Looking for a killer chili recipe

[Redwolf]

OK...I figure there are probably lots of good cooks here, so it seemed like a good place to ask this.

I'm looking for an outstanding chili recipe. It does NOT have to be vegetarian...if it's based on ground beef and/or sausage, I can adapt soy ingredients to work. What I DON'T want is something that tastes too tomatoey. Canned vegetarian chilies all taste more like vegetable stews with chili powder, and I want to make something that tastes more like good, old-fashioned, diner chili.

I'm planning to make a different chili every couple of weeks, until I hit on a basic recipe that works for me. I'll be doing net searches too, but if you have a chili you make that you really like, I'd love to have the recipe.

Redwolf

[kkrell]

Kevin Krell

[herbivore12]

Can't remember where I got this one, but it's pretty good. I don't see why the beer has to be non-alcoholic, personally, so I add a real one. You can spice it up or down pretty easily. Very comfort-foodish. Not a good "diet" chili. I usually screw around with recipes, since I'm often missing some of the ingredients, etc., so this may only approximate whatever it is I really do!

Vegetarian Chili

This chili is spicy, meaty, and delicious. Try it on your non-vegetarian friends and they'll think you started eating meat again.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 finely cut jalapeno pepper
1 medium chopped white onion
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon ground cocoa
1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube
1 cup water
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 ounces non-alcoholic beer
2 cans red beans (Kidney)
1/4 cup ground meat substitute
4 cloves pressed garlic


1. Heat oil in large saucepan.
2. When hot add the chopped jalapeno and onion.
3. Cook until onions become clear.
4. Add cumin, chili powder, paprika, cornmeal, sugar, oregano, cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon, white pepper, flour, cocoa, and broth seasoning.
5. Cook until seasonings brown.
6. Add all other ingredients.
7. Cook for 15 minutes on high heat stirring constantly.
8. Cover and let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

[djm]

I have found that using canned tomato sauce tends towards a more tomato-ish sauce. Starting off with browning ground beef, then adding canned tomatoes and then cooking this down seems to work better (for me).

djm

[gonzo914]

It is, of course, a well-known fact that gonzo makes the best chili in all Christendom --

A good chili recipe does not lend itself readily to quantification, as the manufacture of good chili is more of an art than a culinary science. But here's how a northern boy makes chili (with a nod of thanks to H. Allen Smith).

Get about three pounds of good meat. I use ground sirloin - a tad more expensive, but you don't have to drain off a quart of grease like you do when you use that bargain stuff that comes in the 5-pound chub. Here is where most Texans go awry with their chili - They'll grind up just about any hunk of cow and use it in chili - gristle and all.

Sear it in a big pot. I like to use the big cast iron dutch oven. (If you do not have a big cast iron dutch oven, you are not civilized.) Don't break the meat up into little crumbles - chunks are good. When it's all browned, dump it into a colander to degrease it if you used cheap Texas meat. But if you bought good meat, you can skip the degreasing stage and forge ahead.

Add a couple of cans of tomato paste, or tomato sauce, or chopped tomatoes, or tomato puree. Tomato sauce will result in a thinner product so don't add as much water when you get to that step. Tomato puree will give you a heavier tomato taste. My preference is a can or two of tomato paste and a can or two of Rotel tomatoes, but you can get by with whatever you find in the cabinet.

Chop one or two onions and, if it pleases you, some bell pepper. There
are those who would maintain that bell pepper has no place in chili, but these people also dip snuff and drive around in pickup trucks drinking PBR longnecks, tossing their empties out on the road. Give the bell pepper a try.

Toss in about a quart of water. Don't worry about measuring; just add it until it looks like chili.

