We do a really simple chili that the wife and I love. I'm sure it will offend some of the chili purists.

 

2 cans spicy chili beans

1 lb ground beef (sometimes we use finely chopped stew meat)

1 lb spicy Italian sausage

2-3 fresh jalapenos

A couple packs of chili powder

Tomato juice ( we like ours a little soupy )

2 or 3 diced potatoes.

 

I'm a huge fan of chili. I eat it year round. Never had a bowl I didn't like.

I bought a pound or so of ground bison this weekend. Anyone ever made chili with it before? I've got all the requisite seasonings and ingredients laying around here, so I plan to cook it the same way I make beef chili.

Ours is rather simple

 

Big pack of ground beef, browned and drained

1-2 large diced onions

1 can tomato paste

1-2 cans of Chili Hot Beans

Chili Powder to taste (no idea how much my wife adds and she doesn't know either)

Tomato Juice

 

(Sometimes add spaghetti or macaroni)

 

Always have either Mixed PB&J sandwiches or Grilled Cheese as a side dish.

 

If Grilled Cheese then we often have Cinnamon Rolls as well (old habits from school die hard)

I bought a pound or so of ground bison this weekend. Anyone ever made chili with it before? I've got all the requisite seasonings and ingredients laying around here, so I plan to cook it the same way I make beef chili.

 

Never used bison before. I occasionally buy ground bison, mix it with spicy italian or chorizo sausage and make meatloaf. Sounds like a good thing to try.

At the risk of infecting this chili thread with sacrilege and disturbing the purists, and no doubt I'd prefer homemade chili from scratch, sometimes I'll lazily reach for a store bought can to give me my chili fix.

 

That of course is a dicey endeavor as many store bought canned chilis can pretty much be the equivalent of eating Alpo.

 

I like a Texas style beefy with beans chili, and although I don't think it's as good, I may reach sometimes for the Turkey version to avoid all the fat.

 

To avoid spoiling the suspension created from this video, I won't say which brand here wins, but I've since seeing it have tried it, and it's proved to be fairly acceptable.

 

Not in this video is the Kroger canned version which I've found to also be acceptable, and a bit more economical than the winning brand in the video.

 

There's no doubt that I've never had a can of chili that comes anywhere near beating homemade, but I sure wish that I could for a quick and easy fix.

 

If anyone has tried anything that they've found isn't bad, I'd sure like to hear about it.

 

In this video this guy does an interesting comparison of canned chili.

 

I have tried a lot of different canned chilis over the years and, as you said, most reminded me of what I imagine Alpo tastes like. Bush's used to make a pretty good chili in a jar, but they stopped producing it a few years ago. Dixie is probably my favorite canned chili now and Skyline is not bad either, but I prefer a good Texas chili to the Cincy version.

Here's my chicken chili

 

 

 

Olive Oil

1 large Onion (diced)

1 Red or Green Bell Pepper (chopped)

4 Garlic cloves (minced)

1 pound Ground Chicken

3 links Italian Sausage (casing removed, can be chicken sausage)

2 tablespoons Chili Powder

2 tablespoons toasted Fennel Seeds

2 tablespoons ground Cumin

1 tablespoon dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning Salt

1 1/2-2 teaspoons Red Chili Flakes

3 tablespoons Flour

6 ounces mild Lager Beer

2 15-ounce cans Cannellini Beans (rinsed and drained)

2 Jalapenos (finely chopped and muddled with 1/2 tsp salt)

2 cups fresh Corn Kernels (frozen is ok)

4-5 cups Chicken Stock

1/4 cup rough cut cilantro

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup Parsley (chopped)

2 roasted Poblanos (stems and seeds removed; chopped)

Sour Cream for garnish

chopped Scallions for garnish

 

 

Instructions

 

1. In a big pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and sausage and season with salt. Cook until the edges of the chicken are brown and meat begins to caramelize, about 7 to 8 minutes.

 

2. Add the onions and bell peppers along with another pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

 

3. Add the dried spices and cook 3 to 4 minutes, and add the flour and stir for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the lager, scraping up brown bits form the bottom of the pot and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the beans, jalapenos, corn, and most of the chicken stock, reserving 1 cup of stock. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and stir frequently. Cook over medium low heat for about an hour.

5. Add the cilantro, Parmesan, parsley, and roasted poblanos. Add a little more of the reserved chicken stock if needed to thin. Cook for another 10 minutes, taste/adjust seasonings. Garnish bowls of chili with sour cream and scallions.

