A GOOD CHILI RECIPE

I’m not nuts on chili, but I do occasionally enjoy a smashed baked potato or grilled hot dog topped with it. Store-bought chili has always disappointed me, and I haven’t found a restaurant chili that really rocks my socks. So, rather than purchase already-made chili, every once in a while, I’ll make my own and freeze it in small containers to be used for baked potatoes and hot dogs.



Chili is one of those intensely personal dishes. With beans or without? Ground meat or chunks? Beef, pork, chicken, turkey or vegetarian? Hot or mild? Since I don’t eat it that often, I’m not exactly a chili expert. But I know what I like to eat: something with deep flavor and a nice tinge of spicy, smoky hotness, with beans please, and not too soupy. That’s what this recipe delivers.


I started with a recipe, titled “Best Chili,” from Moms Who Think, and I tweaked it to make it my own. According to Moms Who Think, the original recipe was a blue ribbon winner at a chili cook-off and took home the prize of $20,000. Is it the best? I haven’t tasted enough chilis to know. Guy and I both liked this chili recipe, and I would definitely make it again. The beer and cocoa, along with the spices, develop a deep, pleasing flavor. I added beans to the pot, since they were missing from the original recipe. If you’re not a bean person, leave them out.

A Good Chili Recipe Printable recipe Adapted from Moms Who Think Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 lbs. good-quality lean ground beef (I used Black Angus) 1 lb. lean ground pork 1 cup chopped onion 1-1/2 Tbsp. chopped garlic 3 Tbsp. chili powder 2 Tbsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. smoked paprika 2 tsp. Mexican oregano 1 tsp. natural unsweetened cocoa powder 3 Tbsp.. ketchup 1 (7 oz.) can fire-roasted green chilies, peeled and diced, with liquid 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce (I used Contadina) 1 tsp. California hot sauce (or other hot sauce of choice) 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt 1-1/2 cups beef broth 1 cup beer (I used Budweiser) 3 (14.5 oz.) cans of beans of choice (I used black beans) In a heavy Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot, brown the meat, preferably in two stages. (If you put all the meat in at once, it will steam rather than brown.) Drain off all but 2 Tbsp. fat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir till tender. Add the other half of the meat that you took out, along with the remaining ingredients except beans, stirring well to combine. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2-1/2 hours. Drain and rinse beans and add to pot. Cook an additional 1/2 hour. Serves 6-8