A couple times a year I make a pot of chili con carne, which I don't believe I can call Texas-style because I do use a can of pureed tomatoes and I think chilies are the only produce allowed in the state. I make the chili powder from scratch and toast and grind cumin seeds and all that. Sometimes I smoke the chuck roast for a couple hours before cutting it into chunks, but I don't think it makes a ton of difference. If you take the leftovers and warm it up with shredded cheese in a flour tortilla, it tastes like a homemade Taco Bell chili cheese burrito. The first time I made it, my bean fiend wife asked if she could add beans to it. "I'm not from fuckin' Texas, knock yourself out."

Chili is also fun because it's one of those things you can make without a recipe once you've made it a few times. "Ooh, I've got some ground beef, onions, garlic, jalapeños, and a few cans of beans. Hey honey, how does chili sound?" I also try to add poblanos to chili or really any Southwest one-pot meal. Vegetarian chili can be pretty great as long as it's made like a regular chili, just sans meat and heavier on the beans. I had one recently had one that had vegetables that didn't jive and the tomatoes didn't complement anything, they just tasted like canned tomatoes.

Anyway, chili is NOT CRAP

NOT CRAP

no poll?

Tree wrote: Mon Mar 03, 2025 7:41 am Vegetarian chili can be pretty great as long as it's made like a regular chili, just sans meat and heavier on the beans. I had one recently had one that had vegetables that didn't jive and the tomatoes didn't complement anything, they just tasted like canned tomatoes.

Soyrizo would be great in vegetarian chili, way better than the TVP crap hippies use.

Almost always make a big crock pot of it around Halloween (one of the only family traditions I've carried on to my adult life). Brown some ground beef that's been in Midyett rub, a couple cans of beans, a couple cans of crushed tomatoes, whatever else I've got that makes sense to throw in there, and let it cook slowly for the whole day. Always turns out great, I usually end up freezing about half of it and we'll eat it over the next couple of months during the winter.

I'll take chili over most stews or soups or whatever the fucks!

Another bonus to making chili, the house smells excellent the whole day you are cooking it.

Chili is not crap.

Chili whips ass. IDK whether I've ever had chili I didn't like at least somewhat.

I had white chili over the weekend and it was delish.

Isaac wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 12:15 pmSkyline Chili

Skyline Chili rules! I'm kinda surprised to see that folks don't like it!

rsmurphy wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 7:45 pm A can of Hormel with cheddar cheese, a gang of sour cream, some scallions

This also rules! Like, I'm tempted to do this for a quick dinner later!

Sour cream, scallions, and some kind of grated cheese are a must!!

The fuck is there not a PRF chilli cook off?!

Jacques wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2025 11:03 am Sour cream, scallions, and some kind of grated cheese are a must!!

Yes.

Not crap. I’m not the huge chili fan or aficionado that some of you are, but I agree that even mediocre chili can be pretty damn satisfying. But I don’t generally seek it out and seldom crave it.

With one exception.

Nearly 30 years ago, when I was in graduate school, a friend hosted an informal chili cook-off. He made one of the few vegetarian chilis there. I only remember two specifics about his chili: he used honey instead of brown sugar, and he used generous amounts of cheap beer. When most of the liquid had cooked off, he’d pour in another can of Pabst of Natural Light of god knows what.

That chili, I still think about almost 30 years on. He scored that goal partly with the Hand of Jake, and partly with the Hand of God.