So here it is, Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. What are you going to do with the left over turkey? I know! Make some real, deal, wake you up, BoneHead Chile!

So why do I call it BoneHead Chile? Back when I was playing football, folks would call me BoneHead because I liked to hit people. I was, after all, a linebacker. I guess my friends thought I was a little over the top. And I think the name is appropriate for this Chile. I try to push the boundaries but not go completely overboard. You do not want the heat to completely bury the flavours.

The first step is to take care of that left over turkey carcass. Carefully debone the turkey and save all of that good left over turkey meat. You now need to create a Turkey Stock.
Place the left over turkey carcass in a large stock pot. My turkey was 25 pounds, so I needed two large stock pots. And I mean all of the left over carcass: bones, skin, tendons, and any vegetables that were cooked with the bird. I cook my bird with yellow onions and garlic, so the cooked onions and garlic go into the stock pot. Cover the carcass with water and bring to a boil. Drop the heat and let simmer for one hour. Let the stock pot cool and move to the frig. Let it chill in the frig over night. The next morning, the fat will have solidified and risen to the top. In addition, the stock will have cooled to a jelly like consistency. Discard the fat and place the stock pot back on the stove. You will need to warm it up, so that the stock returns to a liquid state. Once the stock is liquid enough, discard the bones, skin, and what not. Then strain it. The result is a studly turkey stock. This stock is also great for vegetable soup!

Now on to the BoneHead Chile. But first, how can we make BoneHead Chile without a proper Man Powder? The answer is: you can’t. The secret to a good Man Powder is: first class dried chillies. I try to use at least 6 varieties: habanero, ancho, passilla, pequin, arbol, and guajillo. The best source for dried chillies is your local Mexican Market. So here are the ingredients for one batch of Man Powder:

26 dried chillies
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
cayenne pepper

You will need to deseed the chillies. I suggest that your wear latex gloves for this. If you do not, then make sure that you do not touch any sensitive areas of your body for the next few hours. You will know if you forget and make a mistake. I know that this is a lot of work, but seeds are bitter. You need to get rid of them.

Gently toast the cumin in a frying pan to add a nice exotic flavour. Grind up the chillies, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt in coffee grinder. Add cayenne pepper to taste.
This grinding process will result in large amounts of capsicum in the air. Capsicum is the active love ingredient in chillies. If you start to gad and retch, then the level of capsicum in the air, has become to much for you. You will need a mask or possibly a respirator. Man up! Power through it! Soldier on! Your persistence will result in a lovely Man Powder that is wonderful in lots of other dishes too. Like eggs, corn bread, fish, hamburgers.
The list is endless.

But we must not lose track of our mission: Manly Chile. So we now have a proper turkey stock and a proper Man Powder. Here is the list of ingredients for the Chile:

2 tablespoons cumin seeds – roasted
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
6 yellow onions, chopped
4 heads garlic, chopped
16 red jalapeño peppers

Read peppers are the ripe version of green peppers. They have the same heat but more flavour. They are hard to find since the spoil rather quickly.

2 cups turkey stock
2 pounds dried beans
8 tablespoons Chile powder
4 tablespoons oregano
1 can chipotle chillies
4 14.5 ounce cans of chopped, fire roasted tomatoes
Turkey meat, chopped
3 pounds sausage, chopped
2 bottles of prime beer

Now for the Chile directions:

Soak the beans in water over night. Cook the bacon in a large stock pot. Save the bacon and set aside. Sauté the onions and garlic in some of the bacon fat. Add everything to the stock pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 1 – 2 hours.

I like to serve my Chile with cornbread, chopped red onions, a good sharp cheddar cheese, and beer (of course). The result is outstanding. It wakes up your system and cleans out your sinuses, without overloading your system. You can still taste all of the flavours. And you will be a better person for it.

You can experiment with what kind of beer to add. Try a batch without beer. Then try an ale, or a dark beer, or a hoppy IPA. For this batch I went with the Stone Smoked Porter. Stone Brewing makes a pepper version of this brew called: Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle. So apparently Stone Brewing thinks that the Smoked Porter goes well with peppers.