Who has a great Chili recipe????

[GrnBay007]

My family is having a big Chili Challenge this weekend....and I want to win!! Every few months we all get together for some food cook off type thing and it's been really fun. Of course the food part is followed by a night of cards and/or games and a few spirits. My chili recipe is ok/good but I want something really SPECIAL!

Does anyone use dark beer in their chili recipe? I've been going through tons of chile recipes online and I found a few that use dark beer. curious. Anyway, it's one thing to look at a recipe and think it sounds good, but much better if your Packer brothers and sisters TELL you it's good!

[red]

well, i prefer the hormel with no beans

[GrnBay007]

well, i prefer the hormel with no beans

eeek!!

:P

[sheepshead]

well, i prefer the hormel with no beans

Mine as well have the beans

[MichiganPackerFan]

I don't have my recipe with me at work, but here's some highlights of the things l like to use:
Cubed beef, seared first
Three different types of canned beans: at least one kidney, black beans add a dark background
Half cup of black coffee
tablespoon A-1
1/4 cub of bold bbq sauce
lots of onions, garlic, fresh jalapeño, medium green chilies, even a bit of green bell pepper
stewed and crushed tomatoes
i can't remember all the seasonings of the top of my head, i know there's some cayenne, some crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder (duh!), cumin sounds like an interesting addition
and the key is too sssssssssslllllllllllloooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww cook it, either in a crock pot or on the stove. I just got a dutch oven I'm going to use next time (sear the meat in the bottom first for the base, set aside, hit the onions in the drippings and build off that!! Dammit - Im hungry now!!!)

[GrnBay007]

Coffee?
That's interesting. I did find at least one recipe that had coffee in it and I had never heard of that before.

[MichiganPackerFan]

Coffee?
That's interesting. I did find at least one recipe that had coffee in it and I had never heard of that before.

Preferably if the coffee's been sitting in the pot roasting a while!

[Freak Out]

I have a great recipe but it uses moose steak and moose sausage as replacements for beef or other meats.
Some things I always use that may not be used in other recipes are:
Good dried beans soaked over night...normally red but many others work well.
Dark brown sugar
High quality cocoa powder
Smoked paprika
I have used beer many times and prefer a stout for color and robust flavor.

[SnakeLH2006]

What's better than beer and chili?...Not much.

SPICY BEER CHILI

2 lbs. ground beef
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans
2 tbsp. chili powder (double for spicier chili)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt (to taste)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper or more to taste
1 (16 oz.) can peeled tomatoes
2 (12 oz.) cans favorite beer (darker the better)
3 onions chopped

Cook ground beef in frying pan and drain liquid. Mix beef in large pot with tomato sauce, pinto beans and chopped up can of peeled tomatoes. Add chili powder, oregano, your favorite beers. Salt lightly to taste and add 3 small onions. Simmer for 10 minutes and then carefully add cayenne pepper. Stir pepper in slowly and cook another 5 minutes.

This chili tastes even better the next day and you can also try different kinds of beans to get a little different flavor.

Also works well with chili meat, steak and real good with white tail deer instead of hamburger. Enjoy.

[MichiganPackerFan]

I'm pretty much done using ground beef in the chili. I like the flavor it adds to the rest of the concoction, but chili is best slow cooked and at the end of that time, the ground beef is rubbery and flavorless. I would much rather use cubed beef or chicken and separately season/marinade and sear/ cook and then add in. The meat tends to retain more of its flavor and the texture is far better as well.

[Little Whiskey]

two must haves are venison and green chili's.

[GrnBay007]

I won 2nd place in the contest. Won a medal...lol I think my Chili was the best but might have been a tad bit too spicy for the judges. I'll post the recipe I used later.

[hoosier]

I'm pretty much done using ground beef in the chili. I like the flavor it adds to the rest of the concoction, but chili is best slow cooked and at the end of that time, the ground beef is rubbery and flavorless. I would much rather use cubed beef or chicken and separately season/marinade and sear/ cook and then add in. The meat tends to retain more of its flavor and the texture is far better as well.

If you have a butcher who grinds beef on the spot and has an adjustable meat grinder, try asking them to grind it on a much coarser setting. Then, when you're browning it, remove before it's completely cooked. Last, only add it to the simmering chili at the very end, like with 15 minutes to go. It will still add some flavor (especially if you don't dump all of the fat) but won't turn to cardboard. I do the same with the kidney beans, which also turn to mush if added too soon.

[Little Whiskey]

corn also adds a nice touch to chili

[SnakeLH2006]

corn also adds a nice touch to chili

LOL, Whiskey...that's a burrito in a bowl.