Add a kick to any dish with homemade chili powder.
American chili powder (with an “i”) is to Southwestern American cuisine what curry powder is to Indian cuisine. Chili powder is an American spice blend made with ground dried chile peppers and other herbs and spices. Like curry powder, the actual blend can vary significantly from producer to producer. Both carry some heat, but there the resemblance ends. The flavors are very different.
The best American chili powders have multiple layers of heat and complexity that come from different kinds of chiles. It can be used in many recipes, from tacos to barbecue sauces, but it is the core of Chili Con Carne (chili with meat), the classic cowboy chuck wagon trail stew.
This is important, especially to readers in other countries: American chili powder is very different than chile powder (with an “e”) in Mexico and most other countries. In Spain and many other countries, chile powder is simply ground hot red chiles, usually just one cultivar, but occasionally more, and it is much hotter than American chili powder. In Mexico, if you mix chile powder with other herbs and spices it is called salsa en polvo. Salt is almost always a large component of commercial American chili powder, but I have left it out. This way you can use it on brined meats without oversalting it. Remember, you can always add salt, but you can’t take it away. Click here to learn more about why you should not add salt to spice blends.
As background for this recipe, read my article, The Science of Chiles. Ancho is a dried poblano and is the backbone of most American chili powders because they are mild and have a unique raisiny/pruney/chocolatey flavor. Pasillas are dried chilaca and they area bit hotter that poblano, and chocolatey, but they are harder to find so if you can’t locate any, just add more ancho. Sweet paprika is made from very mild red peppers, similar to the bell peppers we use in salads. Alas, most of the paprika in the grocery has little flavor. Look for a high quality fresh Hungarian or Spanish paprika. Feel free to swap out the other chiles for your favorites. Just be careful not to go too hot. If you want more heat, you can always add it by mixing in 1/2 a teaspoon of chipotle powder. Chipotle is a dried smoked jalapeno and it is hotter than pasilla. The secret to award winning Chili Con Carne is an American chili powder that is complex and balanced.
Since there is no salt in this recipe, (click here to read why our rub recipes do not have salt), salting the meat first is a must. This process is called dry brining. Salt will penetrate deep into meat so you should get it on in advance, perhaps overnight. The rest of the spices and herbs cannot penetrate very deep, so the rub can go on anytime, even just before you start cooking. The general rule of thumb is 1/2 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt per pound/453.6 grams of meat (don’t include bone, and ribs are about half bone).
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Signature American Chili Powder Recipe
Rate this RecipeMakes
About 1/4 cupIngredients
Method
- Prep. If possible start with whole dried chiles and make powders from them. Cut off the tops of the chiles with scissors and shake out the seeds. Poke around in the chile with a knife to get the rest. With the scissors cut the chiles lengthwise into two halves, and then into chunks about 1 inch (25 mm) square.
- Toast. Put the chunks into a medium hot frying pan for about 2 minutes, no oil, then shake the pan to flip as many as possible and toast them for another 2 minutes. This brings out the flavorful oils, a process called blooming.
- Powder. Grind the toasted chunks in a spice grinder, coffee grinder, blender, or food processor. I usually use my coffee grinder, but if you do, remember to clean it thoroughly when you are done or you'll spend the night on the couch (don't ask me how I learned this). Let the cloud of dust settle in the grinder for several minutes before you remove the top or your cries of pain will be heard blocks away (don't ask me how I learned this).
- Pour all the powdered ingredients in a bowl or jar and stir them all together.
- Use. The blend will still be useable for about a year, but the freshness and potency slowly declines.
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