Sorry folks but I don’t really use a recipe for my chili. Chili is pretty basic – meat, tomatoes, liquid and seasoning. I think the main thing that makes chili good is finding the seasonings you like and we definitely don’t all like the same things! I would put a cup of cumin in there if Vince wasn’t around but he doesn’t like cumin and he can taste it if I add only 1/4 tsp. I add 2 T. and the first thing he’ll say is “I taste cumin!” Yes, and I taste oregano and I don’t like that but it makes chili good so . . grin and eat it! 🙂
After you read through the recipe, let me know what you add to your chili that makes it different from my chili. I’m always willing to try new things!
Here’s kinda what I do but you’ll need to make it to your own taste and adjust for the ingredients you like:
Homemade Chili:
10 pounds ground beef (I used 80/20)
5 medium onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
5 quarts tomatoes (home canned)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 packet Williams chili seasoning
5 T. chili powder
2 T. cumin powder
2 T. oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Masa if thickening (see note below)
Directions:
- Brown the meat and drain off the excess fat.
- Add onions, garlic, jalapeno, bell peppers and saute til tender.
- I use an immersion blender in the jars of tomatoes to turn them into tomato sauce. Add that, along with the Rotel to the chili.
- Add the seasonings.
- Simmer for an hour and adjust seasonings as needed.
Note: Since I can mine, I don’t add any thickener but if you’re going to serve it immediately and want to thicken it up, add a bit of masa (or flour) to a cup of cold water. Stir into simmering chili and continue stirring to avoid getting lumps.
We like chili served over baked potatoes, tamales, fried or grilled chicken strips, and french fries.
Jennifer in Indy says
No beans? We like black beans in ours and sometimes garbanzo beans.
JudyL says
Nope . We’re in the “no beans” camp when it comes to chili.
Carol says
I always put cumin in mine as well as pinto beans, sometimes black beans or Ranch Style beans. I made some a couple of weeks ago and we ate it a couple of times, then froze the rest to have over Thanksgiving weekend with tamales when we had guests. Made some guacamole and Spanish rice and it was a quick and easy meal.
JudyL says
No beans and no rice with our chili but I do like having guacamole on the side.
Sherrill Pecere says
Here’s what I do (since I did say I LOVE Wendy’s chili). But uh oh, there’s cumin in there (& look at her comment..HA!) http://www.copykat.com/2010/04/29/wendys-chili-2/
Libby in TN says
In addition to meat, tomatoes and the standard seasonings, Bush’s chili beans, Campbell’s tomato soup, and bay leaves give my chili it’s unique flavor.
JOYCE says
I am with Vince on this one. Actually, I threw cumin out of my house
THERE’S something about it that makes me sick, and I do mean physically ill.
Joyce
Rebecca in SoCal says
Cumin is in a lot of different cuisines. At least you have lots of other spices to balance it. Vince’s ability to taste it reminds me of a friend whose father could smell cucumber when he walked in the house (he wouldn’t have them…for anybody!
Like Libby, I like to use a bay leaf (smaller batch). I’ll sometimes add a bit of cinnamon and/or coriander.
patty says
My chili is simple but I love it – 1 pound ground beef (lean), ), 2 28 oz cans of tomato puree or sauce, 2 large cans of dark red kidney beans (42 oz one can drained and one can with the liquid), 2 rounded teaspoons cumin, 3-4 T. of good chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and a bit of pepper. No Onions – I hate onions! No green peppers – I hate them too! No to jalapenos and oregano too. LOL!! I do eat mine with brown rice and some cheese on top.
TerriS says
We make our chili with beans, dark red kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, whatever we have on hand. I don’t use oregano in it or jalapenos, but do use green pepper and garlic and sometimes some leftover sweet red pepper if I bought it for something else and didn’t use it all. Cumin, chili powder, and a bay leaf are a must, but my husband likes his chili way hotter than I do, so we disagree about how much chili powder. We’ve reached a compromise. We make it the way I like it and then he adds hot sauce or siracha to his!! We serve chili with shredded cheddar cheese or a dollop of sour cream on top, with crusty bread, crackers or corn bread on the side. We usually make enough for several meals and freeze it or share with my son and his family. There’s nothing like a bowl of chili during our cold Michigan winters!!
Dar in MO says
My chili is usually never made the exact way twice. It does have some kind of beans (whatever is in the pantry), tomato sauce (home canned or diced storebought), onions, chili powder, tobasco and sometimes a dash of dark cocoa powder. My DH likes the chili from Steak ‘n Shake and supposedly they put cocoa powder and cola in theirs. Don’t know the amount they use, but it does add a rich unique flavor – if only in my mind. lol