Chili?

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Ky hills

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Well we been talkin ideal cows, frame size etc.
Wife made chili today, 2 pounds of ground beef, bell peppers, onions, garlic, hot RoTel, Pioneer chili seasoning, tomatoes, with corn and 4 kinds of beans.
She serves it with sour cream, shredded cheese and Fritos.
I know some folks don't want beans in it but it helps to stretch it out for another meal or two.
Being about a 100 miles south of Cincinnati I reckon people inherited that abomination of spaghetti noodles in chili.
Most peoples idea of chili here is some ground beef, tomatoes, maybe some chili powder and a lot of spaghetti noodles.
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That's looks more like what I'd call Taco Soup. Still looks mmm...mmm good! Although I do like beans in my Chili, my wife and family doesn't so I make a pot of Chili and a pot of Beans and put some of each on my Fritos. Sometimes cheese and sometimes not but certainly a good shot of Tabasco.
 
That's looks more like what I'd call Taco Soup. Still looks mmm...mmm good! Although I do like beans in my Chili, my wife and family doesn't so I make a pot of Chili and a pot of Beans and put some of each on my Fritos. Sometimes cheese and sometimes not but certainly a good shot of Tabasco.
Yeah you're right, it's pretty close to how she does tacos too. For tacos she adds jalapeños, and a can or two of chipotle and or green chilis.. Tabasco used to be my go too, but lately we've been using Cholula smoky chipotle sauce.
 
A few years ago when we were a part of the local farmer's market. She entered their annual chili cook off competition.
The first year she made it too hot for the locals. Second year she toned it down and added great northern beans.
She won, we attributed it to not having much heat and the white beans being different, and getting their attention. Most locals especially the older generations here don't like anything spicy.
 
That's looks more like what I'd call Taco Soup. Still looks mmm...mmm good! Although I do like beans in my Chili, my wife and family doesn't so I make a pot of Chili and a pot of Beans and put some of each on my Fritos. Sometimes cheese and sometimes not but certainly a good shot of Tabasco.
Yep, taco soup. It's for people that don't know chili.
 
A few years ago when we were a part of the local farmer's market. She entered their annual chili cook off competition.
The first year she made it too hot for the locals. Second year she toned it down and added great northern beans.
She won, we attributed it to not having much heat and the white beans being different, and getting their attention. Most locals especially the older generations here don't like anything spicy.
The key word there, is local. You're in Ky.
Most real chili cookoffs I've seen don't allow beans IN the chili..
 
The key word there, is local. You're in Ky.
Most real chili cookoffs I've seen don't allow beans IN the chili..
Yeah, chili is not a traditional Appalachian dish. Lots of variations to it as it got spread around.
Chicken and dumplins, soup beans and cornbread, country ham, shucky beans, are more notable as traditional foods in the area around here.
 
If there are noodles in the chili, we'd call it goulash.
My mother made what she called hamburger casserole with noodles, canned tomatoes, and cream of mushroom soup, very similar to her chili except it the mushroom soup. Sometimes she called it goulash especially in later years.
 
My mother made what she called hamburger casserole with noodles, canned tomatoes, and cream of mushroom soup, very similar to her chili except it the mushroom soup. Sometimes she called it goulash especially in later years.
My mom made goulash a lot growing up because it was relatively inexpensive and made lots of left overs. It was mainly noodles, spagetti sauce and hamburger. Later in life my German MIL made goulash that was completely different. To her goulash was roasted pork loin pieces in gravel over mashed potatoes or spaetzle. So good!
 
I guess nearly all states put beans in their chili except Texas. Once again, we're right and the world's wrong - go figure. Anyway, I have to add my two cents which is now worth a nickel due to inflation. For folks in Texas you cannot beat Wick Fowler's Chili Mix. 2-Alarm or even No-Alarm. Add what you want (yeah, even beans - hell, it's your chili)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wick-Fow...3g2-&sid=24ad51a6-2c96-437f-963c-c08e74fbd776
 
Goulash is meat chunks as a soup. There are no noodles in it, of any kind.

Americans made that pasta chili thing and call it Goulash.

But I like beans, so what do I know.
 
makes 7+ quarts

Ground beef or shredded roast and hot breakfast sausage. 2-3 lbs of meat in total

Kidney beans (dark and light)
Pinto beans
Northern
Black beans
Black eyed peas
corn
home canned tomatoes (2 quarts)
1 can rotel
pickled cayenne pepper juice

seasoned to your preference

I like frito, saltines, tortilla chips, really any kind of crunch

Dice up some pickled cayenne, a dollop of sour cream, and lots of cheese.

