Calling all chili recipes!

MidwestGirl · January 28, 2010

Hello all! So I'm only 3 1/2 weeks out right now, but one of the organizations I'm involved with here at college is planning to sponsor a chili cookoff in the next couple weeks! I should be 5- 5 1/2 weeks out by that point, which I think means that I could have small portions of some chili so long as I chew really well. Anyway, I would like to enter my own recipe...but I don't have a recipe!!! If anyone would be willing to let me enter your recipe in the cookoff, please leave it here! :blushing: I was wading through recipes on AllRecipes, but was wondering what you have all come up with that is early post-op friendly! Hope to hear from ya'll soon! :confused1:

Tiffykins · January 28, 2010

I make a lot of variations on chili so I'm gonna ask you what you like then I'll share my chili recipes that I use on a pretty regular basis.

Do you like a soupy chili (more runny), or do you like a thicker consistency chili?

Do you want to use beef, chicken, beef and pork together or venison?

Do you like tomatoes (chunks or diced) and possibly other aromatics like onions/celery/chiles?

How much are you going to have to make?

Do you want to include a bean (kidney, black, pinto or a ranch style barbque bean)?

Do you want to go in with spicy, medium or mild?

Do you like or want to have a "sweet" chili (I've had chili from up North, and found it was sweet (usually from brown sugar), I'm from Texas so we like it hearty, thick and medium spiciness?

Will you be preparing it on the stovetop (big stock pot), or using a slow cooker/crockpot?

MidwestGirl · January 28, 2010

Do you like a soupy chili (more runny), or do you like a thicker consistency chili? I like somewhere in between, if that's not too vague! :wink0:

Do you want to use beef, chicken, beef and pork together or venison? Anything but pork, really. I'll have to check and see whether or not I can get some venison from my brother - I should have some coming, but I wouldn't be opposed to a nice chicken chili.

Do you like tomatoes (chunks or diced) and possibly other aromatics like onions/celery/chiles? I like all of the above! I don't know that I've ever had celery in chili, but I love onions and I tend to prefer spicy over mild.

How much are you going to have to make? I'm thinking maybe 25-30 small portions, but if there is extra I could definitely freeze some! :wink0:

Do you want to include a bean (kidney, black, pinto or a ranch style barbque bean)? I would like some kind of bean, probably kidney, black, or pinto.

Do you want to go in with spicy, medium or mild? Spicy or medium I think.

Do you like or want to have a "sweet" chili (I've had chili from up North, and found it was sweet (usually from brown sugar), I'm from Texas so we like it hearty, thick and medium spiciness? I'm not sure I've had sweet chili...sounds good but maybe not for this one!

Will you be preparing it on the stovetop (big stock pot), or using a slow cooker/crockpot? I'd probably do stovetop because I haven't quite gotten the hang of my crockpot. I've used it once in a year and a half...made overnight jambalaya and woke up to a charred mess! :confused1:

Thanks so much for your help, Tiffy! :blushing:

Tiffykins · January 28, 2010

I never do anything on the stovetop. I buy those crock pot liners (found near the ziploc baggies and foil). With the stovetop, I feel like you have to stir, stir, stir, stir, stir to prevent sticking and uneven warming/marrying of the ingredients. Just my opinion. I'll try to look up simmer times for stovetop.

Alrighty, here ya go:

2lb of beef chili meat

2lb of ground beef (I use 98% lean) or 2lb venison

2 -3 12 oz cans of Plain Tomato Sauce

2-3 small cans of Plain Tomato Paste 2

(for the sauce and paste, I would start with 2 to begin with, and then add based on what consistency you want paste will thicken, sauce will dilute)

1 large onion chopped ( prefer yellow or vidalia onions)

2 cans of Rotel Drained(diced tomatoes and green chilis)

1 12 oz can of beer (preferably dark or an ale)

1/4 cup of Worchestershire sauce

3 tbsp of Dijon mustard

These are all the spices that I use. My chili never comes out the exact same every time because I do everything to taste, but I'll give you some estimated measurements, then you can add or substract to your liking.

