Chili Recipes

Winning Recipes from the B’nai Sholom 2025 Chilipalooza

1^st Place in Meat Chili Category

Dan and Chelsey’s Fabulous Chili (from Dan King and Chelsey Large)

Ingredients:

– 2 pound ground beef, bison, or turkey (I used beef; 1 lb 73% lean, 1 lb 90% lean)

– 2 habañero peppers, chopped fine (wear gloves while handling)

– 1 poblano chile pepper, chopped

– 6 minced garlic cloves

– 2 medium onion, minced

– 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

– 3 (8 oz) cans tomato soup

– 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes

– 1 (8 oz) can black beans

– 2 ½ teaspoon ground cumin

– 2 teaspoon paprika

– 2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

– 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

– 2 tablespoons chili powder

– 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

– salt and ground black pepper to taste

– 1 shot Rye whiskey

– olive oil

Directions:

1. Brown meat with chopped onions and minced garlic in a dash of olive oil (I recommend doing each pound separately)
2. Toss browned meat, onions, and garlic into crock pot
3. Throw the other ingredients into the crock pot and stir until evenly mixed
4. Cook on low for 4 hours
5. Add salt & pepper to taste as needed
6. Refrigerate overnight (this is an essential step that should not be disregarded!)
7. Cook on low another 4 hours
8. Serve with a side of buttered corn bread!

2^nd Place in Meat Chili Category

Barry’s Durn Good Chili (from Barry Pendergrass)

Note:  Items marked with an asterisk (*) are optional. This recipe has many variables.

Ingredients:

1.*1 lb. Red kidney beans  (If you want to be authentic, real Texas chili does not have beans) or 2 cans kidney beans, rinsed

2. 4 lbs. beef in 3/4” cubes
3. 6 Tbsp vegetable oil, 4 for meat, 2 for onions and garlic
4. 1 Medium-Large onion, chopped and sautéed
5. 4 garlic cloves, chopped and sautéed
6. 1 Cup red wine
7. 1- 28 oz. Can crushed tomatoes
8. *1 jalapeno, or poblano, or other chili for added heat. Chopped. (Cook’s option. I did not include it for Chilipalooza nite.)

9. 2 Tsp beef bouillon
10. 1/3 cup cider vinegar
11. *3 Tbsp Sofrito and/or 3 Tbsp Tomato paste
12. 2 Tsp oregano
13. 2 Tbsp paprika
14. 3 Tbsp cumin
15. 1 Tbsp celery seed
16. 1/2 Tbsp ancho chili powder
17. 1/2 Tbsp chipotle chili powder
18. *1 oz. Dark chocolate or 3 Tbsp. Molasses
19. 3 or 4 mild chilis like Anaheim. Bite size pieces
20. 2 bell peppers, bite size pieces

Directions:

1. If using dry beans, rinse and cover with water 2” to soak overnight. Discard any remaining water in the morning. In a large pot bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add soaked beans. Bring water back to boil. Boil beans for 10 minutes. Save water to make soup if you like. Add small amounts to chili later if the mix becomes too dry.
2. Trim beef as needed. Sauté beef in batches with 1 Tbsp. oil each to brown outsides. Kosher beef yields lots of water. Pour the water off into the chili pot and sauté beef lightly.
3. Add oil to pot and sauté onions to translucent. Add garlic last minute or so.
4. Add wine to the pot and deglaze the bottom with it before adding to cooking pot.
5. Put beans, beef, onions, garlic, and items 6 through 18 into the cooking pot or slow cooker. Stir and cook in slow cooker 6 to 8 hours. On stove top use low heat to cook minimum 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
6. 45 minutes to 1/2 hour before it’s done, add chopped peppers (items 19 and 20).
7. If mix is too dry, add bean water. If mix is too wet, put two Tbsp corn masa in a quarter cup water. Mix till smooth and stir into the pot.

