I'm no expert on chilli, but the two tips I've been given are to used cubed beef instead of any form of mince (obviously) and more surprisingly to add a hefty chunk of Green and Blacks organic black chocolate - richens and darkens up the sauce without making it sweet.

Yep, don't use anything ground. Get a slab of top round, pound the hell out of it, and cut it up small.

I usually make mine in a crock pot (slow cooker) and it takes a couple of days. Reduce a pot full of chopped up onions, green peppers, and 1 jalapeno first while the pounded cut up meat is soaking overnight in beef boullion.

Then add the above together (including the boullion) with a couple cans of pinto beans (optional), a couple cloves of minced garlic, one small can of tomato paste, one can of tomato sauce, a bit of cumin, salt and pepper, a spoon of flour, and enough water to make it soupy. Cook in the slow cooker for at least 8 hours or until it thickens up (let the liquid steam off)....add more water, stir, and repeat.

I have been known to add sweet corn for color and sweetness. Beer can replace the beef boullion and water. A piece of semi-sweet baking chocolate can replace the corn for sweetening.

Let it cool, reheat, and serve over brown rice with shredded cheddar on top.

Best to try it out on a small scale until you get it how you want. This is a serious contest.

I stand in awe of you stout bulldogs and your willingness, nay, say instead your naive daring to take on that most religiously debated of recipes. To wit, I offer a pre-argued and ready made fount of knowledge on the delectable subject. Go here and feast.

Here's a pretty good looking recipe, just substitute cubed meat for the ground, if you want and if you can't get Anaheim peppers just used canned green chiles, Anaheims are mild.
http://maindish.allrecipes.com/az/HbnrHllfirChili.asp

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound bacon
1 pound ground round
1 pound ground pork
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
6 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped
8 Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (16 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained
2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
3 ounces tomato paste
1 ounce chile paste
2 cups water

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DIRECTIONS:
Place bacon in a large soup pot. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess grease, leaving enough to coat bottom of pot Remove bacon, drain on paper towels and chop.
Brown beef and pork in pot over medium high heat. When meat is browned, stir in the bell pepper, onion, jalapeno peppers, habanero peppers, Anaheim peppers, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, chili powder, bouillon, crushed tomatoes, whole tomatoes, beer, tomato paste, chile paste and water.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and bacon and continue simmering for another 30 minutes.

I concur with Steff's suggestion of chocolate, but must add that I've found that the grated jest of half an orange and a touch of the fresh juice also gives a little "je ne sais pas" to a really good chilli.

Then again after a couple of mouthfuls of weapons grade chilli one shouldn't be able to taste anything anyway.

Good luck.

RM

ps If I remember rightly the hint about orange in chilli came from the Sainsburies website, believe it or not. They actually have some pretty good recipes over there.

Two points, cousin.
1. What's with the two Ls in "chili"? Is that some Brit perversion?
2. You are taking on a subject here which is too hot for you to handle. Chili recipes are like religion. And serious chili has no ground meat in it - beans are the thing, and jalapenos.

Another thought - I guess you must be thinking of "chile con carne" - a whole different subject for which a graduate degree is required. Google it.

Some lemon juice in a hot dish makes a really good, sour tang - lovely.

Ah, but Oubaas, surely the lemony tang would come from the equally dangerous margheritas served to accompany the chilli.

Or since this is being billed by the Englishman as a family event, are such devices banned by mutual consent?

RM

My hillbilly uncle from western Virginia used to make venison chili. I'll see if I can track down the recipe.

I'll send you The Mrs.'s recipe as soon as I can pull her away from her work.

It includes dark beer, by the way... and she doesn't include beans in her chili, but that's not a big deal -- it's only because the Rats don't like beans in their chili.

Beans in chili, jalapenos instead of habeneros. What is civilization coming to?

as long you have ZZ top's Tres Hombres playing in the background the chili will be hot enough

This is a S. IL redneck recipe for Chili:

1/2 cup extra virgin Olive oil
2 large onions
1 bulb garlic
2 1/2 lbs. of cubed venison (shoulder or roast)
can tomato paste
2 quarts homemade tomato juice (canned)
Chili powder (a lot)
Cumin
1 quart chili beans
pickled habanero peppers

Grab a big stewpot and saute' peeled and chopped onions and garlic till the onion starts to get clear, chuck in the venison. Add some chili powder, salt and pepper, and if you are a true badass a couple of habs at that point. Cook until the venison releases a good deal of its fluid, add tomato paste & 1 quart tomato juice, more chili powder and some cumin. Get it hot and cover and cook on low heat for a couple of hours stirring occasionally. Add tomato juice as the fluid cooks off and more chili powder to taste.
About 20 minutes before it is done chuck in the beans and more cumin to taste.
Serve with cheese and crackers.