I'm gonna have to make some now. I'm starving.
 
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That's looks more like what I'd call Taco Soup. Still looks mmm...mmm good! Although I do like beans in my Chili, my wife and family doesn't so I make a pot of Chili and a pot of Beans and put some of each on my Fritos. Sometimes cheese and sometimes not but certainly a good shot of Tabasco.
For me, the Tabasco is non-negotiable…gotta have it…look at the ingredients on the bottle - simple and honest…salt, red pepper, and vinegar.
 
For folks in Texas you cannot beat Wick Fowler's Chili Mix. 2-Alarm
I use it frequently, tho there's really nothing in there that isn't already in most people's spice cabinet.

(I have to draw the line at no-alarm tho. I don't go way overboard on heat, but it's gotta have some other than what the chili powder, & black pepper provide.)
 
Growing up, We never ate anything hot or spicy. Like a lot of Appalachians my mother seasoned things depending on what it was with butter, cream, salt and a little black pepper. She'd keep a few dried red peppers probably cayenne hung up and cut a tiny piece of a pepper off to put in soup beans. My mother didn't even want red bell peppers she thought they were hot.
The funny thing is that a lot of people that didn't like hot peppers would put raw onions on a lot of things.
My father kept Tabasco sauce and horseradish around for his own use.
I didn't ever realize till I was probably 40 that I liked things with some heat.
My wife cooks with jalapeños, red pepper flakes, and even though they aren't hot she uses different color bell peppers in several dishes makes for a good flavor. A lot times she'll cook with both yellow and red onions for added flavor. Depending on what dish sometimes we'll add some Cholula or Tabasco sauce.
We both like a little heat in certain things but not too much. I've grown jalapeños, Serrano and cayenne peppers. I got a habanero plant once but she wouldn't tackle those.
There's an elderly couple that we are friends with and he is always telling about making homemade v8 juice and telling how he put hot pepper in it and how good it was.
We took them some chili once like we like, but it was too hot for them.
 
Growing up, We never ate anything hot or spicy. Like a lot of Appalachians my mother seasoned things depending on what it was with butter, cream, salt and a little black pepper. She'd keep a few dried red peppers probably cayenne hung up and cut a tiny piece of a pepper off to put in soup beans. My mother didn't even want red bell peppers she thought they were hot.
The funny thing is that a lot of people that didn't like hot peppers would put raw onions on a lot of things.
My father kept Tabasco sauce and horseradish around for his own use.
I didn't ever realize till I was probably 40 that I liked things with some heat.
My wife cooks with jalapeños, red pepper flakes, and even though they aren't hot she uses different color bell peppers in several dishes makes for a good flavor. A lot times she'll cook with both yellow and red onions for added flavor. Depending on what dish sometimes we'll add some Cholula or Tabasco sauce.
We both like a little heat in certain things but not too much. I've grown jalapeños, Serrano and cayenne peppers. I got a habanero plant once but she wouldn't tackle those.
There's an elderly couple that we are friends with and he is always telling about making homemade v8 juice and telling how he put hot pepper in it and how good it was.
We took them some chili once like we like, but it was too hot for them.
Sometimes in my chili or spaghetti, I will use green, red, yellow and orange bell peppers, and use red, white, and Vidalia onion. I do this when making it for someone else, or in a competition, but is is just for the visual appeal. Making either one for myself, I just use green bell peppers and yellow onions, because they are cheaper. But there is no difference in the taste between the 4 colors of bell pepper.
I don't like anything hot or spicy myself. My chili is mild. People can add hot sauce to their bowl if they want to, is how I see it. I entered and won a contest today at a local dealership, in fact. Won it every year since 2019 since I learned the secret. Over 2/3rds, 68%, of people prefer mild chili. This contest is a deal that the public judges. People get a ticket and a bowl, and come by each table and get a little cup ( I think 2 oz.), then they put their ticket in the bucket by whoever's chili they liked. After they vote, they can get a bowl of whichever chili they want. The 2 dudes that nearly always come in 2nd make what they call Cincinatti chili. They use cinnamon for heat and it makes it sweet. It is still kinda spicy, but it sneaks up on you. You get the burn in the after taste. Everyone else makes HOT chili, and some will make a white, chicken chili, or make it with black beans or kidney beans or corn, etc on it. A lot of the ones who make hot chili, go to these competitions where they have 3 or 4 "chili masters" judging, and at those, the real hot chilis do well.
 

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