Beef Chili

[Tom Butler]

Simple start here recipe:
Dice and start sweating an onion (Walla Walla in season)
add 1# 80/20 or whatever is on sale ground beef and brown
add 2 16oz drained canned kidney beans (mom uses the juice)
add 1 16oz can diced tomatoes
~1 tsp spice island (safeway?) chilli con carne seasoning
A coulpe shakes of johnny's seasoning salt and some ground pepper
(I usually use 1/2 the seasonings on the meat while browning)
Add some water to cover and simmer on low around 3-4 hours. Can be eaten sooner. Top with greated cheese like chedarjack and a dollop of sour cream. Fritos if not corn bread. Make extra it's best the next day.

This can be varied in about every way, 1/2 pork sausage, different beans, add chillies you like, more tomato is common, maybe fresh, chopped or paste.

 

[Buzzy]

I’ve made it vegetarian for my oldest daughter a few times…she’s now back to being a carnivore

I remember those days. I especially remember the event when my daughter decided meat was good (steak tartare).

 

[mcswny]

I’ve made it vegetarian for my oldest daughter a few times…she’s now back to being a carnivore

We make a decent butternut squash chili. But this making me want the real thing.

 

[DoesItFloat]

Lean ground beef. I've switched to ground turkey with good results. Don't forget brown sugar and coffee grounds.

 

[Gary Knowels]

The biggest difference for me was moving to dried chilis for the main flavor. I stem and seed the following for a big batch (4.5-5 quarts)
2 Chipotles
3 guajillos
3 ancho
2 negra
2 California

They get toasted in a dry pan then steeped in hot beef broth before blending and straining to be added back to the pan.

For the rest of the chili:
Brown the meat and remove
Cook down onions then garlic
Cook out a couple Tbls of double concentrate tomato paste
Deglaze and cook out Chile puree
Add beef broth, beans, and whatever other seasonings you want (for me bay leaf, Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika, onion and garlic powder, molasses)
Simmer for a couple hours

 

[troutpocket]

The biggest difference for me was moving to dried chilis for the main flavor. I stem and seed the following for a big batch (4.5-5 quarts)
2 Chipotles
3 guajillos
3 ancho
2 negra
2 California

They get toasted in a dry pan then steeped in hot beef broth before blending and straining to be added back to the pan.

For the rest of the chili:
Brown the meat and remove
Cook down onions then garlic
Cook out a couple Tbls of double concentrate tomato paste
Deglaze and cook out Chile puree
Add beef broth, beans, and whatever other seasonings you want (for me bay leaf, Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika, onion and garlic powder, molasses)
Simmer for a couple hours

Ooh thanks for this. I Wanna try something similar soon!

 

[mcswny]

The biggest difference for me was moving to dried chilis for the main flavor. I stem and seed the following for a big batch (4.5-5 quarts)
2 Chipotles
3 guajillos
3 ancho
2 negra
2 California

They get toasted in a dry pan then steeped in hot beef broth before blending and straining to be added back to the pan.

For the rest of the chili:
Brown the meat and remove
Cook down onions then garlic
Cook out a couple Tbls of double concentrate tomato paste
Deglaze and cook out Chile puree
Add beef broth, beans, and whatever other seasonings you want (for me bay leaf, Mexican oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika, onion and garlic powder, molasses)
Simmer for a couple hours

Ohh. I have a bunch of these dried chilis still from Mexico...

 

[Gary Knowels]

Oh and if ya like it spicy, throw a few of chile de arbol in there

 

[Spfd Jason]

I don’t know why I didn’t think about that. We do stuff like that all the time, i make a mean beef and broccoli and Dan Dan Noodles with impossible burgers. Thanks for jogging my memory!

I have used Quarn Meatless Grounds with good results.

 

[Kado]

I just use stew meat cuts, beef brats, beef chorizo, and pork sausage (no beans), corn, and oddly.....whole black olives. Don't forget to put it over rice with shredded cheese, diced onions, cilantro, and avocados..... : ). Probably more cumin than most put in. My gut can't do very spicy anymore, but I've found that using fire roasted poblanos really adds a 'peppery' flavor without much heat. I know this isn't right....but I like seeing that thin layer of red grease bubbling away on the surface as its simmering. Geez....I'm going to head to the store today and get some chili makings! It'll be perfect by championship Sunday.

 

[Guy Gregory]

Lotsa good advise on seasonings and such above.

The beef in beef chili could be anything though of course you want "rougher cuts" cooked a while so they tender up... i.e. round steak, "tri-tip", etc. I prefer chuck roast or chuck steak if you can find it nowadays.

My chili's pretty simple: meat, beef bouillon and worchestershire, salt, pepper, a little sugar, about 4 cans of pinto or pinto+black beans, some tomato paste, a half dozen jalapenos and a couple cans of chopped green chili's, and then, yes, chili powder to taste. Crock pot all day, by evening when the kids come home from skiiing, it's chili, put Cholula, Tabasco, chopped onion, cheese and sour cream on the table so folks can get what they want.

