Chili, Family-Style

acerast's Note:

My husband and son really "pigged-out" on this chili the first time I made it. It had been simmering for hours and they just couldn't help themselves. It is flavorful but not hot. Those who like heat can add their own (my husband always does). It is adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Gebhardt's Chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup beef broth

Directions:

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Add the onions, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Cook until onions and pepper are translucent.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds.
5. Add the beef and increase the heat to medium-high.
6. Cook until no longer pink, for about 10 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spoon.
7. Stir in the beans, diced tomatoes and their juice, crushed tomatoes, beef broth and another 1/2 teaspoon salt.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
9. Remove the lid and continue to simmer at least another 45 minutes, or longer to develop flavor.
10. Serve, allowing each person to season their bowl to their liking with salt, pepper, hot sauce, sour cream, grated cheese, and/or chopped onions.

Reviews

[SmoochTheCook]

Wellllll, this chili was TO DIE FOR!!!! Yep, and the shredded cheese and other toppings I slaved over..wasted. Ha! No one wanted to cover up any of the flavor of the chili itself, which is unheard of in my cheese loving family. I made this on Saturday and actually just put it in the slow cooker for the day. Used a little less onion and green pepper because my brother was going to have some with us and also used a can of white kidney beans in place of one can of the red. Then, put it in the fridge and had it ready to reheat for the superbowl last night. It went over really well and I packed some up for a neighbor friend of mine for work today, dad has some for work on Wed. and I'm going to try to freeze some as well. Thanks so very much for the wonderful new recipe that will be used as often as I can find applicable (with a chili-hating mother).

[Kit_Kat]

I loved the overall flavor but in my opinion it needed more body to it. I added a can of tomato paste and that made the consistency more thick and rich. I will definitely make this again with the listed variation. **Reviewed as part of PAC Spring 2009**

[bmcnichol]

I thought this was good but I didn't think it was spicy enough. Next time I make this, I will add the chili powder and cumin after the tomatoes are added. It didn't seem spicey enough with it being added at the beginning. This had a good taste to it though. I followed the recipe as written.