Gulf Coast Chili Recipes

Steps:

• Soak alligator in buttermilk in a container, refrigerated, overnight.
• Transfer alligator to a colander and rinse all the buttermilk off the meat. Let it completely drain or pat dry with a paper towel.
• Saute the alligator and ground pork together with the vegetable oil in a large stockpot on medium heat until the meats start to brown and release liquid, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the cooked meat to a bowl to separate it from the liquid fat. Keeping the fat on medium heat, add the onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic, followed by the chipotles, jalapenos and serranos. Sweat this mixture down until onions turn clear.
• Add diced tomatoes. At this point, you will have a bit of liquid from all the fats and vegetables. Stir in 1/2 cup flour (or more, if desired) to thicken up the liquid and absorb the fats. Stir in the chicken stock, followed by the tomato sauce. Add the drained ranch beans, although this step is optional, depending on whether you want beans in
• your chili (hint: we always do). Cook, stirring regularly, until the pot hits a low boil. Add the alligator and pork mixture, along with half the beer. Stir in the cayenne, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, paprika, black pepper and salt. Reduce the heat to very low, then cover pot and simmer, stirring every 10 minutes or so to keep the chili from sticking to the bottom, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Though you could actually serve this dish now, as it will taste great, we truly feel that refrigerating and reheating it again adds to "the leftover effect" which allows the flavors to really marinate and come out to a noticeable degree. Remove pot from heat and set to the side until chili hits room temperature. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, just reheat slowly (up to a low boil), stirring in the remaining beer to loosen up the dish. Garnish with green onions, Cheddar, sour cream and hot sauce. We always garnish the chili with our signature Dixie Fried Blue Crab and Corn Hush Puppies.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. Reserve 3 tablespoons drippings. , Brown beef in drippings. Add onions; cook until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Return bacon to pan. Stir in the next 12 ingredients. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 3 hours. , Add beans and heat through. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with cheddar cheese.

Steps:

• Broil or grill the fresh pasillia peppers close to heat source and turning frequently with tongs until the pepper skins are mostly blackened and blistered. (This may be done in a broiler or on an open flame over your grill or stove burner.) Place the peppers in a brown paper bag, fold over the top to seal and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Put gloves or bags over your hands. (okay, if you don't want to wear gloves, but it may burn your hands a bit and whatever you do, DO NOT pick your nose or wipe your eyes or anything else with your own hands for a day or so) Peel and discard the skin and stems of the roasted peppers. Cut open the roasted peppers and discard their seeds. Cut open and discard the stems and seeds of the jalapeño peppers. (If you like a spicier chili you can leave the seeds intact). Discard gloves.
• Place the pasillia and jalapeño peppers in the jar of an electric blender or food processor. Add the bottle of clam juice, 2 cloves of garlic, half of the chopped onions, and all of the cumin and white pepper. Process to a smooth puree. Set aside.
• Warm a skillet over medium heat. (we do the whole batch in one large cast iron pot so it only takes one pan) Add chopped bacon and cook, stirring frequently.After the bacon has released its fat, or is about half cooked, add the remaining clove of garlic and remaining chopped onion. Continue to cook until the bacon is cooked through.
• Place the bacon mixture and the pureed pepper mixture into your chili pot. Add the chicken broth. (You can add more if you find a need to do so) Stir and set pan over low heat for 10 minutes.
• Turn up the heat to medium, add the mushroom soup, canned chili peppers, and salsa verde. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes.
• Cut a 2 inch thick slice of velveeta cheese. Cut cheese into smaller cubes and add to chili. Stir frequently, be careful not to have your heat too high to avoid sticking.
• Add green shrimp to chili, simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add cooked shrimp to chili. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Ladle chili into bowls and enjoy. I would advise against overcooking once the seafood is in the chili as shrimp can get weird if it is overcooked.