Chili's kinda like scotch. There's scotch, and there's good scotch. The only bad scotch is bourbon.

.

 

[Brute]

Lotsa good advise on seasonings and such above.

The beef in beef chili could be anything though of course you want "rougher cuts" cooked a while so they tender up... i.e. round steak, "tri-tip", etc. I prefer chuck roast or chuck steak if you can find it nowadays.

My chili's pretty simple: meat, beef bouillon and worchestershire, salt, pepper, a little sugar, about 4 cans of pinto or pinto+black beans, some tomato paste, a half dozen jalapenos and a couple cans of chopped green chili's, and then, yes, chili powder to taste. Crock pot all day, by evening when the kids come home from skiiing, it's chili, put Cholula, Tabasco, chopped onion, cheese and sour cream on the table so folks can get what they want.

Chili's kinda like scotch. There's scotch, and there's good scotch. The only bad scotch is bourbon.

.

My go to has always been boneless chuck roast…cubed small and cooked till it shreds…when I lived in Hawaii I would throw a couple boneless chuck roasted in the imu, then vacuum pack and throw in the freezer…just for chili.

I also always throw in a sausage, usually andouille, cubed small…and always some type of bacon…

 

[Dr. Magill]

Shit, now I want chili.
Problem is my wife is a veggie.

Get some of that fake meat

 

[Kado]

Making guacamole and rice now…..and salsa, of course.

 

[Mossback]

Shit, now I want chili.
Problem is my wife is a veggie.

Make her a real nice salad...
Right after you get done making chili.

 

[Kilchis]

First and foremost, beans be evil! Unnatural! Adding them to chili is a crime against nature!

H Allen Smith published a good chili recipe. The quantities can be halved for home use. Sub some hot Italian sausage for some of the beef, toss the green pepper over the fence to the neighbor's goat or something, replace part of the water with a bottle of Modelo Negro, and pay attention to the comment about Mexican oregano. The finished product is gooood stuff!

If you have kids and want to mess with their heads use skinned Italian link sausage cut into about 3/4 inch chunks for the part meat substitution. When you serve up the bowls tell 'em it's Rattlesnake Jack's Crotalus Chili. One is sure to ask, “What's crotalus? “ “Well kid, it's rattlesnake!”

More chili for you!

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

... Cincinnati-style (ground beef, beans)? I like both.

If you're truly going Cincinnati-style, don't forget the SPAGHETTI ....

Cheers and everyone enjoy your chili!!

 

[troutpocket]

The biggest difference for me was moving to dried chilis for the main flavor. I stem and seed the following for a big batch (4.5-5 quarts)
2 Chipotles
3 guajillos
3 ancho
2 negra
2 California

They get toasted in a dry pan then steeped in hot beef broth before blending and straining to be added back to the pan.

Can you elaborate on this step please? I make a lot of soup and stews but I don’t have experience with dry chilies. I went foraging at my local Mexican market and found a nice variety…so, next steps. Do you toast them whole, then remove the stems and seeds? How much broth for 10 dried chilies and 4lbs of stew meat?

 

[Gary Knowels]

Can you elaborate on this step please? I make a lot of soup and stews but I don’t have experience with dry chilies. I went foraging at my local Mexican market and found a nice variety…so, next steps. Do you toast them whole, then remove the stems and seeds? How much broth for 10 dried chilies and 4lbs of stew meat?

I like to remove stems and seeds and tear into pieces that will lay relatively flat. Then toast for a minute or 2 min a dry skillet over medium heat. They will become really floral and change color slightly. Remove and place in a heat proof bowl. Add enough HOT liquid (water or stock) to cover completely and let sit 10-20 minutes. You want them rehydrated and soft. Then I blend them with enough of the soaking liquid to make a medium thickness puree, think canned tomato sauce consistency. Pass through a fine mess strainer to get rid of any rogue seeds or tough skin. Don't toss any excess soaking liquid, that should go in the chili, it will taste amazing.

I like to use this to deglaze the pot with and cooked down for a few minutes before adding any more liquid.

 

[Matt B]

I like to remove stems and seeds and tear into pieces that will lay relatively flat. Then toast for a minute or 2 min a dry skillet over medium heat. They will become really floral and change color slightly. Remove and place in a heat proof bowl. Add enough HOT liquid (water or stock) to cover completely and let sit 10-20 minutes. You want them rehydrated and soft. Then I blend them with enough of the soaking liquid to make a medium thickness puree, think canned tomato sauce consistency. Pass through a fine mess strainer to get rid of any rogue seeds or tough skin. Don't toss any excess soaking liquid, that should go in the chili, it will taste amazing.

I like to use this to deglaze the pot with and cooked down for a few minutes before adding any more liquid.

This is the way I do it, too. Except a couple shortcuts—microwaving the chilies for a minute or two seems to work just fine. Also, I haven’t found any need for a thick chili-soaking liquid purée. Thick or thin, it’s all going in the chili pot and isn’t really enough to mess up the final consistency of the chili.