I understand this is a passionate subject for many, so I shall endeavor to tread lightly! I am desperate for a great Chili recipe! Something I can use for my son's friends that drop by on a crisp winter day. I am neither a Texan nor an American by birth so that my explain why I struggle with it so. I have plenty of venison, pork and beef, both in the freezer and out on the ranch. Keep in mind I am not a skilled cook and like most small towns the local market is small.

Try this:
1 lb chopped beef steak
1 15 ounce can dark red kidney beans
1 15 ounce can black beans
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
3 roma tomatoes chopped, remove seeds
½ whole onion chopped
2 tablespoons Penzey’s Medium Hot Chili Powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce

In a 3.5 quart sauteuse pan simmer the onions until clear.
Add the meat, chili powder and salt, and brown the meat.
Add a ½ cup of water and simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the fluid from the canned beans.
Add the beans and tomatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and let it cool off for a few hours.
Reheat and serve.

chili does not have beans in it!!!!!!!!!!!

Several recipes here:
Prize Wining Texas Chili Recipes

Thanks for the help. Just curious about the beans/no beans issue....Should the beans be served on the side?

some chili res. call for beans, some dont.

you should know that adding beans will change the taste of the chili.
if i cook chili at the duck or deer camp i use beans so the chili will go farther.
at home i do not, i do like a pure chili with no beans. Larry

Real chili is not cooked with beans, it's meat, spices, a thickening agent (masa), and water. Beans can be mixed in when serving or served next to the chili but not cooked together.

Good job I'm not a Yank....... you guys would crucify me! -

Here's my way:

Fry 2-3 onions depending on size. Remove.

Fry mushrooms in butter, in batches (don't crowd them) on a high heat. Remove.

Brown 1 - 1.5 lbs of lean minced beef. (I think you call it ground beef?)

Add garlic to taste. (I like lots)

Add pre-fried onions and mushrooms.

Add a tin of diced tomatoes.

Add a tin of (drained) red kidney beans.

Add diced fresh chillies to taste. (Deseed the chillies if you want a slightly less bitter or less hot flavour)

I personally think chilli and curries both taste better if left for 24 hours before serving.

Steve add a little. just a pinch(Cumin) to your chili

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
Steve add a little. just a pinch(Cumin) to your chili

I'll give it a try... thanks.

Ground, fresh or dried?

I use ground in mine. I beat fresh would be great if I could get it here

I'm not sure but think we can buy fresh here.... I'll check it out and just might cook one tomorrow.

I have the traditional American Thanksgiving Turkey in the bathtub and a fire in the stove. Hopefully my son will bring in fresh venison or pork this evening for a batch of Chili for friends, strays and wanderers who may drop in to visit. Thank you so much for sharing your "Chili Wisdom".

I've GOT to ask......

Why in the bathtub?

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
I've GOT to ask......

Why in the bathtub?

It was obviously a dirty bird!!! Geesh.

PS: You can call a bean mixture anything you want, while calling the dog to eat it, but real CHILI doesn't have any beans in it.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
I've GOT to ask......

Why in the bathtub?

It was obviously a dirty bird!!! Geesh.

Quite fowl in fact.....

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
I've GOT to ask......

Why in the bathtub?

It was obviously a dirty bird!!! Geesh.

Quite fowl in fact.....

I understand that particular bird was banned from the Whitehouse Turkey Pardoning ceremony because of his fowl mouth and opinions about Obama. I think he lost his head.

Very unfair. anyone with a bad opinion of Obama should be congratulated.

Bathtubs can be used for so much more than just bathing! Thawing a Turkey is one of the less adventurous activities I can think of.

If it's so big it has to defrost in the bath are you sure it's a turkey and not an ostrich?



You're probably going to be eating the damn bird for a fortnight!

With a teenager in the house, nothing lasts a fortnight!

quote:

Originally posted by Thenie Meanie:
With a teenager in the house, nothing lasts a fortnight!

Ah..... that explains it.

Those food processors on legs don't leave much at all huh!

