stiffwillichili

Stiff Willi in Hawaii

Here's a great photo of my friend Suzanne, who took Stiff Willi to the beach with her a couple weeks ago.

 

STIFFED UP PORK SPARE RIBS

You will always find recipes that are tried and true here at the Stiff Willi blog. Here's a fantastic one for oven-tender pork spare ribs, courtesy of Eric Schillinger from Rochester, N.Y., and kicked up like only the Stiff Willi can.

INGREDIENTS
1 rack pork spare ribs brisket, bone removed
3 ounces water or beef broth

Dry Rub:
4 tablespoons T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili Spice Mix
2 tablespoons kosher salt

PREPARATION
1. Combine spice mix and salt and rub liberally on both sides of rack (save whatever is left).

2. Wrap pork brisket in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 24 hrs.

3. It's time to cook the ribs. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place cooking/cookie rack inside to rest the ribs on as they cook.

4. Mix remaining rub with water or beef broth and pour into lined baking sheet (steamy goodness). Place ribs on the rack (meat side down) that you have in the cookie sheet and then cover with aluminum foil. Be sure to seal the sides.

5. Place ribs in a 250 degree oven for 3 hours.

6. Remove ribs. Now you have a choice to make: Do I dominate these ribs as they are, or do I take them to the next level?
 
LEVEL IT UP!!!
 
7. Brush on some T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili Pepper Sauce (not too much) and place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it starts to char. Don't forget there are two sides to these ribs so don't deny the other.
 
Now have at it.

 
 

'AMERICAN DIP' ROAST BEEF

There are few things in life better than putting your beef in a bun. Follow this ridiculously easy Americanized version of the French dip to send your family, friends, or significant other into culinary bliss. Crock pot-style!

INGREDIENTS
3 1/2-4 pounds boneless chuck roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
4 whole peppercorns
2 tablespoons T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili Spice Mix
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 French rolls, split
8 slices American cheese
1 medium yellow onion, julienne
1 medium green bell pepper, julienne
2 tablespoons olive oil

PREPARATION
1. Remove roast from packaging, rinse in cold water, and pat dry with paper towel. Combine spice mix and salt in small mixing bowl, and rub mixture evenly onto roast.

2. Place roast in 5-quart slow cooker. Add soy sauce, bouillon cube, bay leaf, peppercorns, and thyme. Add water until roast is two-thirds covered.

3. Cook covered on low for 6-7 hours, or until roast is very tender.

 

4. Remove roast from crock pot and set aside to rest. Reserve broth for au jus (use gravy fat separator for best results, or be a real American and dunk your sandwich right into the fat-soaked gravy).

 

5. Heat oven to 450⁰F and also bring medium size saucepan to low heat. Add oil to saucepan and slowly cook onions and peppers (covered) until soft, adding salt and pepper to taste. Stir every couple minutes to prevent vegetables from burning.

6. Open French rolls and arrange on cookie sheet. Cut cheese slices in half and add two halves to each side of every roll. Bake in oven on middle rack for 5 minutes, or until bread is toasted.

7. While rolls and veggies finish cooking, use two forks to shred chuck roast. It should pull apart very easily. Serve on French rolls topped with onions, peppers, and T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili Pepper Sauce with a side of au jus* for dipping.

 

Serves 4.

* Because I can be a stickler for language, I'd be remiss if I didn't note that au jus literally translates to "with juice" or "with broth," which admittedly sounds a bit awkward when used as I did above when I said "with a side of au jus" ("with a side of 'with juice'"). However, English-speaking countries have basically adapted the term to simply mean "juice" or "broth." So, all in all, I guess I'm basically just a follower here. And I even used a split infinitive. Oh, boy.

Pepper Sauce Selected by Hot Sauce Club

In a bit of good news -- great news, actually -- T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili Pepper Sauce was selected this week as Amazing Clubs' Hot Sauce of the Month Club offering for March!

My distributor, Peppers in Rehoboth Beach, DE, informs me that the club has placed an order for 200 cases, meaning that over 2,000 club members will be getting a bottle of my pepper sauce next month.

This could be just the break I've been hoping for since the release of my pepper sauce last summer, as some of the most serious hot sauce enthusiasts across the country will get a chance to discover the unique balance of flavor and heat that sets us apart from the rest.

CHILI CHEESE PIZZA

On the off-chance you've got leftover chili in the fridge, here's a great spin on pizza if you're looking for a quick and easy dinner or appetizer.

If chili is cold, bring to room temperature or warm in microwave prior to assembling pizza.

INGREDIENTS
1 (11-ounce) Pillsbury pizza crust
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

PREPARATION
1. Grease a cookie sheet and layer with premade pizza dough. Preheat oven and bake for 5 minutes according to temperature indicated on the package.