1/4 cup of Chili powder

1 tbsp of crushed red pepper

3 tbsp of Garlic powder ( I probably use 5 tablespoons of Garlic powder )

Coarse ground Black pepper to taste

2 tsp of Ground white pepper

1/4 cup of Paprika

1 large can of Light (dark are icky in my opinion) Kidney Beans, RINSED THOROUGHLY AND DRAINED.

Whew that's a lot of stuff.

If using venison, brown the venison in seperate pan with 2 tbsp of butter or margarine (I only use Brummel and Brown). Because it's typically very lean, this helps get a good consistency on the venison without it getting "tough or chewy".

If using all beef, heat 3-4tbsp of olive oil in skillet, then had onion reduce heat and cook onions until transparent stirring occasionally to ensure that they are not sticking. Add beef (both varieties, if you are using ground venison add it already browned once the chili meat is close to being browned). Drain dripping, and return meat mixture back to skillet, add HALF of the spices listed above to the meat mixture, reduce temperature to med-low, and add beer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes uncovered watching carefully to ensure that the mixture does not dry out. Beer evaporates if cooked too high or too long.

After simmering, add meat mixture undrained, to stock pot, then add all sauces and paste, diced tomatoes and chilis, Worchestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, remaining beer, stir thoroughly and cook on medium heat for 1 hour stirring often to ensure thorough mixing of ingredients, and not sticking to bottom of stock pot.

Add remaining Dry Spices reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-4 hours. Taste and stir occasionally.

When tasting, add various ingredients slowly to taste, chili powder if not "chili" flavored enough, red pepper if not spicy enough (if it gets too spicy, you can actually had a small amount of ketchup to cut the spice), garlic powder if it seems too "tomatoey", and you can add more salt and pepper to taste. Use caution on the salt because I've found that if I tasted it at hour 3 and it needed salt, I sometimes add too much, then had to dilute out the chili with sauce. It seems to get heavier on the salt flavor once everything really mixes well together.

During the last hour of simmering add can of kidney Beans stirring thoroughly.

Now if you decide to use your crockpot, it needs to be a big one. LOL

Get you a box of slow cooker liner.

You prepare the meat the same way in the skillet.

With the crockpot, you add the wet ingredients, and remaining spices into the crockpot, stir, and then add meat mixture to crockpot, stir, set it on low and allow it cook for 4 hour. During the last hour of cooking, add your beans.

You should only have to stir the mixture once per hour in the crockpot.

Some people use hot sauce for spice, like Cholula or other variations of very thin hot sauce, not salsa or picante. I am not a fan of this type of hot sauce at all that's why I use crushed red pepper. Some people also like to use Red pepper flakes. I've used them a couple of times, and it seems like the next day, the leftovers got spicier. So, I quit adding them because my husband is not a fan of super spicy food. Me, on the other hand, prefer " light your hiney on fire hot " food.< /span>

For the chicken chili recipe I've used a few times, I'll actually have to go dig out the recipe card in the "catch all" drawer in my kitchen. It's almost 1am here, so I'll probably find it and post it tomorrow.

You may want to give the recipe a "trial" run, you can half the ingredients to make a smaller portion, and then try it out with family/friends. Get opinions, and try out some variation.

EDIT TO ADD: Using either the stovetop method once you everything in the pot, and simmering - COVER PAN, once added to crock pot, cover with lid. This will keep the top layer from getting a funky film on the top.

Edited January 28, 2010 by Tiffykins

Tracy46545 · January 28, 2010

Here's a 20 minute white chili that I use alot because it only has a few ingredients:

Large jar of great northern Beans

shredded (cooked)chicken breast (or two, and I usually use a thigh and a breast)

chicken broth (add to the desired consistency)

1/2 jar of Salsa, mild, medium, or hot to suit your tastes

Shredded low fat sharp cheddar cheese (add in the last 5 minutes or when you serve)

I didn't include sizes because this recipe is very versatile. I sometimes make a small amount for myself for a couple days or a larger amount for a family dinner. Since everything is already cooked, it just needs enough time simmering for the flavors to meld together. Super easy supper!

MidwestGirl · January 28, 2010

Thanks ladies! Both recipes look GREAT! I think the fiance and I are going to do some testruns this weekend to see which recipe I should enter in the cookoff...and then he'll have to eat all the chili :eek:. I will let you know how it goes. SO excited. Lol. :crying: Thanks again!