And then there's the real stuff. This is how I make my chili.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

· 2 pounds ground beef chuck

· 1 pound bulk Italian sausage

· 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained

· 1 (15 ounce) can red beans, drained

· 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

· 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce

· 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

· 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

· 1 large yellow onion, chopped

· 3 stalks celery, chopped

· 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

· 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

· 1 large japaleno pepper, seeded and finely diced

· 1 tablespoon bacon bits

· 4 cubes beef bouillon

· 1/2 bottle beer

· 1/3 cup chili powder

· 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

· 1 tablespoon minced garlic

· 1 tablespoon dried oregano

· 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

· 1 tablespoon white sugar

· 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

· 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

· 1 teaspoon paprika

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

2. Add tomato paste and cook into meat.

3. Pour in the beans, spicy chili beans, and diced tomatoes. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.

 

It is my personal opinion that chili is best if you allow it to completely cool, then reheat to serve. This process steeps out the full flavor of all of the spices and veggies.

Here's my chicken chili

 

 

 

Olive Oil

1 large Onion (diced)

1 Red or Green Bell Pepper (chopped)

4 Garlic cloves (minced)

1 pound Ground Chicken

3 links Italian Sausage (casing removed, can be chicken sausage)

2 tablespoons Chili Powder

2 tablespoons toasted Fennel Seeds

2 tablespoons ground Cumin

1 tablespoon dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning Salt

1 1/2-2 teaspoons Red Chili Flakes

3 tablespoons Flour

6 ounces mild Lager Beer

2 15-ounce cans Cannellini Beans (rinsed and drained)

2 Jalapenos (finely chopped and muddled with 1/2 tsp salt)

2 cups fresh Corn Kernels (frozen is ok)

4-5 cups Chicken Stock

1/4 cup rough cut cilantro

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup Parsley (chopped)

2 roasted Poblanos (stems and seeds removed; chopped)

Sour Cream for garnish

chopped Scallions for garnish

 

 

Instructions

 

1. In a big pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and sausage and season with salt. Cook until the edges of the chicken are brown and meat begins to caramelize, about 7 to 8 minutes.

 

2. Add the onions and bell peppers along with another pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

 

3. Add the dried spices and cook 3 to 4 minutes, and add the flour and stir for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the lager, scraping up brown bits form the bottom of the pot and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the beans, jalapenos, corn, and most of the chicken stock, reserving 1 cup of stock. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and stir frequently. Cook over medium low heat for about an hour.

5. Add the cilantro, Parmesan, parsley, and roasted poblanos. Add a little more of the reserved chicken stock if needed to thin. Cook for another 10 minutes, taste/adjust seasonings. Garnish bowls of chili with sour cream and scallions.

 

This looked good enough to make, so I tried my hand at it last night. Pretty good. I used a good amount of cayenne and swapped in an habanero for the poblanos. Got a little sweat going. Thanks for sharing.

Brrrrrrr.....Fixing Chili tonight!!!

I bought a pound or so of ground bison this weekend. Anyone ever made chili with it before? I've got all the requisite seasonings and ingredients laying around here, so I plan to cook it the same way I make beef chili.

 

Never had it in chili but I bet it is good. I've grown to love bison more than beef.

My grandmother worked for Dixie Chili when she was a teenager and claimed that this is the recipe. It tastes similar but not exactly the same. It is very good though.

 

3lbs of ground beef

1 to 1 1/2 medium onions depending on how much you like onion (We only use 1)

2 quarts of water

1 15oz can of tomato sauce

1 15oz can of tomato paste

2-4 tablespoons of chili powder (Depending on how you like your spice level) I use 3

1/4-1 teaspoon of red pepper (Depending on how you like your spice level) I use the whole teaspoon

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce

4 bay leafs

1 tablespoon of whole all spice (This needs to be tied up in a cloth bag so that it can be removed after cooking)

1 Chocolate bar or a couple squares of bakers chocolate

 

Brown the ground beef and onions

Combine all ingredients and cook uncovered for 3-4 hours

Salt and Pepper to taste

This looked good enough to make, so I tried my hand at it last night. Pretty good. I used a good amount of cayenne and swapped in an habanero for the poblanos. Got a little sweat going. Thanks for sharing.

 

Glad you liked it.

Noticed all the recipes included chili powder... For a great smokey flavor substitute chipotle powder for the chili powder. The difference is awesome...

Noticed all the recipes included chili powder... For a great smokey flavor substitute chipotle powder for the chili powder. The difference is awesome...

 

Or both

One thing that I can say with confidence...second day or even third day Chili is always better than fresh made chili.

 

I'm currently on day three of my chili and it always seems to get better each day!