Chili Recipe debate

Ok so who here loves a good bowl of chili?

Do you think it should have beans?
Should the meat be ground up or cubed?
Do you have any secret ingredients?
What do you like to serve it with?

My wife is going to make some chili and it got me thinking about having a party. Let's get some feedback and maybe we can have a Chili cook-off this summer

So far, my fave is with ground beef and some beans with a spicy sweet pepper flavor served over white rice and topped of with some shredded cheddar. Yummm. Ohh, and I do pour in a bottle of beer while it simmers

Mine's got to have beans! My dad has been making chili using Carol Shelby's chili seasonings (yeah, the car guy!). It's pretty good stuff. We always use ground beef. I don't thing the directions on the back of the CS seasoning pack call for any beans, but we always put 'em in there, usually 2 cans to begin with, and then after I complain that there aren't enough beans, my mom or dad will usually throw in another can. We serve it with grated cheddar cheese, a little sour cream (sometimes) and tortillas. I usually make a burrito out of it. The seasoning pack from D.L. Jardines ain't to bad, either. Sometimes my mom makes it with something called chili brick.

Some people might call this kind of chili, "gringo chili", but it's what I've always eaten at home and it's delicious.

Love chili, all chili! Ground beef, cubed beef, shredded beef, lamb, pork - yes, yes, yes!

Beans? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I've won some chili contests but still don't have a single "favorite" recipe! Some contests I've won...I probably couldn't even duplicate the recipe! Some were "1 of a kind"!!

Fixins? Onions, cheese, crushed red pepper, sometimes sour cream....yes, yes, yes!

At times (about 10 minutes or so before turning off the stove), I'll add one of the following: a tablespoon (or so depending on how big the pot of chili is) of peanut butter, chocolate, or my "preferred" prepared horse radish! I really enjoy the slight hint of horse radish in a bowl of chili!

Interesting/different "FoodTV" Alton Brown chili recipe here. (BTW - I use one pound -maybe a little more- each of beef, lamb, & pork stew meat in this recipe). Uses salsa, tortilla chips (masa flour substitute), chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, a few other items, a bottle of beer, & a pressure cooker. Quick & easy to make! Small pressure cookers are EXCELLENT cooking tools!!

BTW, I like to TASTE my chili! I like "warm/spicy/hot", but not so it hides the flavor of the chili itself. Sure some folks like REALLY HOT, melt your face chili...I REALLY like to taste the chili itself - not just heat!!

Check out PEU's "Chili Tasting" post here!

i love chilli lately ive grown tired of ground beef ill try it with like ya said sig.

For me beans, my wife, no beans. Lots of chili powder, good sized chuncks of beef, no tomatoes, yuck. Jalapenos are good in chili too the spicier, the better.

One of the "secrets" that top chili cookoff competitors have is they always freeze ground beef before using it.

Fresh ground beef in soup sometimes has an "off" taste that many people find objectionable, and freezing it first eliminates that for the same reason that frozen seafood has less flavor than fresh. The object is to taste the complex chili flavors and not beef soup.

Freezing loses flavor but retains texture, and canned is the other way around. So canned beans may be mushier than fresh or rehydrated too.

I'm with Sigman. I like all types of chili. Ground meat, cubed meat, vegetarian, with or without beans, whatever. I don't understand people who think they are "chili" purists and feel there is only one correct way of making it. That's like saying there is only one kind of meat, cheese, or whatever that you can put in a sandwich.

Sigman said:

Interesting/different "FoodTV" Alton Brown chili recipe here. (BTW - I use one pound -maybe a little more- each of beef, lamb, & pork stew meat in this recipe). Uses salsa, tortilla chips (masa flour substitute), chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, a few other items, a bottle of beer, & a pressure cooker. Quick & easy to make! Small pressure cookers are EXCELLENT cooking tools!!

Click to expand...

I looked at that recipe. Man, it really sounds thick. I assume you've made it? What's it like? It doesn't sound like any chili I've ever tried.

chili mmmmm....

I make several styles of chili. really like cincinati style chili using ground beef and pork. from scatch, tons of seasoning follows, not just pepper. chocolate powder etc.

another fave is vegatarian chili, it's so hardy. you won't miss the meat.

Beans are side dish :thumbsdow

CHILI!!!!!

One of my favorites though kinda particular about it....Alton's recipe looks great. I'mll have to try it. I also use a pressure cooker and swear by it.


Meat: Chunky. Prefer cubes or coarse ground beef in chunks. I also make a mean veggie chili using an egg and bulghar wheat mixture.

Tomatoes: Pureed or paste and in moderation. Can't stand large chunks of tomato.

Peppers: Chipotle (Dried or in adobo sauce) and dried ancho, arbol, pasilla, etc. etc. rinse them before seeding and dicing. A fresh bellpepper too.

