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With cool weather here, I made a pot of chili yesterday, and thought I'd pass a simple recipe on to the board.

Start with yesterdays leftover coffee- just kiddin'.

I like my chili a little chewy and with this in mind, rather than ground beef, I use chopped beef. By chopped beef, I mean- 'Go to the IGA and buy the cheapest cut of beef, you can find. Generally, a chuck roast, or whatever is on sale, will work. Prepared stew beef is usually about 3 bucks or more per lb and too high for me. 'Better to cut your own. (I purchased a 2.79 lb chuck for 5.27. I cut the whole thing up- Used half and froze half for the next batch.)
Like someone said of their grandma, I don't measure anything as a general rule, mostly a dash of this or a handful of that. Be careful with salt and other seasoning, it's easy to over do it. Occationally, I will follow a recipe, but most of the time, I don't.
Anyway, slice the roast into about 1/2" slabs, cutting each into strips about big as your wife's finger, then chopping the strips into little chunks. Removing most of the heavy fat, will make the chili less greasy and keep the wife happy. Be sure to use a good sharp knife and be careful not to amputate a thumb. It won't look good in somebody's bowl.
Heat a couple or 3 tablespoons of oil, olive or whatever, in a skillet 'til it's smoking a little bit. (I use a 5 qt castiron dutchoven and just add the other ingredients to it. 'Saves washing a pan..)
Add the beef, about 1 1/2 lbs or so- Sprinkle in about 1 teaspoon of salt, then stir 'til cooked or braised. Turn the heat down a little, if you are going to use the same vessel, otherwise pour the beef and juice into a 5 quart pot.
Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and two cans of water. While it coming to a boil, open 3 cans of your favorite beans and drain the juice off of them. I actually wash the beans in the can by running tap water in it a couple of times and drain into the sink. My choice of beans are- One light red kidney, one dark red kidney, and one pinto.
Add the beans.
Add 2 packets of your choice of chili seasoning. I use the stuff sold at Dollar General at 3 for $1 and put in all three- Good stuff, last a long time.
Okay here's the secret ingredient- the juice of a wedge of lemon or about 1 teaspoon of lemon concentrate. (I use one of those little plastice lemon jobs and just give it a couple of little squirts.)
Stir good and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and allow the mix to lightly simmer for about 3 hours, stirring every once in a while.
If you're in a hurry, raising the heat to mid range will lower the time, but you have to stir it pretty regular to avoid sticking, and you will probably have to add a little water.
You can't go wrong with the long simmer time. It will definately tender up the meat better.
Optional- about 15-20 minutes before taking it up, add a medium chopped onion. And, if the ma-in-law shows up unexpectedly, a diced potato will add another portion (an emergency measure only). Also, you can add about a half cup of browned dry flour, if you like it thicker.. Sometimes I do this.
Is it hot- No, What's her name cain't handle it, but I like it that way, so I add red pepper to mine at the table.
Don't ruin the flavor with Tobasco or whatever. If you want to impress the brother-in-law with hot- add a tablespoon or so, of the red stuff (ground red pepper- black pepper? yeah that okay, but no hot sauce).

Serve with hot cornbread, biscuits, or saltines. Goes good with a beer, but I'd as soon have a glass of cold milk, myself.


Ingredients-

1 1/2 pounds or so chopped beef (do it yourself)
2 or 3 tablespoons of oil (olive, canola, crisco, bacon grease, whatever)
1 teaspoon salt (about)
2 cans diced tomatoes (get mine at Wal-mart .50 a can)
2 cans of tap water
3 cans beans, drained (your choice light or dark kidneys, pintos, or whatever)
2-3 packs of chili seasoning (the cheap stuff works okay for me)
1 wedge of lemon (juice of or a squirt or two from the lemon thingy)
Optional-
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium potato, diced
1/4 to 1/2 cup of browned flour (to thicken)
The hot stuff (ground red/black pepper to taste)

This recipe will feed 4 or 5, maybe 6 hungry people, and you will probably still have some leftover.
'Doubling the ingredients will be about right for a tailgate party.

I don't know a recipe for a grouper chili, but I did see 'halibut chili' on a menu in Alaska, once.

This does sound outrageous and I will refer the queen of the house to it next time for chili!

