Please help me improve my chili

[jcv]

I entered a chili cook-off last year and it was great time! I didn't win but the guy who won voted for mine! LOL

Anyway, I would really like to change my chili a little bit - not really looking for a new recipe but I though maybe you folks could help me improve mine a bit?

My chili is pretty good. I enjoy it and everyone who has tried it seems to like it. I've been making it the same way for years though and I'm sure it could be a lot better.

I got the recipe years ago from a relative and I don't know where they got it so I hope I'm allowed to post it here. If this is not OK please let me know and I'll edit my post.

Here goes:

2 lbs ground beef
1 29oz can tomato sauce
1 29oz can pinto beans with liquid
1 29 can kidney beans with liquid
2 small cans diced green chilis with liquid
1 large onion coursely chopped
2 celery stalks coursely chopped
3 tomatoes diced - outer flesh, no seeds
2 teaspoons cumin powder
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups water

Brown the ground beef and drain off fat.

mix the kidney beans, pinto beans and liquid in a bowl and remove 1/4 - 1/3 of the mixture and puree it. Put all ingredients into the pot and simmer for 3 hours stirring often.

Thanks in advance for any tips on helping me improve my chili! The cook-off is tomorrow night.

 

[Wyogal]

smoked paprika

 

[jcv]

smoked paprika

how much of it? can you describe what it will do to the flavor? Should it be in place of something else or just add it?

Thanks

 

[Wyogal]

depends on your taste, it adds a smoky flavor to your dish. try it out and you'll find out how much you want to use. just add it.

 

[GB]

Have you tried adding a square or two of unsweetened chocolate? It does not make your chili taste chocolaty, but it adds a wonderful depth of flavor.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Garlic......Ancho Chili Peppers.....Masa Harina.....Beef or Chicken Stock/broth


Fun!

 

[Selkie]

I'm sure your style of chili is just fine for your local contest, and it sounds really good (if it had a little less cummin in it - but that's my personal taste), but if you ever decide to get serious about chili cook-offs, none of the winners I have ever seen have beans in them, and I've judged from California to Arkansas, Taos, N.M. and even as a guest judge at Frontier Days in Cheyenne Wyoming one year.

Good luck to you!!! Just relax, meet new people and have fun!

 

[larry_stewart]

Sometimes Ill add some corn Kernels to my chili. Kinda adds a ' pop ' the the texture, doesnt add all that much to the flavor. I may also add a little liquid smoke to give that smokiness, but i like the smoked paprika idea. Ill give that a try too.

Also, sometimes Ill put it in individual dishes ( like those little crocks for onions soup) and Ill bake it in the oven with chedar cheese on top, just until it melts and gets a little crispy

 

[Andy M.]

I'd add Mexican oregano, garlic and paprika.
I'd reduce the amount of tomato by half.
I'd use chuck roast cut into half inch cubes in place of the ground beef.
If you want to add beans, I'd go with one 29 ounce can of kidneys DRAINED. The finished product should not be soupy.
Consider leaving out the celery.

 

[Wyogal]

I like red beans or pinto beans, not a fan of kidney beans

 

[jcv]

Thank you all for the ideas! I will definitely try some of these things and report back after the cook-off!

Please feel free to keep the ideas coming!

 

[jcv]

I have a question:

I love garlic and would definitely like to add some... I will chop it up in my garlic zoom. Should I saute it in the skillet with some oil then put the ground beef in there with it? Or should I just put it in there with the other ingredients when I mix everything together?

 

[Selkie]

I mix mine in directly, but either way would work well!

 

[bourbon]

cocoa adds a nice touch to chili

 

[Wyogal]

The problem with starting with the garlic first is that it can easily burn and turn bitter. I usually put my garlic in with the onions to saute.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

No help, but I definitely want some chili now and it's 8 in the morning.

 

[Chile Chef]

Looks like some one has the same idea as me about smoked peperika, I've also use liquid smoke in mine.

 

[jcv]

OK, my chili is simmering.

The changes I made:

Well, I chopped up a few cloves of garlic and sauteed them with my chopped up onion. I used to use no garlic and I just dropped my onion right into the pot.

I drained the juices off from the canned beans.

I added 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. I'll let things simmer for an hour or so then give a taste. Maybe I'll add more.

I used some beef broth instead of water.

That's it for this batch because I'm scared to do too much at once LOL.

I'll eventually try all of the suggestions in this thread

I'll report back after the cook-off!

Thanks again

 

[Andy M.]

Good Luck! I hope some of our suggestions help.

 

[Chile Chef]

OK, my chili is simmering.

The changes I made:

Well, I chopped up a few cloves of garlic and sauteed them with my chopped up onion. I used to use no garlic and I just dropped my onion right into the pot.

I drained the juices off from the canned beans.

I added 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. I'll let things simmer for an hour or so then give a taste. Maybe I'll add more.

I used some beef broth instead of water.

That's it for this batch because I'm scared to do too much at once LOL.

I'll eventually try all of the suggestions in this thread

I'll report back after the cook-off!

Thanks again

Cool, I hope it turns out for you. My beans are in water right now, I'm using Red Kidney Beans & pinto beans in mine.

I have a 3x1 ratio of beans, That's 3 oz of pinto beans to 1 oz of Red kindey beans.