So that bomb cyclone headed up the East Coast but missed Pittsburgh. Well, not quite. This system has uncorked a brutal blast of numbing cold this weekend,and you’ll be wishing for a bowl of something hot and hearty to chase away the chill. 

May we suggest a steaming pot of chili? 

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Originally published in The New York Times, this is adapted from a chili recipe that won a Louisiana firefighter top honors in Hormel Chili America's Best Firehouse Chili Competition in 2017. It marries two familiar flavors in one spicy filling dish: firehouse chili and vegetable gumbo. 

To serve this hearty stew of beef, chili and tomato for breakfast or brunch, top individual servings with a fried egg, chopped avocado and crumbled bacon. A sprinkling of shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream wouldn’t hurt either. 

For chili

2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed

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3 pounds ground beef, ideally coarse-ground

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or to taste

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons steak sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes

For gumbo

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 medium shallots, peeled and diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

3 ribs celery, trimmed and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 6-ounce cans tomato paste

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 to 2 cups tomato juice

1 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or to taste

2 tablespoons hot sauce or to taste

Make chili: Heat oil in large skillet or heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook beef, stirring often until it has begun to brown at the edges. Using a slotted spoon, transfer browned meat to a bowl.

Pour off excess fat, turn heat down to medium and return browned beef to the skillet or pot. Add salt, peppers, chili powder, turmeric, oregano and cumin and stir to combine. Add steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce and diced tomatoes and stir again. Cover the skillet or pot and cook, stirring a few times, for 15 minutes or so.

Make gumbo: Place large pot with a heavy bottom over medium heat and put butter and oil into it. When butter is melted and foaming, sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk to combine. Continue whisking until mixture is golden brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Add onion, shallots, bell peppers, celery and garlic and cook, stirring often until vegetables have started to soften, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Make chili gumbo: Add beef mixture to pot with vegetables along with the tomato paste, tomato sauce, tomato juice and ketchup and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes, then add apple cider vinegar and hot sauce to taste. Take pot off the heat and serve or allow to cool and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to cure. Heat before serving.

Serves 8 to 10.

— Sam Sifton, The New York Times

Gretchen McKay: gmckay@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1419 or on Twitter @gtmckay.

First Published: January 5, 2018, 9:57 p.m.

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