Chili, Meaty Traditional Style w/Kidney Beans

Chili can be a fun dish for a crowd, as guests can add their own favorite toppings (cheese, chopped jalapenos, cilantro and such). This recipe includes directions for making chili powder, as many store-bought mixes contain MSG and other questionable additives.

One might even leave the meat and cheese out of this recipe, to make it vegan. It’s still full of flavor! Serves 10-12.

Bowl of Chili and corn bread

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb. dry kidney beans
  • 2 lb. lean ground beef
  • Olive oil for grilling veggies
  • Approx. 4 c. chopped onion (2 lg.)
  • 3 chopped green peppers (sub Anaheim or Poblano for variety)
  • 2 (26 oz.) cans tomato pieces
  • 2 TBS. Worchestershire Sauce
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 3 TBS. chili powder
  • 2 c. of water (more as needed)
  • Optional: 8 oz. grated cheddar cheese
  • Optional: Sour cream, cilantro, chopped jalapenos or raw onion, etc.

PREPARATION

1. In a medium-large pot, bring to boil: > Half-pot of water

2. Add, and then simmer until tender, 1 hour or more: > 1 lb. dry kidney beans

3. When beans are done, drain off cooking water. Put beans back in pot.

4. Saute’ in iron pan: > 2 lb. lean ground beef

5. Drain fat off if necessary; add to cooked beans in pot. In same pan, sauté: > Approx. 4 c. chopped onion > 4 or so chopped green peppers > 1/4 c. olive oil

6. Into the pot of beans and meat, add the grilled veggies, plus the following: > 2 (26 oz.) cans tomato pieces > 2 tsp. salt > 3 TBS. chili powder* > 2 TBS. Worchestershire Sauce > more water as needed (to right consistency)

7. Simmer all ingredients 1 hour or so. Serve with grated cheddar cheese and condiments, as desired.

*For homemade chili powder: Mix in a bowl and store in small jar: > 1/4 c. paprika > 1/4 c. garlic granules > 1/4 c. cumin powder > 1 TBS. cayenne

10 Responses to “Chili, Meaty Traditional Style w/Kidney Beans”

  1. Reply HMVincent

    I love chili. I learned it Texas style, without beans. Serve with cornbread.

    • Reply Jennifer Cote

      We had so much fun at our church’s Chili Cook-Off last night- got to try all kinds of chilis. There were several “Texas style”, which was pretty good too! There was even a “Seven Buck Chuck” Chili, made with venison. THAT was interesting!

        • Reply Jennifer Cote

          It was a lot of fun, Lorraine. Toby Salazar ended up winning. Which was really nice, since he only made some to help his wife out. She had organized the chili cook-off, and had only a couple folks signed up to make chili, and was nervous. So Toby said he’d make some for her. Sweet, right?!

          • Lorraine Kavanagh

            I love to hear ‘good hubby’ stories!

          • Jennifer Cote

            Yeah. It was anonymous, who anyone was voting for. So he won, fair and square! (Even if we were hoping my chili would win, haha. That was before we’d heard of Toby’s valiant effort <3 )

    • Reply Jennifer Cote

      I’m so encouraged when I hear that other folks cook stuff the old-fashioned way too, Lorraine. Forget the canned stuff- we can cook our own dry beans, right?! @facebook-1686716673:disqus

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