Ingredients:
1/2 pound of lean beef
1/2 pound of pork
3 onions chopped
Cook thoroughly with lid on in a large dutch oven or stewing pot then once the meat is cooked add in:
1 teaspoon garlic minced powder
1 teaspoon chili spice [mild or medium hot flavour]
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Cook a bit longer on low heat to blend the seasonings into the meats but stir occassionally to prevent sticking as the greases evaporate. Once these begin to stick to the pan bottom add:
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 whole tomatoes chopped up
1 green pepper chopped up
1 5.5 oz can tomato paste
1 19 oz can romano beans
1 19 oz can kidney beans
1 19 oz can black beans
1 14 oz can pork & beans
1 19 oz can chick peas
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
OR
1/4 chopped hot peppers from a jar [removing hard pieces]
1/4 cup hot pepper juice from a jar
Let simmer on low heat until you know the food is getting hot but try not to bring it to a rolling boil. Stir repeatedly and let simmer for half an hour or longer and then add in:
1/2 cup brown sugar
Stir well and continue to cook for a few minutes more. This is where you need to taste to see if you need to add a bit more brown sugar to counter attack the hot spices. If needed add a bit more at a time until you can no longer taste the hot spices when you sample it. You don't want to go for a real sweet taste either but add just enough to more or less make the chili neutral tasting with a bit of sweet flavour. Once you have added the desired amount of brown sugar, continue to cook for about another 10 - 15 minutes to thoroughly dissolve the sugar crystals and then serve. The chili will darken because of the brown sugar.
You can serve chili by itself or with either mashed potatoes, or garlic bread, or french fries, or bread & butter. Serving it in different ways each time tends to add to the many various combinations of meals and stops you and your family from getting bored 'with the same old meals'.
Yield: 10 to 12 servings. Freeze what is left over or keep for another meal or do both. When reheating frozen chili you can put it in a pot and add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot by 1/2" to prevent burning and heat the pot and chili on a very low setting.
COMMENTS: I called this Sneak Attack Chili because it tends to counter act the hot spice taste but not the affect. It gives the chili a sweeter taste but you will find that your sinuses or perspiration will react the same as normal when you eat hot spices but without the tongue's burning sensations. The chili can end up tasting sweet or just a bit sweet [depending on your taste choices] but after several mouth fulls the hot spices sneak up on you and you get the affects but not the burning mouth sensations. Kids usually love this because of its sweet taste. It may seem that this is a lot of brown sugar but when combined with all the ingredients in a large pot it really isn't that much. Brown sugar is often a good substitute for molasses in a recipe.
I have taught several people how to make chili over the years and they have all learned to do what I do. Basically have certain ingredients for chili that they like and switch them around from meal to meal to keep interested. One time I make it sweet, another time hot, another time mild. It just depends on the food mood I am in. :)
Enjoy.
