[Hoot Gibson]

I love cooking (and eating) chili. It is the one dish that I can consistently make that is better than anything that I can buy from the store or a restaurant. Share your cooking tips and comments on commercial chilli here and I will share what I know.

[Hoot Gibson]

The secret to making good chili is frequently tasting it and seasoning it to taste. I don't use a recipe, but the following recipe incorporates ingredients that I frequently use. 

Rich & Spicy Chili with Dried Chiles and Marmite

Ingredients:

2 lb. ground beef

3 guajillo chiles

2 ancho chiles

2-3 chile de árbols (adjust for heat)

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (10 oz.) Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (or 2 diced habaneros)

1 tbsp Marmite

2 cups chicken broth (or 2 tsp Better than Bouillon + 2 cups water)

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp Mexican oregano

1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)

½ tsp cayenne (optional)

1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

1 can (16 oz.) refried beans (optional, for a thicker chili)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Dried Chiles:

Remove stems and seeds from the guajillo, ancho, and chile de árbols.

Toast them lightly in a dry skillet for about 30 seconds per side until fragrant.

Soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften.

Blend with a little of the soaking water until smooth. Set aside. (I sometime blend them broth and tomatoes/Rotel to make a chili sauce.)

2. Brown the Beef:

In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until browned.

Drain excess fat if necessary.

3. Sauté the Aromatics:

Add the diced onion to the beef and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.

4. Build the Flavor Base:

Stir in the Marmite, cumin, Mexican oregano, and cayenne.

Pour in the blended chile mixture, stirring well to coat everything.

5. Simmer the Chili:

Add the Rotel tomatoes (or diced habaneros), chicken broth, and salt.

If using, stir in the red kidney beans and refried beans for extra thickness.

Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

6. Adjust & Serve:

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

If the chili is too thick, add a bit more broth. If too thin, let it simmer uncovered for a while.

Serve with cornbread, rice, crackers, or tortilla chips.


Be careful not to make the chili too spicy for your own tastes. You can always make it hotter, after sampling it. 

I also add a small amount of molasses or maple syrup sometimes, along with some vinegar.

[Hoot Gibson]

I've always made pretty good chili, but when I started using dried Mexican chile peppers, it became much easier to make consistently good chili. 

Amazon has a good variety of chile peppers. If you want to learn more about chiles, search YouTube for Rick Bayless's videos. Rick is Skip Bayless's brother and one of the top experts on Mexican cooking in the world.

[Granny Bear]

That sounds amazing, but I could never eat it. Several years ago, I had a GI issue and ended up being diagnosed with ulcers. I was young to have the condition as severely as it presented. The doctor told me that he had good news and bad news after my endoscopy. He said the bad news was I had 14 active ulcers, the good news was that only 3 of them were bleeding. He thought he was funny. So I have to be very careful about my spices and about things like sesame seeds, nuts etc. The craters left in my stomach will catch those small pieces and give me fits.

So, my bland chili recipe is:

2 lb ground sirloin
1 large vidalia onion, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1 can chili beans
1 can kidney beans

To taste: chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic

The secret to good taste and thickening, is to prepare your chili a day before serving it. If you let it set overnight in the fridge, the flavors seem to meld better and the saucy part really thickens up. My family LOVES to eat my chili because I make grilled cheese croutons to sprinkle over the top.

[Hoot Gibson]

That sounds amazing, but I could never eat it.  Several years ago, I had a GI issue and ended up being diagnosed with ulcers.  I was young to have the condition as severely as it presented.  The doctor told me that he had good news and bad news after my endoscopy.  He said the bad news was I had 14 active ulcers, the good news was that only 3 of them were bleeding.  He thought he was funny.  So I have to be very careful about my spices and about things like sesame seeds, nuts etc.  The craters left in my stomach will catch those small pieces and give me fits.

So, my bland chili recipe is:

2 lb ground sirloin
1 large vidalia onion, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1 can chili beans
1 can kidney beans

To taste:  chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic

The secret to good taste and thickening, is to prepare your chili a day before serving it.  If you let it set overnight in the fridge, the flavors seem to meld better and the saucy part really thickens up.  My family LOVES to eat my chili because I make grilled cheese croutons to sprinkle over the top.

Sorry to hear about the ulcers. I add chile peppers or hot sauce to most of my main courses, appetizers, and even some desserts. Ancho chile powder sprinkled on a sliced fresh mango or peach makes a great, healthy dessert. If I had to give up spicy foods, my diet would change drastically.

Guajillos, anchos and pasillas are not really very hot. It's the small chile peppers that tend to set your mouth on fire. I usually use the arbols for heat. My wife does not like her chili as hot as I do, so I add some hot sauce to my bowl.