I often forget to check, Recipe, topic.
I'm a chili freak, so I'll make a few suggestions for adding special ingredients or techniques:
*get a cheap pressure pot and use it to cook, soaked overnight, dried beans. Carefully pick through dried beans for sticks, clay lumps, ugly looking flattened hard beans and especially rocks (discard this trash) and soak beans in twice the volume of water, next day discarding soak water, and washing beans. Cook beans in pressure pot adding about one inch of water above level of beans. Cook beans without salt for about 35 to 40 minutes at slow valve jiggle (low heat, just enough to allow a little steam to escape, so as not to burn beans at bottom of pot. After cooking time is up, remove pot from heat and allow to cool down and remove lid according to pot instructions. These beans will be much better than canned beans;
*besides red and pinto beans, try black beans sometime -- they give a good change of pace flavor you'll probably like (or mix in some with other beans);
*a secret ingredient used by Southern Mexicans, is to add powdered cocoa -- about 2-3 tablespoons per pot;
*to brown meat, or sautee onions, peppers or other herbs, don't use olive oil as it has a low smoking temperature and will burn and give an unpleasant taste -- use soy bean oil, cheapest vegitable oil. I like the delicate flavor of olive oil and add it in the liquid chili just before serving;
*sautee herbs (onions, etc.) separately until slightly brown in a skillet using soy bean oil and add to chili around mid point in cooking time.
*use whole canned or fresh tomatos. Whole canned tomatos have a better flavor than other styles for some reason (maybe because they have less or no tomato puree in them (just chop them up in about the same size as meat chunks.
*vary adding a small can of tomato paste, or not, and also, a teaspoon of bacon drippings and a tablespoon of ground cumin, too.
Enjoy!

I'm with sea-grits on the black beans. I usually have a 2-1 ratio of kidney to black. Brown sugar is also included in my recipe. As well as Rotel, small amounts of fresh garlic and beef. If I'm feeling extra sporty - sausage. I've also found (for me anyway) that the more tomatoes - diced, sliced and whole - the better. Mucho tomato also means less "aftertaste".

I grow various peppers. My cayennes haven't stopped spittin' 'em out since spring (that's a good thing!).

I'm a chili freak also. Usually a big pot every few weeks.

Thanks for the input Grits, FR. The two of you sound like real gourmet cooks. (Students of Graham Kerr, Julia Chiles...??) Me? I'm just a redneck cook, generally appling the 'KISS' theory in the kitchen. (Justin Wilson would be proud of me.)
Like leavin' your lover, there must be 40 ways (or more) to make chili.
Sometimes, I do it your way with various dried beans, cummin, chipole peppers, etc (time consuming), but most of the time, I want to get it simmering and get back to whatever I got going. 'What's her name' keeps me way too busy to spend much time in the kitchen.
This method is quick- 30 minutes of preparation and back to the sawhorses or whatever.
I guess the essence of my suggested recipe lies in the use of chopped beef, rather than hamburger. Like I said, I like a litte chew in it.
The rest of the ingredients depends on ones particular palate and diligence.
I won't be entering no chili cookoffs with this recipe. Maybe, we can change the name to 'Redneck Quick Chili'.

Flats, I too, have a small tomato and pepper garden every year. The sandy soil I have to work with, doesn't grow tomatoes that good. Use to get a couple of bussels a year in Ga, I'm lucky to get a peck or a little more in Carrabelle.
'Gonna try something new come planting time, but that's another story..

I'm no chef, by a long shot.
Learned what little I know from watching my mom cook, hoping she'd hurry up and put some vittles on the table after I'd burned up the calories from the last meal.
Over the years I've cooked a lot and read cooking stuff and have acquired some basic principles about a few ethnic foods. My favorite styles are Cajun, Southern country, old world Spanish and Italian, Indian and, strangely enough, oriental (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian). I also like Tex-Mex and Cuban styles.
I have concentrated on cooking methods, ingredients, herbs and spices and experiment a lot -- some are total failures, but I eat them anyway to learn what not to do in the future. I rarely cook from a recipe.
Tomatoes and peppers are things I cook with a lot and I've tried to grow them, with not too much luck. Started vegetable gardening at the beginning of the last drought and gave up!