True chili according to all the competitions and most texans is no beans. However, a hell of a lot of the population eats it with beans usuaualy kidney both dark and light or plain old blackbeans. I like it both ways if spiced right. onion,pepper,both green and any of a dozen hot vasrieties. adobobe in sauce, adoboe pdwr, serrano, halapeno,maybe som dried habenaro or Jhot Jhokia if you really like the hot stuff some roasted garlic and peppers AS WELL as oniona, preferably red but onlarge onion will work. You can even make do with roSTED LEEKS AND RAMPS OR SHALLOS IF IN SEASON. sOME RECIPES CALL FOR A LOT OF DICED AND OR STEWED TOMATOES. i FIND THE TOMATOES CAN OFTEN BE LIMITED IF A A GOOD AMOUNT OF FRESH GROUND PAPRICA IS AVAILABLE TO ADD TO THE MIX.ADD A BOTTLE OR Can of any midrange amber decent drinking beer to the pot.You caN MAKE IT AS HOT OR AS MILD AS YOU WANT AND MIX THEVEGETABLES YOU CHOOSE OR DONT CHOOSE TO POOT IN IT yOU CAN MAKE IT THI LIKE A BASIC SOUP OR THICK LIKE A STEW. aNOTHER WAY TO STRETCH THE ASIDE FROM ADDING AN EX CUP OR TWO OF WATER ISTO COOK WHATEVER RICE YOU HAVE AND SERVE THE CHILI OVER THE RICE. CHEAP AND HAS LOTS OF PROTEIN AND CARBS. PLAY WITH IT UNTIL YOU GET IT HOW YOU LIKE IT. IT ISNT LIKE YOU CANT MESS IT UP, ONLY CHANGE THE DIRECTION A BIT. iT IS ALWAYS BETTER THE SECOND DAY BUT UNLESS YOU MAKE A HUGE POT THAT RARELY HAPPENS.

I tried cooking one a few days ago with diced beef instead of minced (ground) beef and have to say, I don't think it was anywhere near as nice like that.

I also took Hook's advice about adding some ground cumin and that was a great idea..... it made a big difference.

this recipe might be frowned upon by the hardcore chili-ologists, but it works and feeds two adults and four kids with some leftovers for the next day. it is not meant to be a historic, authentic, definitive or "gourmet" recipe, just some very good work-night eats. due to what's in the pantry or to the mood at the time, we do not use all listed herbs and spices all the time, but it seems, to me, to be much more interesting when we do. for a smaller number of people, cut recipe in half.

2 large + 1 small cans of diced tomatoes
2 large + 1 small cans of chili beans
2-3 pounds of ground meat or meat cubes (hamburger, deer, elk, chorizo, anything. i tried 1/2 ground pork and 1/2 hamburger once and it was great!)
2 small cans of tomato sauce
2 small cans of tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
*optional - a dash or two of liquid smoke

combine all these spices in a container and set aside:

3 Tbsp. Chili powder (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. dry oregano (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. cumin (or to taste)
2 tsp. coriander (or to taste)
2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
4 beef bullion cubes, crushed (or equivalent amount in granules)

brown the hamburger with the onion and garlic on high until the "juice" is gone and you've got nothing but meat and fat left. some people like to drain the fat, some like to leave it in; i prefer to drain it. if you use meat cubes rather than burger, brown them in 2 Tbsp. of hot olive oil. add the spices and stir well, then add tomatoes and beans and cook, stirring constantly, until juices reduce down. add tomato sauce, tomato paste and liquid smoke (optional). bring to boiling, stirring often, then reduce heat down to low and simmer until you can't wait any longer.

this recipe relies on store-bought chili beans, which might be a no-no to the die-hards, but is essential to working parents with 4 kids. keep in mind that these store-bought beans usually already have a bit of seasoning and chili powder, so the amounts i suggest reflect that fact. this recipe also does not have jalapenos, green peppers, cayenne peppers or habaneros, although you may certainly add them if you want to.

i really like cumin, but mrs. tash doesn't, so i often leave it out. i did add a bit of liquid smoke once, and got a great outdoors flavor that i really liked and my wife really hated. give it a try at your discretion.

if anyone tries this, let me know what you think of it. here are a couple of pictures of the chili i made a mnth or so ago using this recipe (of the listed spices, we only used chili powder, salt and pepper for this one) with a combination of antelope, mule deer and whitetail deer (all freshly-ground) as the meat:





we made this again the other night using the same recipe and venison. no pictures, which is too bad because it got a chance to simmer longer and was much darker and thicker - and therefore richer and tastier!