1^st Place Vegetarian Chili Category

Delicious Bourbon Peach Chili (Vegan) (from Josh Brody)

Average cook time: 90 minutes (plus simmering to reduce more as desired).

Ingredients:

-1 tbsp olive oil
-100 ml bourbon (2 shots)
-4 Bell Peppers (2 green, 2 orange) chopped into large strips
-4 medium yellow onions – roughly chopped
-3 Jalapeño peppers – diced and seeded
-Half bulb garlic – finely chopped
-1 large 30 oz can light pinto beans (drained)
-2 small 13 oz cans of black beans (drained)
-1 large 30 oz can of sliced peaches in juice (drained)
-1 large 30 oz can of Italian diced tomatoes (slightly drained)
-1 6 oz can of tomato paste
-6 oz chili sauce

Spices: Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, Cumin, Oregano, Cayenne pepper, Paprika (Smoked Spanish & Hungarian Half-Sharp), 2 bay leaves, and cinnamon.

Prep:

In a bowl stir peppers and onions in the olive oil, with some salt and pepper.

Finely chop the garlic.

Open and drain the cans.

Get the bourbon and a shot glass.

Cooking:

1. Over medium heat, sweat the peppers and onions, stirring to avoid burning (3-5 minutes).
2. Add the garlic (2-4 minutes).
3. Pour one shot of bourbon in, and increase to high heat, stirring to “deglaze” the pot/pan and reduce the alcohol. Then add a second shot and do the same, stirring. Then reduce to medium-low (3-6 minutes).
4. Put on a layer of spices (Cumin, Cayenne pepper, Paprikas, and more cumin), stirring between each spice.
5. Add the tomatoes, adding some oregano on top before stirring. Bring to a simmer. Add bay leaves.
6. Add the pinto beans, dust a layer of cumin on top before stirring.
7. Once simmering again, add a can of black beans, dust with a layer of one paprika before stirring.
8. Repeat with the second can of black beans and the other paprika.
9. Add the tomato paste, and a layer of cumin, stir to mix the paste all around.
10. Add the chili sauce.
11. Let the chili reduce by simmering. (If you are using firm, fresh peaches, add them before reducing, adding a layer of cinnamon on top of just the peaches.) (5 minutes+)
12. Add the peaches, adding cinnamon on the peaches before stirring.
13. Taste and then season to balance the flavors.
14. Simmer until chili is as soft as you want it. Keeping the lid on/off as necessary to get the desired thickness.
15. Taste again before adding any final spices and removing the bay leaves.

How to make it well:

The key to making a good chili is to make a good chili and then remember what it tasted like along the way. Chili’s flavor gets stronger as it simmers, so you need to taste along the way to make sure you have the desired balance but not be so strong that it’s overpowering in the end. Since chili is spicy, I like to use fruit to offer a balance to that heat. The alcohol is used to help “deglaze” the pot, and to add another complementary flavor. I add a spice to each item I add to the chili. Above I listed what I actually used for the chili, but so many substitutions are possible, like red onions instead of yellow ones for more heat, or a spicier pepper than jalapeños, or juice instead of alcohol. Texture also matters, so I try not to chop anything too small, so that it keeps some structure. Use shorter cook times if you prefer things firmer. If you are using a crockpot, I recommend sautéing/sweating your vegetables in a pan first and cooking it on high for a long time.

 2^nd Place Vegetarian Chili

Yummy Classic Vegetarian Chili** (from David Liebschutz)

Ingredients:

– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 1 onion, diced
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 bell pepper, diced
– 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
– 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
– 1 cup vegetable broth
– 2 tbsp tomato paste
– 1 tbsp chili powder
– 1 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1/2 tsp oregano
– Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened.
2. In a crockpot or heavy pot and add the beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, tomato paste, and spices. Stir well.
3. Heat on medium low and cook until the beans are soft (a couple of hours).
4. Stir and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with toppings like avocado, cilantro, or sour cream.y