Redneck Recipe # 19 - “Silk Hat Harry” and World Class Chili Recipe
Horse beer training
GusTheRedneck’s father was GusTheRedneck, Sr. He was a mix of city boy and country boy. For a long time, Gus, Sr. and his younger brother, Fred, lived on a farm way up north in Vermont. They whiled away some time, training the family’s horse to do things that few horses are ever trained to do. The horse was named "Silk Hat Harry." Why so? The two farm boys had found an old silk top hat, poked several holes in it for Harry's two ears, and perched it atop Silk Hat Harry’s head whenever their Dad had them drive the wagon into town to pick up supplies. For those occasions, Silk Hat Harry had been taught to stop at each of the several beer joints (taverns in those days...) on the return trips to the farm.
At each stop, the boys would carry Harry’s silk hat into the tavern and have it filled with cool beer – a refreshing drink that Silk Hat Harry could suck up out of the hat. That horse loved his beer.
GustheRedneck, Sr. was now retired and into his mid-70s. GusTheRedneck, Jr. was then in the computer business. With a great big computer on board his truck, Gus, Jr. paid Dad a visit.
The races are on !
What Gus, Sr. did not know was that Gus, Jr.’s mother had earlier told Gus, Jr. all about Silk Hat Harry. What Gus, Sr. also did not know was that Gus, Jr. had programmed a horse race game into the computer and had rigged the thing so that every horse race would be won by – you guessed it – a nag named "Silk Hat Harry."
GusTheRedneck, Sr. flat disdained computers. All the same, by the time the horse race game playing was over for the evening, he had this to say:
"Well, Son, I have to admit it – that is some kind of a machine that can find out stuff like that. Wow! Silk Hat Harry! Can you beat that? I guess some computers really are smart, like this one, but even though I like your computer just fine, they can keep the rest of those evil contraptions."
Redneck's Kitchen World Class Chili
This chili is spicy, but not super-heated. Some folks may want to add beans to it, and that is OK, but we believe that beans are best left on the side.
Here are the ingredients:
2 (or so) pounds beef chuck roast cut into cubes of ½ inch to 1 inch in size
1 cup chopped onion
1 can chopped tomatoes with green chilies (13 to 15 ounces)
1 can tomato paste (6 ounces)
4 tablespoons chili powder (we like 40,000-heat-unit style powder)
2 teaspoons ground cumin (also called comino)
1 or 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic, minced dry garlic, or garlic powder
1 or 2 teaspoons finely chopped or dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper or flaked red pepper or "6" pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon "Season-All-Salt" or the equivalent by some other name
1 can beef broth (13 to 15 ounces)
1 can beer, preferably dark (12 ounces) (or drinking water if you prefer)
flour to thicken as necessary (1 or two tablespoons)
shredded cheese, sliced or chopped onions, taco chips for toppings
How-to:
Brown the meat cubes in a large skillet in a small amount of fat.
When the meat is browned add everything together in a large stock pot except the flour and the toppings.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, letting the chili simmer for at least another hour, preferably for another 2 or more hours. Thicken if necessary using 1 or 2 tablespoons of ordinary flour or Mexican masa flour. Let the chili rest for 15 minutes before serving with whatever sorts of toppings you prefer. A salad and corn bread go well with chili.
Believe it or not, chili is even better the "day after." Refrigerate it until then if you can be that patient, reheat it (slowly) and serve.
Comments
Good Doctor bj - Silk Hat Harry was a real prize that my mother gifted to me (as the tale). The rest of it is really how the deal happened. My father was completely amazed that a computer of which he hated one and all of them, could ever have known about the horse who loved beer way back before 1900.
I wish I knew what happened to that horse.
Now, let me belabor you with a followup tale, this one also concerning horses.
My father was, as they say, "of the old school." When he told someone something, that was "it." Before he and my mother were married, he promised he that he would never bet their money on horse races. (He had been the horserace column writer for the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper.) He kept his word, never bending in that, not even a little. Not a penny of theirs did he ever wager.
However, he knew horses and horseracing beyond repair. His many friends knew that he knew such things almost as though he could crawl into the brains of the jockeys and their nags. They would ask him on which horses to bet. He'd tell them. Of a Monday or Tuesday he would make the rounds of his buddies and they'd split their winnings with him.
Now then, I never knew about that until I was, myself, married for two years or so, and in his company one day while he went on his rounds. Then we hit the bank to deposit his "take." He cautioned me to not talk about this with my mother, for she might still not appreciate his love of horseracing ( ! ). What really fractured my funnybone was that he had entitled his special bank account with the title, "Seabiscuit National Bank and Trust Company" - and the real bank let him do it.
You could not possibly know how much a guy like Pop could be missed. He was something else, altogether !
Gus :-)))
Gus - thank you for taking the time and effort to share that great, GREAT story about your dad. He was a man of his word and didn't bet one penny of his and your mom's money. And very creative about the title of his account.
If you love horses as much, there is a new movie coming out (don't know how soon) about Secretariat - the remarkable horse that won the Triple Crown. Will let you know when.
Great story, Gus. You're dad sounds like a wonderful guy. I'm thinking you take after him a great deal.
Horses, big as they are, do tend to disappear. In my younger years, I cared for a Champion Cutting Horse named Jodie Bearcat. I'll remember that horse until I die. One night we rode down Jensen Drive in North Houston hell bent to get home before dawn. I wonder how I lived through those years of wildness. I would have been hung as a horse thief if anyone had found out about that night. I do not know what became of that horse either.
drbj, can't wait to see the movie about Secretariat! He was one stunning horse!
p.s.
Wish I had a big bowl of that chili right now, lol!
Good Morning Austinstar - Yeah, my father was a really cool guy.I wish that I could take after him a whole lot more than I do.
Jodie Bearcat got you home in one piece.If you had a big bowl of that chili waiting for you that time, you'd have gotten home a whole lot earlier than you did.
Gus :-)))
Gus great father story but alas i am not a chili eater my wife loves it and I don't bet the ponies - "cards are my gambling downfall." But that is a story for another time- If I didn't have bad luck I would have no luck at all....
Nice hub
Tom - Luck is improved a whole bunch by your smiling, particularly if you smile at whatever adversity decides to bug you. That is, as you say, a great father story. The man was a real winner - maybe not in terms of material wealth, but in every other way I can imagine. I have often thought that perhaps he was too unbending in his rigid traits of "honesty" and integrity. One time he and I walked 2 miles to his favorite store to buy a few groceries. When we got home he counted the change they gave him after he paid for the stuff. He looked at me and told me that they had given him a dime too much change. Back 2 miles to the store we went. He would not stay in the house with their money overnight or wait for his next trip to their store. I have wondered about that trait for many years, but I also thought that he might have been providing his son with a lesson.
Gus :-)))
Great story and great recipe! I can't wait to see the movie BJ is talking about....in another life I rode and love horses almost as much as the mals. I'd love to be young again and do it all over again!
Hi Audrey - Did they tote up the cooking contest votes yet? I had heard about that movie before, but I cannot get all quivery about horses. People seem to like horses a whole lot, but horses never seem to be too fond of people. (I wouldn't like folks who sat onmy back and made me carry them around, either.)
Gus :-)))
drbj 23 months ago
Funny story, Gus. What happened to Silk Hat Harry? Was his demise celebrated with the proper pomp and circumstance?