Does anyone have a good chili recipe?

[racaulk]

I'm in a "Chili Cook-Off" at work tomorrow, and I'm looking for some new recipes. I made a turkey chili last year that apparently didn't impress the judges too much. There's a $100 gift card to be awarded to the winner this year, and damnit, I want it!!!

Do any of you fine Loungers have any suggestions? :hi:

[KitchenWitch]

1. With beans or without?

[racaulk]

3. I'd say with

I've used northern and black beans in chili before, but I'm open to suggestions.

[KitchenWitch]

8. Here is one I use

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork (or turkey if you do not do pork)
1 large diced onion
1 large diced bell pepper (I use green but if you want you can use any color you want)

Combine the ground meat, onion, and bell pepper and brown. Drain the fat and put the meat and veg mixture into a large dutch oven.

Add 2 small cans of diced stewed tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
2 cans of tomato paste
2 cans of kidney beans (or if you are so inclined you can soak and cook dry kidney beans)

Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.

Simmer for at least an hour to get the flavors to blend.

This chili is really good as leftovers.

Serve with sour cream, shreadded sharp cheddar cheese, guacamole, tortilla chips, and diced red onions

[racaulk]

12. This thread is making me hungry.

That sounds awesome, KW! Thank you for the recipe! :)

[AngryAmish]

2. No ground beef

Get thin sliced round steak and cut it up into cubes about 1/2 inch on each side. Brown it fast in a hot dutch oven (I'm a le Crueset man myself). Pour off fat. Then add beans (1 bit beans to 3 bits beef, jalapenos, some tomatoes and 1 or 2 yellow onions.

Cubed meat is the key. Then follow another recipe.

[racaulk]

4. Thanks!

Great suggestion, AngryAmish! I've always used ground beef or ground turkey in my chilis, but I've never tried cubed meat before. Thanks for the suggestion, I think I will try that! :)

[Lil Missy]

16. Best chili I ever had was with round steak and LOTS of cayenne pepper

It was to DIE for!

I think I'd like to try it with ribeye, or another tender cut of meat. And don't forget to top it with gobs of shredded cheddar cheese! Yum!

[AngryAmish]

17. You need a cheap cut of beef

Ribeye, etc have a high percentage of fat and little connective tissue. This makes for tasty steaks. However with slow cooking and especially in a wet enviroment (soup/chile) then the meat will fall apart too much becoming meat jellow or worse simply explode. A tougher cut will take the slow cooking process better and become soft over time.

As you can see, I am highly opinionated about chile. I imagine we can get some great flamewars going.

Also, venison chile is amazing.

[Lil Missy]

19. Thanks for the tip!

And what you say makes sense.

Also, I heard somewhere that tomato breaks down the fiber in tougher cuts of beef, and is therefore pretty good and tender if cooked all day in a crock pot or slow cooked over the stove.

[AngryAmish]

21. Tomatos are acidic

and thus break down the connective tissue. Heat also does it over time.

[malta blue]

5. I don't use a recipe....

but I do use chipotles, poblanos, habaneros, jalapenos and serranos in my chili. I use a combination of ground beef, pork and turkey. I also throw walnuts in at the end for texture. Sorry I don't have a recipe...but good luck!

[racaulk]

6. Wow, you must like spicy chili!!!

Thanks for the suggestions! :hi:

[malta blue]

9. It is spicy, but by using a combination of chiles,

you enhance the flavors. Also, by all means let is cook forever.

[NMDemDist2]

7. whatever you decide to do, it should include these

[racaulk]

10. Oh, no doubt!

I love Rotel! On a side note, a good appetizer to make for a party is Rotel and Velveeta. I take one can of Original Rotel, drained, along with one block of Velveeta cheese, melt in a crock pot and serve with tortilla chips. That's always a hit, and it's damn good too! :D

[NMDemDist2]

11. their Chili Fixings is some good stuff too! Good Luck! n/t

[maveric]

13. mav's Italian Sausage Chili.

28 0z. can of diced tomatoes
28 oz. can of chili beans(or any type of your choice).
1 large onion
1 red bell pepper
6-8 oz of slice mushrooms
1 jar of "Home Made"(brand name),chili sauce
4 links of Italian sausage. Hot or sweet.
Salt
Pepper
1 tblsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tblsp basil
1/2 tblsp oregano
1 large bay leaf
I tablsp chili powder
2 tblsp sugar
olive oil for browning veggies.

