How do you make chili?

[JollyMon]

All this talk of chili is making me want to make a batch.... Might have to swing by the grocery on the way home

 

[Mark-DuCo]

All this talk of chili is making me want to make a batch.... Might have to swing by the grocery on the way home

I had to yesterday, sadly the batch of chili will have to wait until Sunday.

 

[Reno316]

I was hoping for actual recipes...

Broadly (I tweak it a bit each time, and I ain't giving out the *exact* recipe)...

2-3 pounds ground meat (beef, venison, buffalo, pork... Mix and match)
Lard or oil (I sometimes use bacon grease) if you're going with the lean meats above (venison or buffalo. Ground beef has enough fat in it already).
Couple large onions, diced medium.
3-4 bell peppers, diced large (mix red, yellow, and green for the color).
2 large cans mild chili beans.
2 large cans diced tomatoes.
Garlic, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper.
Beer (some people use plain beer like Coor's Light or Bud. I perfer a spicy IPA, but that's just because I'm a grown-ass man.)

Brown the meat in the oil over medium heat, cook through. Add a bottle of beer, drink the other bottles.
Season with pepper, garlic, cumin, and a *small* amount of chili powder (the beans will increase the chili flavor, so don't go overboard... Can always add more later, can't take it out once it is in...)
Add onions, cook them down.
Add the tomatoes and bell peppers and beans. Heat through. When the entire mixture is heated, start sampling. Add more chili powder, cumin, cayenne, etc., until it matches your tastes.

Serve with jalapeno corn bread.

 

[phylodog]

Yeah, Phylo, that is some tomato-heavy chili. I'd eat on it for a few days....

Had it with grilled sourdough & extra sharp cheddar sammiches last night. It was so good we're having it again tonight and I'll bag up the leftovers and freeze them for consumption at the deer lease in a few weeks.

 

[natdscott]

phylo...how much do you RUN a day?

lol!

-Nate

 

[Reno316]

I'll bag up the leftovers and freeze them....

Leftover chili? These words you speak... They look like English, but I do not understand them.

 

[phylodog]

phylo...how much do you RUN a day?

lol!

-Nate

I try to avoid it as much as possible these days.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Leftover chili? These words you speak... They look like English, but I do not understand them.

Leftover chili is the best chili. It's like a fine wine... it gets better as it "ages". Well, up to a point I suppose. When it's fuzzy on top, it's best to just pitch it.

 

[Alamo]

Leftover chili is the best chili. It's like a fine wine... it gets better as it "ages". Well, up to a point I suppose. When it's fuzzy on top, it's best to just pitch it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_con_carne
Wick Fowler, north Texas newspaperman and inventor of "Two-Alarm Chili" (which he later marketed as a "kit" of spices), insisted on adding tomato sauce to his chili — one 15-oz. can per three pounds of meat. He also believed that chili should never be eaten freshly cooked but refrigerated overnight to seal in the flavor. Matt Weinstock, a Los Angeles newspaper columnist, once remarked that Fowler's chili "was reputed to open eighteen sinus cavities unknown to the medical profession".

...

 

[DoggyDaddy]

...

I agree! The only exception is when I cook it all night in a crockpot and have it for lunch the next day. Better than "young and fresh" but not as good as refrigerated and reheate.

 

[88E30M50]

That's what I did when I started making chili. I found a couple basic recipes and used what I liked from both and it came out pretty good. I usually let mine simmer in a pot on the stove for 3 - 4 hours. I feel it makes a better broth. My recipe is below, but if you like yours spicy, feel free to add more chili powder, more cayenne pepper, fresh peppers, hot sauce or whatever you like to bring the heat. I serve mine with a little cheddar cheese on top, a few crushed saltines and eat it with a peanut butter and honey sandwich

My recipe:

1 lb. Hamburger
1 can Bush's Chili beans in med sauce 16 oz
2 cans Red Gold tomato sauce 15 oz
1 can Red Gold Chili ready diced tomatoes 14.5 oz
1/2 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chili powder or more
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp or so of ground cayenne red pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Brown the hamburger and drain the grease. Add the tomato sauce and undrained cans of beans and diced tomatoes, then all of the spices. Mix well. Cook on medium heat and let the chili come to a boil, stirring occasionally to keep everything from sticking. After 15 - 30 minutes, reduce heat to med-low and let simmer, again stirring on occasion so nothing sticks. After another 30 minutes or so, reduce to low and continue to simmer, stirring as needed. I let it cook for about 4 hours, which reduces the diced tomatoes almost completely into the sauce and produces a really rich tasting broth.

