I've been using this one for a long time.

This is more of a Chili Colorado recipe.

2 -3lbs beef shoulder, cut into 1- inch cubes
1/2cup flour
4 tablespoons oil
5 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
6 ounces tomato paste
2 cups water
salt and pepper


Spread the flour out on a plate and coat the beef cubes one by one in it, dusting off the excess. Don't skip this step because the flour also helps to thicken the sauce at the end.

2. Brown the beef in a heavy bottomed pot in the oil over medium-high heat for maybe a minute or two MAX until just tender. You do want some color on them because

3. Pour in all the spices, the tomato paste, and the water. Bring this to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook low and slow for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the beef is tender and falling apart. A good test is to take a piece and try to mash it on your cutting board with a fork. If it falls apart, you are golden.

4. Serve it just by itself with Mexican rice and beans or use it as a burrito filling or topping.

This is very similar to my recipe

I have started to use a cheat when i want to easily enhance/influence the chili flavor quickly. I use more as a supplement.

I have been using Better Than Bullion Chili
I have found very handy.

In fact i have found The Better Than Bullion product and various flavors to be very helpful

The Lobster, Ham, Beef, Chicken, Vegetable, and Italian Herb favors are always present in my pantry

I find recipes for things like chili and spaghetti sauce superfluous. You just make them. Sure there may be some similarities each time, but never exactly the same, neither proportions nor ingredients.

100 agree

I think it's funny people get so hung up on the beans issue in chili but not on much more significant indicators (in my opinion) of good chili like cubed instead of ground beef, actual chilies instead of just powder, or my favorite critique: using way too much tomato. Tomato paste? Absolutely. Fresh, canned, or tomato sauce? Nope.

LOL, go to a dumpsters behind a chili cookoff and find the ketchup cans.

Chili was originally taking whatever you had and trying to use chili to make it taste good. There are no rules.

True, but there should be some balance. Straight peppers, and the wrong mix of peppers can make it bitter or more like an enchilada sauce, while too much tomato can make it taste like pasta sauce. If you've got a good base recipe you like, use it.

HTownAg98 said:

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True, but there should be some balance. Straight peppers, and the wrong mix of peppers can make it bitter or more like an enchilada sauce, while too much tomato can make it taste like pasta sauce. If you've got a good base recipe you like, use it.

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Not to derail, but I am a huge fan of real peppers in chili. The difference is huge compared to just using chili powder. My recipe, probably stolen from the chili thread, calls for:

3 each dried ancho, New Mexico and guajillo chiles
2 each chile de arbol

A couple times I have not had all the peppers and tried substituting or messing with the numbers and it has come out too spicy or bitter, as you said.

Interested in your and everyone's thoughts on the best mix of peppers for chili, and for other dishes (pork chili verde is another favorite.)

That looks almost like what I typically use. Too many New Mexicos, and it's enchilada sauce. Too many pasillas make it bitter. Too many anchos turn it sweet. I've found that an even mix of all three is ideal, and then add arbols to get the level of heat you want.

Tailgate88 said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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True, but there should be some balance. Straight peppers, and the wrong mix of peppers can make it bitter or more like an enchilada sauce, while too much tomato can make it taste like pasta sauce. If you've got a good base recipe you like, use it.

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Not to derail, but I am a huge fan of real peppers in chili. The difference is huge compared to just using chili powder. My recipe, probably stolen from the chili thread, calls for:

3 each dried ancho, New Mexico and guajillo chiles
2 each chile de arbol

A couple times I have not had all the peppers and tried substituting or messing with the numbers and it has come out too spicy or bitter, as you said.

Interested in your and everyone's thoughts on the best mix of peppers for chili, and for other dishes (pork chili verde is another favorite.)

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this! Once i moved to using the recipes found in this thread using the above mentioned peppers…there was no going back to what i did before…definite game changer

For green chile, this one is pretty solid.
https://www.seriouseats.com/easy-pressure-cooker-pork-chile-verde-recipe

cecil77 said:

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LOL, go to a dumpsters behind a chili cookoff and find the ketchup cans.

Chili was originally taking whatever you had and trying to use chili to make it taste good. There are no rules.

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Did I say there were rules?