Chili Powder: Lots. I also add a couple of tablespoons of "Ancho Molido" which is ground ancho chiles. Ancho chiles are the dried form of poblano peppers.

Beans: Dried beans are great, if you have to use canned, pass. Kidney are good though I prefer black turtle beans.


Secret ingredients!?!?!?! Try some of these. Note that if you do these right, you will NOT taste any of these individual ingredients - that is, use sparingly.

Peanut Butter: Creamy, maybe 1 tablespoon. Note that Alton's recipe calls for Peanut Oil. Peanut oil adds tons of flavor - great for stir fry too.

Brown sugar: Maybe a couple of teaspoons. If you are using sweetened peanut butter you will add less. Rounds out the flavor.

Cinnamon: 1/4 teaspoon. Rounds out the spiciness

Chocolate: A couple of kisses do the trick. If you think this is weird, what do you think Mole' is based on?

Tomatillos: I grow them in the back yard. Kinda like a sour tomato.

Lentils and coarse bulgher wheat: Adds protein and great texture (I hate soupy chili) Add them to the pot at the end only when it's already on a high boil and stir stir stir or else you risk scorching the bottom of the pot. Based on Alton's recipe I'll have to try some Masa too. Masa is really just a fine grind of cornmeal.

I chili tasting joke: (Edit: just saw that Sigman posted a link to an old post of mine with this same joke, please forgive the dupe. Also edited for family audiences by Craig )

These notes are from an inexperienced chili taster named Frank, who was visiting Texas from the East Coast: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment, and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking directions to the Budweiser truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted." Here are the scorecards from the event:

Chili # 1 Mike's Maniac Mobster Monster Chili:
Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth, tomato flavor. Very mild.
Judge # 3 (Frank) - Holy s***, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

Chili # 2 Arthur's Afterburner Chili ....
Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.
Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

Chili # 3 Fred's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili.
Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick. Needs more beans.
Judge # 2 -- A bean less chili, a bit salty, good use of peppers.
Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now...get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting s***-faced from all of the beer.

Chili # 4 Bubba's Black Magic
Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili.
Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 300-lb.***** is starting to look HOT (just like this nuclear waste I'm eating.) Is chili an aphrodisiac?

Chili # 5 Linda's Legal Lip Remover
Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers
freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me
brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks.

Chili # 6 Vera's Very Vegetarian Variety
Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I s*** myself when I farted and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that slut Sally.
She must be kinkier than I thought. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my *** with a snow cone.

Chili # 7 Susan's screaming Sensation Chili
Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in can of chili peppers at the last moment. I should take note that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.
Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slides unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava-like s*** to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing, its too painful. Screw it...I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

Chili #8 Tommy's Toe-Nail Curling Chili
Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge # 2 - This final entry is a good, balance chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when judge # 3 passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor dude, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili.

PEU, that was funny!

Good ideas for chili here. I'll have to try the peanut butter.

I like a variety of beans(butter, black, kidney, pinto) with coarse ground meat. Love it served with cornbread and topped with fresh onion. Vidaillas are in season now...yum.

Wow...I thought only we folk in Southeast Texas grew up eating rice in our chili.

Chili is highly-variable based on regional preferences. No one I know in Texas believes beans belong in chili. That doesn't make it right or wrong, of course...it just means if it has beans in it, I won't eat it. Same goes with the list of unusual ingredients in the posts above...just because you "can" put something in chili doesn't necessarily mean that you should.

JM-99

I too use Carol Shelby's chili stuff. It makes a great start!
I like lots of flavor but not overly hot. I also like lots of stuff in there so I tend to put unusual items in my chili. Chunky style!
I use coarse ground beef and ground pork, sometimes spicy sausage (Andouille or Chorizo).
Chili and black beans
Pablano and (red or yellow) bell peppers
sweet yellow onions
mushrooms
diced tomatoes
garlic
cheap bourbon whiskey
and whatever else I have lying around!

Remember, it is always easier to add something than it is to take it back out. That, and the fact that there is always a tomorrow -- you can run, but you can't hide! Be careful of the spices. You can always add some hot sauce at the table or make a smaller, hotter batch for those who want to sweat.

Ground meat is sorta OK, but I like cubed beef, pork, venison, and/or buffalo meat, that has been lightly dusted with pan searing flour or Wondra and then seared to a golden brown before going into the chili. Much, much, much better flavor. Also, you need to have some fat for flavor and moisture, which is why a lot of expensive meats make for lousy chili.

Beans can always be a side dish, too, or mixed in later. Cannellini beans (white kidney beans) are nice if you want a change -- use 'em for about half of the regular beans you add in. Most chili for me is "sans legumes."

Also, many leftover chili recipes will do the heartburn thing. Practice makes perfect, but maybe in the meantime it's a better idea to start off with smaller batchs.