Ok, I'm going to give this one a try for the 10th annual family chili cookoff next weekend. Sounds promising. My basic chili recipe is to brown 2 lbs of good ground beef. Drain and then add 1 chopped sweet onion and 3 cans of diced tomatoes. The ones I like are the medium sized cans with chilis or habaneros. Add to that, 3 cans of drained beans. I like to do 1 can of red, 1 can of black and 1 can of kidney beans. Season with chili powder to taste and add a bit of salt if your diet allows. If I have time, I'll use stew meat instead of ground beef but that has to cook just about all day to become tender.

This is a good year to shake things up though, since my brother is already talking buffalo meat.

 

[Rookie]

Debdoozie's Blue Ribbon Chili Recipe - Allrecipes.com

I made this one time because it had so many good reviews and it was easy. I'm not a soup, chili type of person, but I like this one.

 

[wtburnette]

Ok, I'm going to give this one a try for the 10th annual family chili cookoff next weekend. Sounds promising. My basic chili recipe is to brown 2 lbs of good ground beef. Drain and then add 1 chopped sweet onion and 3 cans of diced tomatoes. The ones I like are the medium sized cans with chilis or habaneros. Add to that, 3 cans of drained beans. I like to do 1 can of red, 1 can of black and 1 can of kidney beans. Season with chili powder to taste and add a bit of salt if your diet allows. If I have time, I'll use stew meat instead of ground beef but that has to cook just about all day to become tender.

This is a good year to shake things up though, since my brother is already talking buffalo meat.

My recipe is pretty mild, but it's a good base to build off of. Good luck with the chili cookoff

 

[DragonGunner]

You guys won't like this, but got a son in law that loves making chili and eating chile anyone makes…..he had his first bowl of mine and couldn't believe how good it was….I like it anyway and it has a no longer secret recipe my Dad used. Hamburger, cheapest chili mix you can find, 3/4 tomato juice 1/4 water, macaroni ( I hate chili beans and don't use them…lol) if you use beans get the cheapest you can find, the longer and more you cook it the better………AND…..use brown sugar in it cooking it up…..the amount can vary for taste, 1 lb. hamburger usually around 1 cup of brown sugar. Son in law couldn't believe it…thought I had to use all kinds of different stuff….I have found the more people try to make something better….it gets worse.

 

[Cpt Caveman]

I make mine like this" Hey Honey, chili might be good tonight."

 

[Reno316]

This is a good year to shake things up though, since my brother is already talking buffalo meat.

Get a can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sacue. Throw it into the blender and liquify (might need to add a bit of tomato juice), and add that to the chili. Gives it a nice, slow creeping heat that just builds and builds.

 

[femurphy77]

Wife and I have never made chili before, and we want to start.

How do you make your chili?

I tell my GF I want some chili.

 

[lovemachine]

Made my first batch of chili today. I used 2lbs of lean hamburger, 2 cans of bush's chili beans, a can of tomato paste, a can of diced tomatoes. Seasoned the meat with different spices as it browned, and cooked everything in the crockpot for 6 hours. My wife cooked macaroni noodles for herself. She likes noodles in chili.


It was good, but rather thick. I'm wondering if I should have used a little more water.

Do you want a thick chili, or a bit more "runny/juicy"?

 

[wtburnette]

Made my first batch of chili today. I used 2lbs of lean hamburger, 2 cans of bush's chili beans, a can of tomato paste, a can of diced tomatoes. Seasoned the meat with different spices as it browned, and cooked everything in the crockpot for 6 hours. My wife cooked macaroni noodles for herself. She likes noodles in chili.


It was good, but rather thick. I'm wondering if I should have used a little more water.

Do you want a thick chili, or a bit more "runny/juicy"?

I like mine thick and meaty. You could add tomato sauce either instead of, or in addition to the tomato paste. That'll help so that it's not so thick, while not making it watery. You may need to add more spices to keep the flavor as bold as you want.

 

[MadBomber]

1. 2 lbs ground chuck, browned and drained
2. 1 cup homemade chili powder (made from peppers in our garden but Brooks is a fine subsitute)
3. 4 qts homemade chili sauce (again, from our garden but Heinz is an Ok sub)
4. I cup lime juice
5. I qt diced tomatoes (one can Red Gold diced as subsitute)
6. 4 diced bell peppers
7. 2 diced Jalapeno peppers
8. 2 diced Anaheim peppers
9. I cup sugar
10. I tbs ground cinnamon

Cook ground chuck until no pink remains, drain then mix in other ingredients. Cook complete mix for 1 hour then serve. Add fresh red onions and a tbs of sour cream as desired. Also oyster crackers and good craft beer *Preferably 3 Wisemen Snowbunny Blonde

Eat until belly hurts or football is over on Sunday.