And now the seasoning. Here's where a lot of folks have trouble. There is chili powder and there is chili seasoning. You don't want chili seasoning - it has chili powder and lots of other stuff in it, too. Read the can, and make sure it doesn't have a bunch of adulterants. (Generally, if it came in a can, you don't want it.) I like to buy bags of California or New Mexico chili powder, or sometimes I get the bulk powder at the natural food market. You can also find some decent stuff sometimes in those little, horribly expensive bottles on the top shelf. Add a couple of good sized, three-finger handfuls. You can also buy dried chili pods and crush them yourself, but that's too much work for me. (Note: The California powder is milder that the New Mexico. I prefer the NM, but I have to use California if mrs. gonzo is going to be eating it. )

Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic, or use the equivalent amount of garlic powder. Not garlic salt.

Add a pinch of oregano and couple of pinches of basil. Do get too
heavy-handed with these - you don't want spaghetti sauce.

Cumin -- Purists will insist on roasting cumin seeds and crushing them, but ground cumin from the store will be fine. Add about a two finger pinch.

Simmer uncovered about an hour, then add some salt if you want and adjust the seasoning. I usually end up adding more chili powder here, or sometimes more cumin. If it gets too thick, add more water. If it's too thin, simmer more.

When it's about done, you can add the beans if you want. Canned pinto beans are the best - dump two or three cans into a colander to rinse off the bean snot and stir them into the chili. Kidney beans are OK, too – hell, you could even use those white Great Northern beans if that’s all there is in the cabinet and you don't care what it looks like -- but don't use anything that's labeled "chili beans," because it will have seasoning in it that you don't want, and leave the damn garbanzos for mushing up into hummus. Simmer a bit longer to get the beans hot. Texans tend to leave out the beans, too, and will criticize you for putting them in, probably because they think the beans hide the delicate texture of the gristle.

Once the beans are hot, you’re done. Dip up a bowl, pour yourself a big glass of cold milk and enjoy. Or if you’re wanting something fancier for company, serve it with a big hunk of fresh baked bread and some chunks of cheese to either nibble on or stir in.

If your tastes lean more toward Texas-style chili, get a package of Wick Fowler's Two-Alarm Chili and follow the instructions. It's pretty good in it's own way, but it's a world apart from the chili described above. But for gawd's sake, use good meat.

I have made this with Yves "The Good Ground" soy burger. I saute the onions and peppers when I use the Yves stuff because you don't want it to simmer as long.

I'll bet you could also use Wick Fowler 2-Alarm Chili with the Yves soy burger, but I've never tried it.

[Redwolf]

Can't remember where I got this one, but it's pretty good. I don't see why the beer has to be non-alcoholic, personally, so I add a real one. You can spice it up or down pretty easily. Very comfort-foodish. Not a good "diet" chili. I usually screw around with recipes, since I'm often missing some of the ingredients, etc., so this may only approximate whatever it is I really do!

Vegetarian Chili

This chili is spicy, meaty, and delicious. Try it on your non-vegetarian friends and they'll think you started eating meat again.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 finely cut jalapeno pepper
1 medium chopped white onion
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon ground cocoa
1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube
1 cup water
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 ounces non-alcoholic beer
2 cans red beans (Kidney)
1/4 cup ground meat substitute
4 cloves pressed garlic


1. Heat oil in large saucepan.
2. When hot add the chopped jalapeno and onion.
3. Cook until onions become clear.
4. Add cumin, chili powder, paprika, cornmeal, sugar, oregano, cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon, white pepper, flour, cocoa, and broth seasoning.
5. Cook until seasonings brown.
6. Add all other ingredients.
7. Cook for 15 minutes on high heat stirring constantly.
8. Cover and let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Oooo...that sounds good!

I assume the cocoa is unsweetened, right? Like what you'd use for baking?

"Diet" is definitely not what I'm looking for. Comfort food is the name of the game.

Redwolf

[djm]

Add a pinch of oregano and couple of pinches of basil

Here's where I get into trouble. I always added both, just as gonzo says, but an "epicurean" I knew insisted that these two cancel each other out, that you should use oregano OR basil, but not both in the same dish.

Any seasoning experts care to wade in?

djm

[rebl_rn]

I have found that using canned tomato sauce tends towards a more tomato-ish sauce. Starting off with browning ground beef, then adding canned tomatoes and then cooking this down seems to work better (for me).

djm

I agree! I don't use tomato sauce at all, but diced and crushed tomatoes.

