Hi everyone! I’ve got quite a few hot baby bell peppers that definitely need to be used, and that means chili! Who doesn’t love a warm, spicy bowl of chili, not to mention that you can make a batch that will last all week for even quicker meals? I know that most people have their own signature recipe for chili, but the number and amount of spices needed for a really tasty chili can get pretty costly. I think it is much more economical to start with a bag of chili mix that you like and then add your favorite ingredients to stretch it out, flavor it up and add tons of nutrients.
I’ve tried many chili kits, but my favorite is The Brown Bag BB Chili Mix. It is very basic, just containing the spice mix, but at a reasonable cost for that amount of spices. It also gives the dish just the right amount of heat for me. I do offer extra cayenne and chili flakes for my husband or guests that want more of a kick.
The recipe on the bag calls for beef or pork, or a combination, and my favorite is using half ground beef, usually 85:15, and ground pork. I think it makes the meat portion of the chili less dense and more flavorful.
Although many people say it should be illegal to add beans to your chili, I think adding beans is a great way to stretch the chili and get more meals out of the dish. The beans are also a great source of additional protein. Since this chili is a quick and easy recipe, I just open two cans of red kidney beans and pour them in. To add even more flavor, I usually try to find kidney beans in a spacy chili sauce. They are usually available in the bean or international isle of the grocery store. If there is a lot of sauce on top when I open the cans, I’ll pour some of it off before adding it into the chili, but adding it all in won’t alter the flavor too much.
I like to add a diced onion, diced bell pepper and diced tomato into the chili, just to give it a bit of freshness and nutrients. This time, since I have my hot baby bell peppers crying out to be used, I’m dicing up a few of those instead of the bell pepper I usually use. If you like more spice to your chili, add any spicy peppers you enjoy. Also, since my tomatoes are pretty small and I don’t have a lot of them ripe right now, so I used a can of diced tomatoes and chili peppers. I always have a couple of cans in the pantry.
My husband and I don’t drink beer (he’s a bourbon guy and I do wine), but we always have a few bottles in the fridge for friends and family. I add a bottle of beer to the chili to bring out the flavor, but I also add an 8 oz can of no salt added tomato sauce to cut any bitterness in the beer. I usually use an IPA, just because it’s what is usually on hand. I have used stouts in the past, but stouts can be quite bitter and alter the taste of the chili. The recipe also calls for water with the tomato sauce, but if you use the canned tomatoes or canned tomatoes and chili peppers, those add enough liquid without adding more water. Here is the recipe I use:
Ingredients
1 lb 85:15 ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 medium onion
1 medium bell pepper (or hotter peppers, if you like)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (or a 10 oz can of diced tomatoes and peppers, or 2 peeled, seeded
and diced fresh tomatoes)
2 16 oz cans of kidney beans in a spicy chili sauce
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 12 oz beer
Instructions
Brown the ground beef and ground pork in a chili pot (I use a medium pasta pot). Put a colander over a bowl and pour the meat into the colander to let it drain into the bowl.
Add a splash of vegetable oil into the same pot and sauté the onion and pepper until they are soft (3-4 minutes). Add the drained meat back into the pot with the onion and pepper, and add in the beans, tomatoes (canned or fresh), beans, tomato sauce and beer. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
I know a lot of recipes call for a cornstarch or flour mixture to make the consistency of the chili thicker, but I’ve never had to use anything like that with this recipe. The consistency is just right for me. We usually garnish the bowl with sharp cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, and a few scallions.
But if we have a group over, we’ll also offer sour cream, guacamole, tortilla chips, and even sometimes corn. Let me know what you think.
