I'm here to talk about those ingredients. As I said for 2 decades . . . and then the maker, Reilly Foods removed the salt from the package. And idiot that I was (or am), made a batch of chile and forgot the salt. I know that everyone has rising costs. As I type this in July of 2022, gasoline is over $6 a gallon, up from less a gallon only a short time ago. So I forgive Reilly Foods for removing the salt packet. But I'm unhappy that they did this and I would have paid more for the original recipe box. (I'm also the guy who wants to hear the sounds of the baseball game, but not the sportscasters.)
Some while ago, I got out my small electronic scale that can resolve to .1 grams. I weighed each of the Fowler spices packets in their bags, as the weight of those bags isn't much. And I did weigh the empty packets and it is an insignificant amount by comparison with the ingredient inside it.
I went to my nearest Hispanic market. They carry a large wall of spices. There I purchased, all Chulada brand of spices.
Ingredient List
96 grams Chile Pasilla Molido -- This is finely powdered chile pasilla (dark brown)
9 grams onion powder
9 grams garlic powder
6 grams cumin powder
7 grams oregano (I have flakes or dried leaves)
10 grams salt
7 grams paprika
6 grams Chile Arbol (labeled Red Pepper on the packet)
The above list is a your-mileage-may-vary scenario. Please don't leave snarky comments about how this doesn't taste like 2 Alarm. I would agree it does not. But it gets pretty close and the above list is what I used. As the recipe requires 96 grams of pasilla, you will have leftover spice mixture. My first attempt at this is in July of 2022, so it's a work in progress.
Before I go any further, you will not be saving money making your own "kit". Fowler's is about $3.50 per box and I bought all fresh spices and that came to pennies under $7. But if you have read this far, perhaps you are foodie enough to try it yourself.
I did not weigh the packet of masa corn meal. I don't generally use it. I apologize. By law, ingredients listed on packages of food sold in the USA, must be by weight. From the 2 Alarm box:
Chile pepper
Corn Masa Flour (my guess is 2 ozs.)
Salt
Onion
Cumin,
Paprika
Red Pepper
Oregano
Garlic
If you read my list of ingredients and compare with the list above, it is inconsistent. I can only suggest you play around with the quantities. Who doesn't love making chile anyway?
The cumin and oregano are both in one packet in Fowler's. I guesstimate that it is equal parts of each. I can say that I like the flavor of this mixture I made. It's spicy enough to my taste. However, I used no Red Pepper (I believe this is Cayenne pepper or chile, as it is the most abundant commercially and therefore the least expensive to use.)
I weighed all the ingredients into a 2 cup jar; tightened the lid and gave it all a good shake. It stood on the kitchen counter for a few hours before being used. The aromas melded nicely together.
My one serious problem with Fowler's is that their packaging line has started to make improperly sealed packets. I see some onion flakes on the cardboard box I've retained. One box the onion/garlic packet was almost empty and the contents in the cardboard box itself.
Lastly, next batch I'm going to use a mild New Mexico red powder or a California powder. It's got to have some chile taste, so I won't use paprika.
I made the standard Fowler's recipe. 2 lbs. of ground beef, 8 oz can of tomato sauce, 2 cups of water. The beef was browned and drained of excess fat. I added the tomato sauce and water and then the spices. Covered the skillet simmered for 30 minutes. The batch threw a good amount of liquid, which colored beautifully.
It's important to understand that the ingredients that Reilly Foods buys to make the 2 Alarm Chili is based on science and I cannot buy, at a market, the same ingredients with the same specific gravity or weigh by volume. My recipe is an approximation. Their onion flakes or garlic powder have food properties I cannot replicate (as much as I wish I could). The onion powder I have is not going to be the literally same thing as Fowler's. But I believe I have a good start and am narrowing the focus until that day of heavenly chile perfection arriving.
If you ever read: A Bowl of Red by Francis X. Tolbert, you will learn that in Texas, the spices are toasted to bring out their individual flavors. Whether Reilly Foods does that I cannot determine. I tried toasting cumin seeds for a batch of chile one time. I think I cooked the flavor out. And oregano leaves are almost impossible to toast without burning them.
Serious comments appreciated.
January 20, 2023. The price of Fowler's mix has gone up a bit. I tried another idea. I used All California Chiles with the seeds. It took two (or more) minutes in the blender getting the pods into powder. I should have removed the seeds. The first eating the dish was sort-of gritty. Not good. The next day, the grit was entirely gone. I think it is the seeds not being ground well enough. The all California chiles proved to be too mild, too. Next batch, I'm going to mix half California and half Pasilla. The flavor was good on the 2nd and succeeding days. Man! oh Man! I do love a bowl of red.