Here's what I do:

Brown 1 lb very lean ground beef with minced garlic, chopped onion, cumin, and chili powder.

Drain and place in slow cooker. Add 1 large can crushed tomatoes, 1 regular can diced tomatoes, 2 cans of chili beans or 1 can chili beans and 1 can regular kidney beans (drained). Add 1-2 cups of beef broth, and add more chili powder and cumin. Cook on low for at least 4 hours, 8 hours is better. About 30 min. to an hour before you want to eat, taste the chili and add more seasonings to taste if needed. If it seems too thin, you can thicken the chili with a little arrowroot starch.

Using the beef broth really cuts down on the tomatoey-ness of the chili, IMHO.

[Redwolf]

Add a pinch of oregano and couple of pinches of basil

Here's where I get into trouble. I always added both, just as gonzo says, but an "epicurean" I knew insisted that these two cancel each other out, that you should use oregano OR basil, but not both in the same dish.

Any seasoning experts care to wade in?

djm

I don't think they cancel each other out. They're quite different in character and, to my taste, complementary. I use liberal amounts of both in my pizza sauce.

Redwolf

[Lambchop]

It is, of course, a well-known fact that gonzo makes the best chili in all Christendom --

A good chili recipe does not lend itself readily to quantification, as the manufacture of good chili is more of an art than a culinary science. But here's how a northern boy makes chili (with a nod of thanks to H. Allen Smith).

Get about three pounds of good meat. I use ground sirloin - a tad more expensive, but you don't have to drain off a quart of grease like you do when you use that bargain stuff that comes in the 5-pound chub. Here is where most Texans go awry with their chili - They'll grind up just about any hunk of cow and use it in chili - gristle and all.

Sear it in a big pot. I like to use the big cast iron dutch oven. (If you do not have a big cast iron dutch oven, you are not civilized.) Don't break the meat up into little crumbles - chunks are good. When it's all browned, dump it into a colander to degrease it if you used cheap Texas meat. But if you bought good meat, you can skip the degreasing stage and forge ahead.

Add a couple of cans of tomato paste, or tomato sauce, or chopped tomatoes, or tomato puree. Tomato sauce will result in a thinner product so don't add as much water when you get to that step. Tomato puree will give you a heavier tomato taste. My preference is a can or two of tomato paste and a can or two of Rotel tomatoes, but you can get by with whatever you find in the cabinet.

Chop one or two onions and, if it pleases you, some bell pepper. There
are those who would maintain that bell pepper has no place in chili, but these people also dip snuff and drive around in pickup trucks drinking PBR longnecks, tossing their empties out on the road. Give the bell pepper a try.

Toss in about a quart of water. Don't worry about measuring; just add it until it looks like chili.

And now the seasoning. Here's where a lot of folks have trouble. There is chili powder and there is chili seasoning. You don't want chili seasoning - it has chili powder and lots of other stuff in it, too. Read the can, and make sure it doesn't have a bunch of adulterants. (Generally, if it came in a can, you don't want it.) I like to buy bags of California or New Mexico chili powder, or sometimes I get the bulk powder at the natural food market. You can also find some decent stuff sometimes in those little, horribly expensive bottles on the top shelf. Add a couple of good sized, three-finger handfuls. You can also buy dried chili pods and crush them yourself, but that's too much work for me. (Note: The California powder is milder that the New Mexico. I prefer the NM, but I have to use California if mrs. gonzo is going to be eating it. )

Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic, or use the equivalent amount of garlic powder. Not garlic salt.

Add a pinch of oregano and couple of pinches of basil. Do get too
heavy-handed with these - you don't want spaghetti sauce.

Cumin -- Purists will insist on roasting cumin seeds and crushing them, but ground cumin from the store will be fine. Add about a two finger pinch.

Simmer uncovered about an hour, then add some salt if you want and adjust the seasoning. I usually end up adding more chili powder here, or sometimes more cumin. If it gets too thick, add more water. If it's too thin, simmer more.