There's a good basic chili recipe at wegmans.com and there a few "better than OK" chili making kits, but the good stuff is worth the time to make from scratch. And I would never, ever put a slug of good bourbon in my chili. Well, maybe just a lttle one, pretty early on. Real interesting flavor but not for everyone.

Hmmmm, for some reason I want a beer now. Have we got any really good cheddar? And where's that cornbread?

Cincinati style chili from scratch rules.... I prefer to make it up a bit thicker than the Cincinati chili parlors serve it. There are many recipes on the web and some stores carry just the spice packets. I like it served 'Three way'

Ask 100 people how to make chili...and you'll get 130 recipes! I'm a beans kinda guy..whatever I have in the house, but red kidney are my personal favorite. My "secret" ingredient is a good glug of black molasses...sometimes add a little bittersweet Lindt dark chocolate, too....man..I'm gettin' hungry!

Ah...chili, I love chili. I've been making chili now for over thirty years and have refined my recipe. First you have to start with a good recipe, I found mine in a magazine article, it was a two year-in-a-row chili cook-off winner, so I thought it would make a good base.

Ingredients are key, don't use the spices you find on the local supermarket. They are old and inert, buy your spices from a shop specializing in chili goods. I've been using these folks spices for about ten years, they also have some good recipes on their site. http://www.pecosvalley.com/

Beans/no beans - up to you. I take the Texas purist approach, NO BEANS - they are a side dish and then I modify it. I make a thirty quart pot when I make chili and then freeze the balance so I have it all year. In that huge pot I add two cans of red kindney beans - so my beans are few and far between.

I also add some red and green peppers and onions, because I like them. A true purist would scoff at that.....true chili, txas style chili is just beef and chili's, nothing else....nothing. But I don't go that far. Remember how chili started, it was used by the cowboys to preserve the meat they used on the range. There was no refrigeration so they used a liberal amount of chili's to cover and preserve the meat. Later when the meat was cooked, you got the flavor of the various chili's used.

Enjoy, Cliff

This is a basic recipe that I've used for about 20 years now.

2 Lbs Lean Beef cubed 1/4-1/2", Round or Bottom round is preferred, chuck is okay if you remove most of the fat. Do not use higher grade beef, it will be too dry.
4 Tb - New Mexico Chili Powder (or a combination of New Mexico and California depending on your taste.)
2 Tb - Whole Cumin, ground. (preferred to ground Cumin that you buy in the supermarket)
2 Tb - Mexican Oregano (Greek is too strong for this usage.)
1 - Large Onion finely chopped
1 - Stalk Celery minced
1 - Bell pepper finely chopped
or
2 - Whole Anaheim Chilis roasted, seed, and chopped.
3 or more - Cloves Garlic (I use about 6) minced or run through a garlic press. (Use less if running it through a garlic press)
1 - 8 oz can of Tomato Sauce (or Low Salt Tomato Sauce)
1 - 12 oz beer (any reasonable brand, dark adds a little richness)
2 - Tsp beef commercial soup base (2 beef bullion cubes can be substituted)
Cayenne pepper to taste (Optional)
4 Tb - Masa Harina for thickening (if you don't have it, plain flour can be used)

Brown the beef and throw it into a pot, or just brown the beef in the chili pot if you don't mind the rendered fat. Add the 1/2 of the spices (except cayenne pepper) and all of the vegetables; and stir in with the meat. Add the liquids, stir it around a little to blend and bring it to boiling, then lower it to a gentle simmer. Allow it to simmer for about 45 min. (more if using larger chunks of meat.) Add the rest of the spices (and cayenne pepper, if desired) to the mixture and stir.

Bring back to a gentle simmer and allow to simmer for about another 20-30 min., vegetables should not be distguishable. Mix the masa harina (or flour) in enough water to make a liquidy paste (about 1/2 cup of water should do). Bring the chili back to a gentle boil and add the thickening mixture a bit at a time until it is thickened to your preference.

Alternative thickening method: Make a roux with either the masa harina or flour, and rendered beef fat and/or butter/margarine, and add to chili to thicken.

After thickener is added and chili is thickened to your preference, bring it back down to a gentle simmer and allow it to simmer for another 10-15 min. stiring frequently (it can burn at this point if you don't pay care attention to it.

Alternative cooking method: Brown the meat, and throw everything (except thickener) into a crock pot, cook on high for 2 hours, then on low for another 4-6 hours. Turn back on high, add thickener and allow to cook for another 1/2-1 hour (roux works better than water and thickener here.)

Serve with rice and/or beans as side dishes, over rice, or just straight with tortillas, crackers, or corn bread. Garnishes like sour cream, green onions, and/or cheese is optional.

If I do beans, I like to make a batch using the same spice and vegetable mixture using 1 lb of Pinto beans, drained, that have been cooked about 1/2 way (about an hour). Bring to a boil and cook for another hour, thickening is optional and to your preference.