I am having a great time trying all of the suggestions!

No frigging beans!

World Champion Chili Recipes

A quick perusal of a few of the winning recipes will give anyone who can cook a working knowledge of how to make good chili. Personally I like cubed meat much better in chili than ground because I like the texture more but it takes more time to cube it and IMO it takes a longer cooking time to tenderize it if you're using lesser cuts or venison. If you want really good chili if you cube it, use better cuts of meat. Sirloin makes a helluva chili.

I love a good chili.

I agree re: the use of sirloin. We use sirloin tips and cut them up into chunks, then brown them with the onions as the first step.

Made one with sirloin, pork loin and venison loin one time that one of my sons named the "Meat Wave" chili.

As for beans, if we want to include them, we crush and fry them first with a bit of olive oil. Just black or red beans.

The liquids and spices are key, of course. It's fun to experiment with different kinds of pepper, adding beer or red wine, dark chocolate, etc.

Another thing - you really can't cook chili for too long. It just gets better and better the longer you let it simmer.

I've never made two chilis that were the same.

I've cooked a few different versions lately and have decided that from now on, beans are out, cumin is in and thinly sliced, mostly deseeded fresh chilies are fried with the initial ingredients.

Thanks for your help chaps!

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
I've cooked a few different versions lately and have decided that from now on, beans are out, cumin is in and thinly sliced, mostly deseeded fresh chilies are fried with the initial ingredients.

Thanks for your help chaps!

Eureka! Proof that repeated intake of that vile scotch won't COMPLETELY ruin your brain.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
I've cooked a few different versions lately and have decided that from now on, beans are out, cumin is in and thinly sliced, mostly deseeded fresh chilies are fried with the initial ingredients.

Thanks for your help chaps!

Eureka! Proof that repeated intake of that vile scotch won't COMPLETELY ruin your brain.

Ah no buddy..... the brain went years ago but the taste buds for good chili and good malt whisky are just fine thanks!

Google Chasen's chili. Back in the day, it was quite sought after. I've tried it and it is one of two reciepes that I have used for years. The other one is one my Father used to make. Just those two.

Kidd

Not going to comment on recipes posted as they all look good. For me I do not use beans...

And I also sautee some green bell pepper with the onions, and then add a few diced serrano chiles.

But the topper is that for the liquid as I am cooking it off I pour in a bottle of Black Butte Porter......

Remove the beans and they all look pretty good!

Mushrooms?????? Really?????

( this has to be the first thing Gato and I have ever agreed on )
.

quote:

this has to be the first thing Gato and I have ever agreed on )

Hey, it just goes to show that you're getting smarter as you get older. I like to think of it as my contribution to adult education.........

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
Hey, it just goes to show that you're getting smarter as you get older. I like to think of it as my contribution to adult education.........

That has to be one of the wittiest comments I've read here in years!

Anyway, what's wrong with mushrooms? - Cooked properly, they can turn you into a real funguy!

quote:

Hey, it just goes to show that you're getting smarter as you get older. I like to think of it as my contribution to adult education.........

ZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG!

You are even showing a sense of humour! GW said you weren't ALL bad, heck I guess he was right!



.

quote:

Anyway, what's wrong with mushrooms? - Cooked properly, they can turn you into a real funguy!

Shakari you are a certifiable MESS! Funguy.

No mushrooms in chili! Never!

Spaghetti sauce? yes Chili? Nope, nada, not ever.

Hmmmmm...... I've always considered onions, garlic & shrooms as the great trivimurate of cooking and I can hardly imagine cooking such a dish without them..... BUt as I've learned from this thread, you Yanks know considerably more than us Limeys about cooking a good chili, so I'll take the advice of my American friends and I'll give it a try without mushrooms later this week.