Secrets of good chili con carne

[baking fool]

Besides using quality ingredients, what makes a good chili? I don't mean specific recipes, but what general tips/ingredients do people know of?
Chili con carne - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wikipedia says the main ingredients of chili are meat (beef, venison, etc) and chiles, not beans (of course beans can be included though). What are some good secret ingredients, if anyone recommends any? Wikipedia lists a bunch of weird things like chocolate, peanut butter & fish eggs, which I can't imagine would make good chili. I worked with a guy who was a chef & he said the best chili he'd ever tasted had coffee grounds in it though. To each their own I guess... I wonder what an 'apple pie' chili would be like... the pot lubed with butter... beef seasoned with brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves & other stuff... thickened with flour, then cubed apples added later on to balance out the spiciness...

 

[YT2095]

Coco and Coffee with some Oregano, I always add these, plenty Cummin and smoked paprika.

 

[Andy M.]

Chili is one of those dishes that differs with every cook. Beyond the essentials of beef and chiles, standard ingredients include onion, garlic, tomato and a mixture of spices that can vary to personal tastes but should include cumin, Mexican oregano, salt and pepper.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Tip: Masa harina

 

[jennyema]

Chocolate not a weird chili ingredient, but a pretty common one. Think of mole sauce.

I always use: good quality dry chiles that I rehydrate, beer, chocolate, good quality spices including mexican (not Mediterranean) oregano and masa to thicken (and adds taste). That's in addition to the meat, aromatics and beans. I hardly ever use tomato and when I do, it's in moderation.

But once in a while I'll do it Alton Brown's way and use a jar of salsa and tortilla chips.

I almost always take my time and don't just throw it together on the fly. I'll make a large batch and freeze most of it. So when I do need dinner on the fly it's already made.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Chili is one of my favorite dishes to make.

I use:

mexican oregano, smoked paprika, crushed cumin seed, cracked pepper, light beer, beef broth, vegetable broth, crushed fire roasted tomatoes, poblano pepper, holland red hot pepper, onion, ground bison, chipotle in adobo sauce, red savina habanero flakes (same as normal red pepper flakes, just about 10x hotter heh)

I cook the chile covered for a few hours on low heat, and serve it on top of angel hair pasta topped with cheddar cheese and crushed saltine crackers. phenomenal meal, fit for kings and peasants alike.

 

[mudbug]

man, I am loving these photos you have been coming up with lately, legs. I can almost taste every shot.


But no angel hair or cheddar for me. Fritos in the bottom of the bowl and a various garnishes depending on what I have a hankerin' for - shredded jack cheese, sour cream, chopped black olives and/or green onions.

I have been wanting to try to chocolate thing. Next time it gets cold enough for chili (September?) I think I'll do just that.

 

[Half Baked]

Legs, I love the photos, too! In fact, I enjoy everyone's photos.

Time for me to buy a new camera. Mine is too frustrating to download the pics.

 

[Mylegsbig]

thanks guys

 

[SurvivorGirl]

add a tsp or so of cinnamon. very tasty!

 

[Dina]

I add beer or red wine to my chili, aside from all the dried chilis and spices. Serve with avocado slices and grated cheddar and a side of homemade cornbread. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm................I can't wait to have the energy to start cooking again.

 

[SurvivorGirl]

Mylegsbig, I think that I would die if i had that chili! looks spicy!!!!

 

[Katie H]

Add about 6 or 8 chocolate kisses. Sounds weird, but it's good.

 

[baking fool]

does anybody eat their chili on rice? i read that on wikipedia & it sounds tasty.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Mylegsbig, I think that I would die if i had that chili! looks spicy!!!!

lol, i have to make two batches of food usually Survivor. One for me, and one for my wife.

 

[SurvivorGirl]

does anybody eat their chili on rice? i read that on wikipedia & it sounds tasty.

Chili on rice is an awesome combo!!
something that surprised me about MLB's recipe was that he put it on angle hair pasta I would think that putting such a big flavour on such a delicate pasta would be an odd combo. but rice, that's somehting that I'v had!

 

[jennyema]

Chili served on spaghetti is very popular in some parts of the US, like Cincinnati.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Chili on rice is an awesome combo!!
something that surprised me about MLB's recipe was that he put it on angle hair pasta I would think that putting such a big flavour on such a delicate pasta would be an odd combo. but rice, that's somehting that I'v had!

I like the super thin noodles as opposed to spaghetti because i only want it to compliment the chili, i used normal size spaghetti at first and found it not to my liking.

 

[baking fool]

another good secret ingredient is the name. what are the best chili names you can think of? stuff like "gunpowder chili", "ned flanders' 5-alarm chili", "nate's tnt special chili" etc etc.

 

[Katie H]

My birth mother, who was a Yankee, always put wide egg noodles in her chili. Until I had chili in other parts of the country, I thought that's how everyone made it. Haven't had noodles in chili in years.

I also like to serve it over corn chips, like Fritos.