Brown sausage and slice to about 1/4". Set aside. Slice and chop onion and bell pepper. Brown onion and pepper in 1/2 tblsp olive oil. Add mushrooms for the last 2 minutes of the browning.
In a dutch over combine beans, tomatoes and spices. Simmer for about 10 minute, covered. Add jar of chili sauce, browned veggies and sausage. Cover and simmer for 1 hour on low heat.
Top chili with the grated cheese of your choice.
I got 2nd place at the Ocean Beach Chili Cookoff with this recipe a few years back.

hint: Sweet Italian Sausage works out a little better than the hot variety.

Enjoy!

[Callalily]

14. Here's mine.

It's definitely my favorite. I think the 1-1/4 cup of merlot may have something to do with that.

All American Chili

6 oz. Hot turkey Italian sausage
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell green pepper
8 garlic cloves crushed
1 # ground sirloin
1 jalapeño pepper chopped
2 T chili powder
2T brown sugar (I omitted)
1 T ground cumin
3 T tomato paste
½ t freshly ground pepper
1 t dried oregano
¼ t salt
2 bay leaves
1-1/4 cup Merlot or other fruity red wine
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, drained
½ cup (2 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage, onion, and next 4 ingredients (onion – jalapeño) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.

2. Add chili powder and next 7 ingred. (chili powder-bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Yield 8 servings.

[fizzgig]

15. i don't use specific recipe

but it's browned ground beef, a couple can of rotel tomatoes and chilis, a couple small cans of tomato paste, a couple cans of kidney beans, a couple can of spicy chili beans, a couple cans of corn, plenty of fresh garlic, a bit of brown sugar, salt, cayenne and cumin to taste. i don't drain any of the beans/corn. i also like to dice up a large onion and carmalize it before tossing it in the pot.

good luck!

:hi:

[Dukkha]

18. The merciless peppers of Quetzlzacatenango!

Grown deep in the jungle primeval by the inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum.

[Gormy Cuss]

20. Not a recipe, just some suggestions.

A chili made with both ground meat (of any variety) and cubes or strips of beef is a great combo and may make your chili stand out. Also, whatever else you choose, be sure to include some fresh garlic, dried oregano and dried powdered red chiles as opposed to commercial chili powder. If you can't find powdered red chiles, use chili powder and add paprika and cayenne. Ro-tel will give you some green chile flavor and that's always a plus.

On beans, another way to stand out is to use two kinds, with one pintos and the other red kidney or cannelini.

A finely chopped zucchini is a nice touch of contrast as is a small amount of whole kernel corn, but if you add corn do it at the very end of cooking.

[Ediacara]

22. I use three meats

Cubed steak, pork, and chicken, then add diced tomatillos and tomatoes, and a paste of pureed chipotle peppers, as well as diced jalapeño and Serrano peppers, some chili powder, but plenty of cumin, and a dash of salt. Let this simmer for quite a while before adding pinto, red, and black beans (don't go overboard with these), and some corn kernels.

[davsand]

23. Use a lot of spice and cubes of beef chuck.

Use cubes of beef chuck that are about a half inch or so. (I am assuming you have a few hours for this to cook.)

Coat them in cumin and chili powder. Brown them off quickly (in small batches) in olive oil then add them to a pot of boiling beef stock (beef soup base works fine for this) along with tomatoes & chilies (Rotel would work fine here.)

Add diced onions, green peppers, peppers, and diced fresh garlic that you have sauteed just a bit.

Add the following spices to taste (or smell):

Chili powder
cumin
allspice (not too much)
oregano

Add sugar to make the tomato taste "jump" a bit. (Organic or raw sugar is best)
Sea Salt
parsley
Ground Chipolte peppers

After beef has cooked for a while (an hour or so) add crushed tomatoes and re-spice as needed.

After beef gets tender, add beans (Drained) black beans are my favorites, however chili beans or kidney beans work fine. A mix is also ok--looks nice in the bowl.

Here, now, are the "secret" ingredients that will take this chili over the top on the taste buds:

Add Dark chocolate (cocoa works fine if you don't want to mess with bars of anything) and add fresh lemon juice.

Re-spice AGAIN and for the last time, however, as a finish add fresh cilantro.


------

This is the basic recipe I use for an annual chili cookoff and beer tasting. I will tell you that my first year I finished second behind a guy who cooks professionally. The second year I tied with a local chef for "People's Choice", and I have taken first for the last three years. I make about 15 gallons of chili and have never had any left after an hour or so unless I save it for my sponsors.

This recipe was developed with help from the DU family, the Lounge Lizards, and the chefs and excellent cooks that hang out here.


Good luck!!!



Laura