When it's about done, you can add the beans if you want. Canned pinto beans are the best - dump two or three cans into a colander to rinse off the bean snot and stir them into the chili. Kidney beans are OK, too – hell, you could even use those white Great Northern beans if that’s all there is in the cabinet and you don't care what it looks like -- but don't use anything that's labeled "chili beans," because it will have seasoning in it that you don't want, and leave the damn garbanzos for mushing up into hummus. Simmer a bit longer to get the beans hot. Texans tend to leave out the beans, too, and will criticize you for putting them in, probably because they think the beans hide the delicate texture of the gristle.

Once the beans are hot, you’re done. Dip up a bowl, pour yourself a big glass of cold milk and enjoy. Or if you’re wanting something fancier for company, serve it with a big hunk of fresh baked bread and some chunks of cheese to either nibble on or stir in.

If your tastes lean more toward Texas-style chili, get a package of Wick Fowler's Two-Alarm Chili and follow the instructions. It's pretty good in it's own way, but it's a world apart from the chili described above. But for gawd's sake, use good meat.

I have made this with Yves "The Good Ground" soy burger. I saute the onions and peppers when I use the Yves stuff because you don't want it to simmer as long.

I'll bet you could also use Wick Fowler 2-Alarm Chili with the Yves soy burger, but I've never tried it.

Mmm mmmm goooood! Woo!

Our man'll be making this today--both versions, so all y'all vegetarians will feel right at home--at the Club. Y'all drop by this evening. Bring your bathing suits! We'll have a fine chili cookout and session by the pool!

[chrisoff]

That recipe above has far too many ingredients in it. It's a chef's solution to something that should be kept simple I reckon.

The way I cook chilli is this:

brown mince (because I'm a good healthy boy I use lean beef mince, 250g of it, which should make enough for 2 servings)
add a whole chopped small - medium sized onion
add 2 garlic cloves crushed
chop or crush a beef stock cube and stir it in (this is a bit of a cheat but makes it taste much more beefy and cancels out a bit of the tomatoes)
add 2 or 3 teaspoons of dried oregano and about the same of chilli flakes (both of these depends on taste)
season heavily and then add soe tomatoe puree and half a jar of Passatta (sieved tomatoes)
cover the pan and leave on a low heat to simmer for at least an hour

You can add kidney beans if you like, I usually forget to buy them so don't bother.

The passatta is much better than canned tomatoes I find and this should make a delicious chilli, although I can't vouch for it's authenticity. I basically just botched this together from a bolognese recipe and a couple of chilli recipes I found. Everything is done from rought estimates and tasting as you go. It's also really easy to just bump up the amounts if you're cooking for more people.

[Redwolf]

Thanks guys...these are wonderful. Keep 'em coming! I'm starting a file, and I'll be trying every one I get until I hit on just the right thing.

I'm tired of depending on canned chili. When I could easily get Worthingtons/Natural Touch chili it wasn't too much of a problem, as it actually tasted like good, old-fashioned, truck-stop chili, but no one here carries it anymore, it's prohibitively expensive to order on line, and the other canned and frozen chilies I've tried have been a real disappointment.

Redwolf

[djm]

I thought Worthington made ale, not chili:



djm

[missy]

the chocolate and cinnamon would make a chili that tastes quite similar to what we call "Cincinnati" style chili.

[Innocent Bystander]

Re Basil Versus Oregano:

No, of course they don't cancel out.

But if Redwolf wants a recipe that isn't too tomato-y, then add about half a teaspoonful of oregano to each half-pound of tomatoes. The oregano takes out the "sting". It's hard to explain, but Tomatoes on their own can overpower a dish. Oregano stops them doing that.

Basil, on the other hand, is its own herb. Did you know the Tulsa-leaf, sacred to the Hindus, comes from a plant closely related to basil?
Basil elevates your mind and helps your brain to clear. If your other ingredients will work with basil, then add basil!

Sorry, Red, this thread fell off my radar. If I can I'll get you my wife's regular family chili. (Vegetarian, too!)