Tasty Homemade Chili Recipe

Chili has been known as American cuisine since the 1800's....

Pioneers who struggled to go West, even made a homemade chili recipe, since they could not afford to bring good cuts of meat with them, thus they used hardtack, or dried beef.


In most of the United States, the basic ingredients for making chili are chile powder, tomatoes, beans, ground beef, salt, pepper and possibly paprika.


Just about every state has a restaurant boasting the best homemade chili recipe in the U.S. If you go to Texas though, it's not called chili there, but instead "a bowl of red" and they use stewing beef, and totally frown on even the mention of beans being in their chili, however they use enough cayenne pepper to make other Americans quickly reach for their chilled water!


Just about everyone has a recipe for chili that makes theirs the very best! .

"The Best" Super Easy Crockpot Chili

This homemade chili recipe serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground round or ground chuck

• 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
• 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 tbls. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Brown ground beef and pork with onions making sure that none of it cooks in large pieces; drain off excess fat.



2. Combine beef, pork and onions with remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Stir in to blend.



3. Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 11 hours.



4. Serve with shredded Cheddar cheese topping.

"The Best" Gourmet Chili

This homemade chili recipe yields approximately 2 quarts

• 1 1/2 cups dry pinto beans
• 2 qt water
• 1/2 lb. pure ground beef suet
• 2 lbs. lean beef (coarsely ground)
• 1 large sweet onion (finely chopped)
• 5 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 6 tbs. chili powder or to taste
• 1 tbs. white pepper
• 8 tsp. cumin powder
• 8 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. salt to taste
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper to taste
• 2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 oz can chopped green chilies
• 1 cup tomato juice

Directions

1. Soak dry pinto beans in water with a cover overnight, and then drain.



2. Add 2 quarts water, and then simmer while covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until done. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of liquid. Set aside.



3. In large 3 quart Dutch oven, melt suet. Once melted, add onions then sauté over medium heat until transparent.



4. Add meat and brown, stirring often making sure no large pieces are cooked together. Drain all but 2 tbsp. of fat.



5. Add all seasonings, cocoa and chilies. Cover, and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring often.



6. Add tomato juice to keep chili in a medium consistency. If chili needs to be thinned, use the reserved bean juice.



7. To serve, stir in warm pinto beans into chili. Top with a dollop of sour cream.

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Now, you must be aware that different areas serve chili differently. For instance in Cincinnati they serve it atop spaghetti noodles. They now make chicken chili, and there's even vegetarian chili. Oh, and let's not forget three bean chili. There's even a ground turkey recipe for chili. No bean chili is very popular even if you don't come from Texas. As you saw above chili can be topped with cheese or sour cream, but some people put raw onions on theirs.


Macaroni, rice and hominy have found their way into homemade chili recipes. There are chili verde recipes too. There's even a baked chili recipe going around that has canned corn as one of the ingredients! Bacon, celery, beer and Jim Beam bourbon whiskey goes in Bourbon chili, of course! There's sausage chili that features maple syrup added to it.


You may have noticed the gourmet chili included cocoa powder in it, well that comes from Cincinnati! Some highly "secret" recipes for chili include cider vinegar as well as Worcestershire sauce. Allspice, cloves and bay leaves go in some, and who knows how many people claim to have the famous "Wendy's" chili recipe. Some have said that it even has celery in it.


There's white chili to go with the chili verde, I suppose, but the white chili is made with chicken and white beans. Oregano and even MSG has found it's way into chili too. Some add Tabasco sauce instead of cayenne pepper to give their homemade chili recipe that extra "kick" that so many love. To be honest with you, there's really no end to the ways that Americans make chili, and again, no matter whose chili it is, rest assured that it's the "best" chili!

Please do not forget to post your own homemade recipes here, We're all eager for you to share!