Almost winning a chili contest. Yikes!
My son wanted to enter a guys-only, chili-making contest, and asked me to teach him how to make a pot of chili.
So I did. This is my favorite recipe, and I promise I only told him what to do—I did not touch it, the entire process.
Smoky, hot, and red throughout I love it, even for breakfast with an egg on top. Oh MY!
And among a city-wide field of about 15 entrants, he won second place. Yay! (First place tasted like spaghetti, so…)
I thought you’d like the recipe. It’s involved, but we do love it. Here goes:
Second Place Chili
3 strips bacon, cut up
1 whole onion, chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef (93/7)
1/4 cup chili powder
2 quarts canned whole tomatoes
4 cups cooked cannellini beans and broth
3 cups cooked hominy, drained
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup catsup (optional)
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
Fry bacon in large soup pot on medium, until crisp. remove from grease and save. Add onion and ground beef to bacon drippings and fry, stirring, on medium until both are somewhat browned. Add chili powder. Stir well and allow to rest for a few minutes.
Add all vegetables, including tomato paste. Stir well and simmer for one half hour. Add catsup and Worcestershire, if desired. (I used to add this, but we’ve grown to prefer it without, these days.) Stir in pepper at the last minute. Top with the fried bacon and serve with dill pickles spears, cornbread, sliced cheese, and sour cream.
Serves six.
What about it—do you like black pepper in your chili?
Home's Cool! 
I like lots of black pepper and lots of beans. I usually use three: pinto/chili beans, red kidney, and black. Like it best over Frito chips, but I guess that’s the Texan in me. 😉
Sounds delish! Fix us some, sometime! 🙂
Any time! 😊
I’d probably opt for canned beans because of time, but this sounds delicious. Second place is not shabby! Tell him congratulations.
OH, he’s been congratulated, I must say! Ha! And thanks for the compliment! I do use canned beans, and I hope no one thinks the above meant dried! Ooops! 😀
I love black pepper in my chili too. And red pepper flakes, and jalapeno pepper! WooHoo! Congrats to son! I’m with Victoria…lots of beans in mine too…Guess that’s the Texas way. Dorothy’s right second place is not shabby! Takes after his mama! ❤
Hey, Diane, Thanks for the kind words! 😀
Actually, my son does NOT take after me. I love to cook, but he loves to eat, so we make a good team.
What’s going on in your writing world? I don’t hear much from you anymore… ❤
My nose is stuffed in front of this computer…working. I’m trying hard to finish “Twisted.” Plus went to Caryl McAdoo’s WordWyse Conference weekend before last and found out how lacking my marketing plan (did I say plan…how about lack of plan) is. And I’m working on that too, as well as I have my first two articles appearing in the print magazine for Texas Hill Country. Saw the proofs yesterday and I’m excited! My longtime edit partner, Lori Freeland is also attempting to finish one book and rewrite another one. Soooo, my backside keeps growing. I should learn to work standing up. :D.
Yum, you had me at bacon! This looks so good, I would have given it first for sure!
So would I, next to spaghetti sauce with beans in it. 😉 Thanks for your kind words and WELCOME to Home’s Cool! And thanks for the follow! Wow! 😀