A classic chili recipe that's delicious and filling! Smoky, tangy, and hearty; this will make even the pickiest eater ask for seconds!
The things I do for chili
If you have read my about me piece, you know that I am a cancer survivor. I spent the last quarter of 2015 and a large part of the start of 2016 in the hospital with Stage 4 Burkitt's Lymphoma. During that time, I spent a lot of my time daydreaming about cooking and coming up with new recipes that I wanted to try to make. Of course, the one that kept coming back to me was chili.
I finally got a week out of the hospital during my treatment. It was the only time that I spent more than a day or two at home during that time. As the story goes, I made it a point to go to the grocery store to buy all of the ingredients to make chili. However, I was so sick from the chemotherapy that I got through the store and just barely made it out of the checkout line. So, there I was, standing in the parking lot of the grocery store, and I simply didn't have the energy to get the groceries out of the cart and put them in the car. Thankfully, my good friend Kira just happened to be pulling into the grocery store and saw me! She came to my rescue and unloaded my cart for me! But I was certainly determined to get that chili made!
What kind of chili?
Growing up, I ate a lot of chili. It was something quick that my parents could make and we could eat on for a week. But, chili back then was different. It was closer to a soup and usually was served with spaghetti noodles. When I grew up, I joined the military and went out on my own for the first time. It was there that I had a different kind of chili for the first time.
If you ask most Americans, they will tell you that they have a very specific type of chili that they consider the true "chili." Texans will tell you it's meaty with no beans. The citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio will tell you that their special brand of chili served over the top of spaghetti is the only way to go. People in California will point to a more Mexican style chili usually served with avocado. There's a million different varieties depending on who you talk to!
My chili is meaty, has a slight smoky flavor, has several vegetables, beans and is based in beef stock. I add a little bit of wine, tomato paste, and several spices. To me, it's the best chili out there. Hopefully, you'll think so too!
How it's made
This chili starts with a base of onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Once we have those nice and sautéed, we add in some tomato paste for another layer of flavor. We'll deglaze with wine then add the ground beef and Italian sausage and brown it through. After draining, we add the tomatoes, beans and beef stock. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Let it cook for as long as you would like, but at least 30 minutes to impart the flavor of the tomatoes and beans to the chili.
Wrapping it up
Once you try this chili, you might not go back to anything else you've tried! This has the right level of heat, the right level of smokiness, and certainly the right level of flavor! We serve it with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and scallions. The kids usually add in nacho cheese flavored chips, but I opt for saltine crackers as well! I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
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Midwest Style Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 15.5 oz can black beans – drained and rinsed
- 1 15.5 oz can of pinto beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 medium yellow onion – diced
- 3 stalks of celery – diced
- 1 jalapeño – seeded and diced
- 1 poblano pepper - seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper – diced
- 3 cloves garlic – crushed or minced
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, add olive oil and heat until shimmering
- Add in ground beef and Italian sausage and brown. Season with cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Once browned, drain the mixture and set aside
- Add in onion, bell pepper, celery, poblano and jalapeño. Cook until onion is translucent
- Add in garlic and cook until fragrant (roughly 30 seconds)
- Stir in tomato paste until all of the vegetables are coated in the paste. Cook until veg and cooking surface are a rust color and you can smell the tomato
- Add in crushed tomatoes. Use to de-glaze the pot. Continue to salt to taste with each step.
- Add meat back into pot. Stir in beef stock, red wine vinegar, and water. Then stir in beans. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer
- Simmer chili for at least 30 – 45 minutes. Cover once you've reached the desired consistency. The longer simmered, the more flavor will develop. .
I have this recipe saved in my tabs! It’s so good! On this chilly December day, chili sounded good! So it’s what’s for dinner!!