What's your Chili "Base"?

[Abom]

A recent thread that's still going on regards making chili "by eye" every time without using a cut-in-stone recipe. it got me thinking about how I do tend to use certain ingredients every time, even though details may be changed or additions made.

What is your starting lineup of ingredients? What I call the "Base" that gets used ever time?
Mine are:

• Ground Beef
• Chili Powder
• Onions
• Garlic (lots)
• Red Beans, Black Beans and Pinto beans (sue me it makes it go farther! LOL)
• Baker's Chocolate
• Diced and Crushed Tomatoes

That's going to be there every time. I'll then use some mix of chili peppers, some kind of hot sauce, cinnamon (often) and beer of some type. Soy Sauce for salt, and umami, and sometimes beef stock. Then I might get crazy. How about you?

[Willy]

Mine is almost identical. I typically use about 1/3 cup of ground ancho chile and add a tablespoon or more of ground cumin. My ratios are: two pounds ground beef, four cans mixed beans, 2 or 3 15-oz cans of 'maters, and two large onions, well browned. I also add a can or two (4-oz) of diced green chiles. I leave the hot sauce so folks can doctor the chili to their taste at the table.

On occasion, I even omit the beef.

[customtrim]

I add hot ground sausage to mine with the ground beef

[tbob4]

Good list Abom. I haven't done the chocolate -will give it a try, thanks. My base is almost identical except I always put in jalapeño peppers. The chili powder is not really part of the base for me because it's added a bit later and may be one of a bunch of different types of chili powder. I like the cumin, too, Willy. My chili does not always have ground beef - sometimes leftover BBQ meat instead.

[Abom]

I always tend to use at least some ground beef because it's cheap and helps to bulk it up. I'm not a huge fan of cumin, so I normally don't add any. Maybe I should try some.

[Porterdriver]

You might try some whole cumin seed and toast (until fragrant) them lightly in a dry skillet over med-low heat. Then cool and grind. Will taste nothing like any ground cumin you have ever had.

[ecowper]

Chuck roast
onion
chili powder
cumin
garlic
red wine

:-)

[billg71]

I'm lazy when it comes to chili:

Brown and drain 1-1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb country sausage or ground pork
Combine in a large saucepan or small stock pot:
1 small can tomato sauce
1 packet of Carroll Shelby's chili seasoning and a half-packet of the cayenne that comes with it
1 jar of Neumann's Salsa(medium)
1 can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2-3/4 tsp. table salt
enough water to thin for simmering, usually 1 salsa jar full

Bring to a boil, add the browned meat and simmer for at least a couple hours to reduce to taste.

That's about it.

[carolts]

I use the Carroll Shelby seasoning too...trying to replicate it but never quite get it right. I need to try the baker's chocolate and red wine. We use

two pounds of meat (usually very lean ground beef, but I've used smoked brisket/chuck with great success)
two cans of beans (usually kidney and black)
one small can tomato sauce
one can water
one can diced tomatoes
seasoning packet

I let folks add their own cayenne since the tastes range from bland to atomic in our house. My husband and son love theirs with grated cheddar.

[Potkettleblack]

Have a recipe for Carroll Shelby. Round + chuck. 1 can tomato sauce. Bottle beer. 1/4c hot ground chile, 2 clove garlic, 1 small onion, 1.25 t mex oreg & cumin, 1/2t paprika

[Mosca]

Generally speaking:

cubed chuck roast
poblano peppers
onions
garlic
cumin
ground dried ancho


But sometimes I make it with ground beef, it all depends on what I have on hand. Chili is for fun, and I try to make it from convenience.

[Elton's BBQ]

This is how i made my variant of Chili;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FISqnyCMwc

11/2 onion chopped
500gr (1/2 lbs) ground beef
3-4 slices of pickeled jalapeno chopped
2 ts ground pepper
1 ts cummin
1 tbs chillipowder
1 tbs papricapowder
1 clowe of garlic chopped
1 can of chopped tomatos
water
veg. oil
pinto beans (as much as u like)

[Potkettleblack]

Original recipe is:
cubed Chuck (never ground)
onion
garlic
variety of chiles
cumin
salt
sometimes a beer. Sometimes beef stock, chicken stock/red wine.

i add fancy cinnamon to that frequently.

[Spinaker]

I make a pretty basic chill.
70% fat hamburger
Whole white onions
Chilli powder
Red pepper flakes
Tomato Juice
One frozen tallow cube

Sometimes I make brisket chill, so I just add the cubed point into chill.

No beans, ever

[Porterdriver]

2x No beans ever. Abuelita would be shocked beyond words. Beans are always part of the meal, they were just never in the chili.

[Mr. Bones]

A Base?
Well, almost always contains:
1 lb. ground chuck
1 lb. hot/spicy breakfast sausage
1 lg white onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 poblano pepper, diced
(Insert optional peppers for heat)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 15 oz cans beans, to taste
chili mix, or separate spices to make such
day old coffee, and guinness 50/50 for additional liquid
maybe a few shots of Worcestershire, and soy sauce, 50/50
salt
coarse ground black pepper
red pepper
cayenne pepper
cumin
paprika
hot sauce, as needed

[Abom]

I like the coffee and breakfast sausage idea!

[Mr. Bones]

Thanks, Abom ! Sometimes I use chorizo, instead of hot breakfast sausage,

[Willy]

Coffee! Interesting. I might try that some day.

[Michael Brinton]

I like a whole dried pepper base. This year guajillo, poblano, big Jim new mex, and jalapeno. I usually grow new pepper varieties each year. Toast the dried peppers then add chicken broth. Add the broth and peppers to a blender and run until it's a fine paste. It beats using powder because you get rid of that gritty mouthfeel. If I want to kick the heat up I throw in a Carolina reaper pepper. This base works however you finally make the chili, ground beef, chuck, veg...

[Willy]

A Carolina Reaper. Wow!

I do love guajillos but have never done them in chili.

[Michael Brinton]

I usually leave the reaper out and let anyone who wants it just microplane a little on top. They can be overwhelming.

[Mr. Bones]

Sounds like a pepper-lover's Paradise!!! Where do I sign up to get on th' preferred customer list? I'd love to try it!