The most basic recipe you can use is;
1 tablespoon of chili powder for every lb of meat. Beef, pork or venison, chicken or lamb maybe. Of course you can use more, but the basic chili powder is more for flavoring than heat. The heat comes from the cayenne powder and fresh peppers used during cooking.
1 teaspoon of cumin for each lb of meat.
I use 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for every 3 lbs of meat. But that's just my personal taste.
1 tablespoon of mexican oregano
1 teaspoon of mint
1 onion
garlic to taste
1 can of diced tomatoes. The chili should get its color from the chili powder not the tomatoes. If you like you can also add some paprika for effect.
1 or 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or more to taste
1 can of green chiles (hot, med, mild your choice)
As for fresh chiles, use whatever and however many you choose.Jalapeno, serrano or habenero. Your
choice.
What I do is float a couple of jalepenos in the chile while it's cooking. Then about a half hour before it's finished, I remove them and slice and dice and put them back in the pot.
As for the mexican oregano, put that in during the last 15 to 20 minutes.
As for the use of beer or chocolate or coffee, I have found a better solution to that.
I use either Guiness' Extra Stout or even better
Young's Luxury Double Chocolate Stout. The use of the stouts will add a a great flavor to the chili but if you want you can also use bourbon. To taste of course. but make sure it's a good bourbon.
If you want to use beans, that's up to you. but according to the rules of the chili cookoffs here in America, beans are considered a filler and is not to be used. The same goes for corn or hominy or rice. But the type of beans used in home cooking are normally red kidney or pinto.
After its cooked, serve it up in a bowl topped with onion, mexican cilantro and cheese. Cheddar is the norm, but hey if you want to use Stilton be my guest.
For liquid refreshments, well that's up to you.

Also, I forgot to mention in the above recipe, that I use both Tabasco Chipotle sauce and the Tabasco Habenero sauce in my chili. To taste of course. And I forgot to mention water. Not a lot, as I prefer my chili thick. And the above is for 3lbs of meat. Each batch is a little different, depending on what I add or don't add to the pot. This could become a yearly ritual at the pub (or monthly or weekly). Have fun and goog luck.

You want to use dried chilis. I like anchos (maybe 2-3 per pound of beef), but arbols are good too. Arbols remind me of Indian-food hotness; anchos, er, don't. I fish the peppers out when the chili is hot enough for my taste and finish cooking without them, but maybe you're more hairy-chesteder than I am.

Buy the chilis whole and tear them. Leave the seeds in if you're a Real Man. I'm deeply suspicious of any powdered form of pepper. There's no need for it in any case.

So: Dried chilis, cubed meat, beans, onion, tomatoes, mexican oregano (or eyetalian if pressed), and cumin. Thyme is recommended as well. Dry the meat and brown it in lard, or vegetable shortening at least. Cook for an hour at least, better yet several. The rest is detail.

I put cinammon in my chili (don't overdo it!) and get rave reviews (caveat: I live two miles from Noam Chomsky's office, so you can imagine what kind of people I get the raves from). But some people think that's weird. I add beef stock, too. You'll want to cook it down a bit in that case. I serve it with basmati rice, but again, that's considered eccentric.

It's like the blues; if you play it the same way twice, you're not even trying.

Recipie from Virginia:

2 pounds Ground meat of choice (chicken, beef, turkey)
2 jars (about 8-12 ounces each ) tomato Salsa (I use mild but use hot if desired)
3 tablespoons chili powder
one diced onion
one diced green pepper
one diced red or orange pepper
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 8 ounce cans light red kidney beans
2 8 ounce cans dark red kidney beans
***ONE*** green Habernero, chopped. (Leave seeds in for more heat)

Place ground meat in microwave dish and cook for approximately 10 minutes. Drain.

Mix drained meat with the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot. Stew for 5-6 hours on high (10-12 on low).

Serve with cheddar cheese, corn chips, and lots of milk. :)

Chessie

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What is going on here?

I posted a recipe a few days ago, along with an addendum. I saw them both echoed here. Now they're gone. You're not one of those people who likes to keep recipes secret, are you?

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