TeslaCon 2015, Part 1: An Englishman in Texas-Style Chili w/Yorkshire Puddings

What’s this? You may think, More recipes based on geek conventions? That’s right, gluttons, this is a thing now. You may have heard of Dragon Con, but today I would like to tell you about a magical, happy con out in the Midwest you might not have heard of. You’re welcome.

What con is that? I am talking about the annual, three-day Disneyland of Steampunk, Teslacon. Teslacon is in Madison, Wisconsin, and try not to think of it so much as a con, but as a theatrical experience in an all-immersive world with colorful characters, costumes, and contraptions. Every year is a new chapter in an ongoing storyline involving director of the show, Lord Hastings Robert Bobbins III, taking all 1500 of his friends both new and old on a fantastic journey whether under the sea, to the Moon, or even to the center of the Earth. Every step along the way, however, he faces the mischief and machinations of the evil Doctor Proctocus and his wily band of henchmen, S.W.A.R.M.

To give you an idea of what this con is like, I will say that this con is the only one I’ve been to where EVERYONE comes to the opening and closing ceremonies. Through the use of actors, set pieces, and video vignettes, it is impossible to not get into the story. Last year they even had life size dinosaur puppets for the journey to the center of the earth. Both cast and con attendees are decked out in fantastic steampunk and period costumes. All the pictures in the host hotel are covered with theme-appropriate artwork. The weekend is full of fun panels and events from fashion and prop shows to tea-dueling. There is even a formal ball with period dance music played a brass band whose organization was first established during the American Civil War. Even the hotel staff plays along in speech and attire. My band has been playing there the past three years and the fun we have is always worth the 12-14 hour road trip.

Even the dinosaurs enjoy tea-dueling. Photo by ReflectionsInk

This year Teslacon is going to the Wild West and to commemorate the theme, I decided to come up with some recipes inspired not just by history, but also by the grand Pooh-Bah of Teslacon himself — Lord Bobbins. Lord Bobbins, while sometimes can appear on the prissy side, has a strong love and heart for adventure. His belief in the creativity in the steampunk world drives him to explore and give people the venue to become inspired and go create something marvelous on their own.

In this particular case, I wanted to imagine what Lord Bobbins would serve at his table for his friends in Texas. Knowing him, he would like to try something new and from the region, but inject some elements of British cuisine to add his own stamp to it. That’s why today we’ll be serving up some Texas-Style Chili con Carne featuring Earl Grey Tea, leeks, and baked beans as ingredients and Yorkshire Puddings made with corn flour.

Chili con Carne was more than likely borne out of necessity for cow hands and range cooks in the 1800s as the heavy spices would preserve and improve the taste of freshly killed beef on the long runs. No one knows if the first, true recipe of Texas-style chili has been found. However, most early descriptions and copies of the recipe agree on this basic one:

Cut up as much meat as you think you will need (any kind will do, but beef is probably best) in pieces about the size of a pecan. Put it in a pot, along with some suet (enough so as the meat won’t stick to the sides of the pot), and cook it with about the same amount of wild onions, garlic, oregano, and chiles as you have got meat. Put in some salt. Stir it from time to time and cook it until the meat is as tender as you think it’s going to get.

An interesting thing to note about Texas-Style Chili, unlike its modern counterpart, it never was known to feature tomatoes or beans. If anything the usage of those ingredients came about when the recipe spread to the east coast since beans were a cheap alternative to beef, and also in the 20 century with canned good convenient family cooking becoming popular. Considering that baked pork and beans are part of a hearty English breakfast, I thought that it would be a good addition to this dish.

If you’ve never had Yorkshire puddings, you’re in for a treat. Their bowl-like shape is perfect for spooning chili into before taking a bite. You can even use cake pans or Yorkshire pudding tins instead of muffin tins if you want to make bowls to serve in (though you make want to increase the recipe if you want to make more than one or two.)

Keep in mind that this dish does require a lot of time and patience. I can promise you, though, that it’s worth it. Also, it’s not too late to join in on the fun this year at Teslacon. They do cap their attendance, so make your arrangements soon and buy tickets here!