This is my recipe for what I call a quick chili. It’s quick because it can be assembled and be eaten in a shorter period of time than a regular chili.
- 1lb ground beef
- seasoning blend: paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, marjoram
- 1tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 small cans of red kindey beans or whatever you have on hand
- 1 or 2 large cans of fire roasted crushed or diced tomatoes
Brown the beef and drain off SOME of the fat if needed. Add in the spice blend in a proportion you like. For a pound of ground beef I use 1tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1tsp cumin salt and pepper to taste, 1 tsp garlic 1 tsp onion powder, a dusting of marjoram or oregano. For the cayenne pepper, I do this to my mood that night. I will also switch it up and use dried chilies like arbol to add in a deep depth of flavor. Allow the spice blend to toast. It will only take a few moments to incorporate this into the beef and add in flavor. Add in the tomato paste, again, let this get toasty on the bottom of the pan.
Add in tomatoes then drained and rinsed beans.* Mix and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer it can simmer the better.
For an added layer of flavor add in a teaspoon of cocoa powder. I think this works better in a longer stewed chili. For my larger batches of chili I add in up to 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. The cocoa powder adds in a really nice bitter component that works surprisingly well with the chili powder or dried chilis if used.
For longer or stewed chili I add in the following:
- 1 onion chopped
- 1tbsp butter
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large red or green bell pepper chopped
I sauté the onion in butter until translucent then add in the garlic and cook slowly until golden brown. Then add in the beef, spices, and pepper. Then I follow the recipe the rest fo the way and let it simmer for a few hours. This works great to dump into a crock pot for a long slow simmer on a cold day.
Some back story here. I have been making chili since I was a teenager and there is something about long cold winter nights that makes me crave a good hearty bowl of chili. Over the years my recipe has changed a lot. I really prefer the longer stewed chili and will make a large crock pot full on a weekend. I’ll portion it out and eat it all week. I never get tired of it. It works really well frozen as well. This paired with corn bread is delightful.
The biggest change over the years is adding in more spices and not leaning on premade chili packets. I prefer to thicken my chili with tomato paste rather than flour or a roux. I also learned about the cocoa powder and cinnamon from some FoodNetwork or HGTV show a LONG time ago, and immediately tested it out and really like it. Cinnamon has to be used sparingly or it will overtake the whole pot, while putting too much cocoa in will make it taste weird. A tablespoon of cocoa really adds in a light and subtle layer of flavor that I can’t describe but it’s noticeable when it’s not there.
*From my understanding it is no longer necessary to drain canned beans however old habits die hard.