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Chili is a "leftover food", like gumbo or vegetable soup. As such, there's no official recipe - it's more of a "start with this, then add whatever leftovers you have". For chili, the "start with this" is almost always cumin (smell it - it smells and tastes like chili) and paprika, which is where the color comes from. It usually also has meat, and sometimes beans of some sort.
Ingredients
1 lb Chuck (or round, but it's chewier), cut up into roughly 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb Bulk sausage (Neese's or similar)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cumin *
1 Tbsp. Paprika *
1 tsp Oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed (or equivalent amount of garlic powder if you're lazy)
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp Lee and Perins
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
1 tsp cilantro (optional)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 15 oz cans Kidney, Pinto, or Black beans (drain the black beans or your chili will be a weird color)
1 15 oz can of water (I don't think you can buy it
. Just use one of your other cans)
1/4 ish cup of Masa flour (you can use white, but it needs to cook at a boil longer)
salt to taste
chipotle powder (or some other pepper) to taste
* see remarks below
Directions
1. In a large pot or Dutch Oven, brown sausage, cubed steak, onion, and garlic. Make sure to break up sausage enough so it doesn't create clumps. Don't add oil - the sausage will provide it.
2. Add all other ingredients except for beans and flour
3. Cover and simmer for 30 min to 1 hour or longer - the longer, the better (within reason)
4. Add beans
5. Mix flour in a bowl with some COLD water until it reaches a thick pancake batter consistency
6. Gradually pour and whisk the flour mixture into the chili. Don't rush it - you're wanting to thicken the chili, not form little white dumplings (which will happen if you pour too fast/whisk to little). After whisking some in, stir the pot to incorporate it and test the thickness. If you want it thicker, repeat as needed. You'll likely not use the whole mixture.
7. If you use Masa flour, bring just back to a boil, then turn down and simmer for another 10 minutes. If you use white flour, bring to a gentle boil for about 3-4 minutes (careful - either stir or cover - it'll splatter), then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Remarks:
I started this recipe 30+ years ago because I ate a lot of chili as a kid and wanted my wife to try it. I tried various "chili kits" but my wife thought they were all too spicy. With a bit of research (pre - internet) I learned that the chili powder that was in every kit contained red pepper flakes. So, I made my own "chili powder" with everything except those red pepper flakes and it was a hit.
30 years on and I've since re-added the heat (little for wifey, lots for me), since both of our taste buds have deadened after years of abuse. I use Chipotle powder instead of red pepper flakes because I like the smokey flavor. Note: the ingredients shows TABLESPOONS for Cumin and Paprika - that is not a typo; it is correct. Cumin and Paprika are the main ingredients in chili powder, and this amount reflects the amount that would normally be there, plus the extra that many recipes call for.
People get real opinionated about what is and isn't "real" chili. I grew up in SE Texas in a cajun and mexican household, so we had chili a lot, and I'm sure it had Texas and Tex-Mex influences. The chili I remember had lots of meat and beans. Unfortunately, all those who made it as a child are lost or have passed on, so I spent some of my young adulthood trying to recreate the chili of my memory. We love this chili, and hope you do, too, but as with everything, it's a personal preference.
I'm always open to suggestions and comments. I consider this recipe a "living recipe", and it gets tweaked every so often, so if you have pointers or suggestions, let me know - I'll very likely try them!
One last note on cumin. If you really want to up your game, buy cumin seeds instead of ground cumin. Roast the seeds in a small pan over medium heat, stirring them around until they just start to darken and you see a small bit of smoke, then grind them to powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (while still hot). Your house will have an awesome smoked cumin aroma, and the freshly ground smoked cumin is better than the bought ground cumin (but you sometimes need to use more of it).
Ingredients
1 lb Chuck (or round, but it's chewier), cut up into roughly 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb Bulk sausage (Neese's or similar)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cumin *
1 Tbsp. Paprika *
1 tsp Oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed (or equivalent amount of garlic powder if you're lazy)
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp Lee and Perins
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
1 tsp cilantro (optional)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 15 oz cans Kidney, Pinto, or Black beans (drain the black beans or your chili will be a weird color)
1 15 oz can of water (I don't think you can buy it
. Just use one of your other cans)1/4 ish cup of Masa flour (you can use white, but it needs to cook at a boil longer)
salt to taste
chipotle powder (or some other pepper) to taste
* see remarks below
Directions
1. In a large pot or Dutch Oven, brown sausage, cubed steak, onion, and garlic. Make sure to break up sausage enough so it doesn't create clumps. Don't add oil - the sausage will provide it.
2. Add all other ingredients except for beans and flour
3. Cover and simmer for 30 min to 1 hour or longer - the longer, the better (within reason)
4. Add beans
5. Mix flour in a bowl with some COLD water until it reaches a thick pancake batter consistency
6. Gradually pour and whisk the flour mixture into the chili. Don't rush it - you're wanting to thicken the chili, not form little white dumplings (which will happen if you pour too fast/whisk to little). After whisking some in, stir the pot to incorporate it and test the thickness. If you want it thicker, repeat as needed. You'll likely not use the whole mixture.
7. If you use Masa flour, bring just back to a boil, then turn down and simmer for another 10 minutes. If you use white flour, bring to a gentle boil for about 3-4 minutes (careful - either stir or cover - it'll splatter), then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Remarks:
I started this recipe 30+ years ago because I ate a lot of chili as a kid and wanted my wife to try it. I tried various "chili kits" but my wife thought they were all too spicy. With a bit of research (pre - internet
) I learned that the chili powder that was in every kit contained red pepper flakes. So, I made my own "chili powder" with everything except those red pepper flakes and it was a hit.30 years on and I've since re-added the heat (little for wifey, lots for me), since both of our taste buds have deadened after years of abuse
. I use Chipotle powder instead of red pepper flakes because I like the smokey flavor. Note: the ingredients shows TABLESPOONS for Cumin and Paprika - that is not a typo; it is correct. Cumin and Paprika are the main ingredients in chili powder, and this amount reflects the amount that would normally be there, plus the extra that many recipes call for.People get real opinionated about what is and isn't "real" chili. I grew up in SE Texas in a cajun and mexican household, so we had chili a lot, and I'm sure it had Texas and Tex-Mex influences. The chili I remember had lots of meat and beans. Unfortunately, all those who made it as a child are lost or have passed on, so I spent some of my young adulthood trying to recreate the chili of my memory. We love this chili, and hope you do, too, but as with everything, it's a personal preference.
I'm always open to suggestions and comments. I consider this recipe a "living recipe", and it gets tweaked every so often, so if you have pointers or suggestions, let me know - I'll very likely try them!
One last note on cumin. If you really want to up your game, buy cumin seeds instead of ground cumin. Roast the seeds in a small pan over medium heat, stirring them around until they just start to darken and you see a small bit of smoke, then grind them to powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (while still hot). Your house will have an awesome smoked cumin aroma, and the freshly ground smoked cumin is better than the bought ground cumin (but you sometimes need to use more of it).