 

2. Remove from oven and spread sour cream over partially baked pizza crust. 

 

3. Spread chili evenly atop sour cream layer.

 

4. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly atop chili and bake for another 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

When you pull it out of the oven it will look like hot, melty deliciousness.

 

Serves 4+.

JUST THE TIP: Add any additional toppings you like, and swap cheddar with Mexican cheese for more of a Tex-Mex flavor.

St. James Deli One-Year Anniversary

I will be at St. James Deli & Spirits this Friday, Jan. 14, at 5 p.m. giving away free chili and goodies in celebration of the store's one-year anniversary.

As anyone who's ever started a small business knows, being able to stay in business for at least a year is a significant accomplishment in this economy (and especially in such an anti-business state such as Maryland). So how better to celebrate than with free food and drink? That's right, the deli will also be giving away FREE samples of their craft beer selection as well!

So stop on by on your way home from work and warm up with some hot, award-winning chili and wash it all down with free beer. Seriously, what else could possibly top that!

This Made My Day

Anyone who's ever started a small business knows how difficult it is to find success, whether that means being taken seriously, finding a niche in the marketplace, gaining and keeping loyal customers, or whatever. Things like taxes and regulatory burdens only add to many of the natural frustrations that are inevitable when you try to build a company from the ground up, and some days the roadblocks can simply be overwhelming.

T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili is in its very nascent stages -- I've been in business just over a year -- but I'd be lying if I said there haven't been days when I've thrown my hands in the air and said it would be easier to pack it all in. Well, it's always easier to give up, and if running a successful business were easy, there would be a lot more people who did it. That's why I'm always thrilled to get letters or emails from happy customers. It's quite literally the single most important source of energy required to slog ahead because it provides reassurance that I'm doing all of this for a reason, that there are actually people out there who appreciate the culmination of my work.

In reality, a good salesman can generally get someone to buy his product once. But if you want to remain in business, that customer has to be convinced to come back again and again and again. So imagine my excitement today when I opened my email to find this note from Wendy in Rochester, NY:

T-Rev-

Up here in NY it has been pretty cold.  What makes a cold day better?.... Chili, obviously.  I took out your Stiff Willi Chili mix that I won from the Seneca Park Zoo’s Zoobilation auction and made a double batch of chili thinking I would have enough to freeze some for one of our next cold days.  Well, it never made it to the freezer.  Everyone loved the chili so much that there was triple helpings being had and none left over.  That stuff was awesome!! 

Thank you for donating the chili mix and I look forward to winning the next auction item ;)

And Thanks to Eric for knowing you, getting the package and insisting that it was awesome stuff because it certainly is.

As I wrote in my reply to Wendy, I almost don't know what to say when someone not only takes time out of her day to write me but also raves about my products. Aside from my family and a few select friends, there's really nothing that means more to me. So thank you, Wendy. I hope you know I appreciate your kind words every bit as much as you appreciate my chili!

And for the record, the Eric who is mentioned in the email is my good buddy Rico, who, along with his wife Melissa, have been mentioned on this blog elsewhere as two of my most invaluable friends, to whom I will owe much gratitude should I ever have the good fortune to look back one day and think, "I made it."

Nothing Says 'I Love You' Like a Stiff Willi

This holiday season, save money on diamonds and instead give her a gift that all chicks love and adore: CHILI! T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili products make great stocking stuffers, and nothing shows her you care like the best chili spice mix and pepper sauce in all the land!

If you'd like to pick up some of the good stuff and you live in the Southern Maryland area, come visit me this Saturday and Sunday at Leonardtown McKay's and the Apple Basket, respectively. Both promos will begin roughly at 11 a.m. And if you're out of town, not to worry. You can always order online at www.stiffwilli.com.

It's That Time of Year Again

With the temperatures dropping all over the country, I figure it's a good time to post my recipe for T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili w/ Beans:

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes
29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 can pinto beans (15-16 oz.), drained
1 can black beans (15-16 oz.), drained
8 tbsp. (half-bottle) T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili™ Spice Mix
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Add 2 tbsp. oil to large pot and cook onion and pepper on low heat until soft. Brown beef in same pot and add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, beans and spice mix. Simmer for at least 1 hour (2 is ideal), stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and serve topped with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream.

One thing I've started doing lately is adding a cup of chicken broth to my batches after I've taken the chili off the heat. Mix thoroughly and let sit for 30 minutes before serving. Adds a nice, smooth flavor and gives the chili a bit more gravy consistency. And be sure to kick up the heat with a little T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili Pepper Sauce if you like a little more punch!

Promo at The Apple Basket

I will be giving away free samples of my world-championship chili this Sunday, Nov. 21, at The Apple Basket in Mechanicsville, MD from 11 a.m. until it runs out.

Anyone living in the area is invited to stop by, as the shop should be humming in anticipation of the holiday season. The store does a fantastic business, and it's your place to find everything from candles and fine jewelry to kitchen wares and other great food products.