This chili recipe has been a huge hit since we first shared it. We've been blown away by all the positive feedback and love hearing about your chili cook-off wins!
Hi, this is Lisa's husband Eddie, guest blogging my award winning chili recipe based on popular demand (mostly from my wife).
I'll never forget the first chili cook-off I ever attended. It was an office event and it hadn't even occurred to me to submit my own entry. There were about a dozen chilis to choose from ranging from incredible to inedible (the latter being heat related - it was called "The Five Alarmer" and it passed its time at the cook-off largely undisturbed).
The ultimate winner, whose chili I had voted for, was a young woman just starting her career. I was an executive at the time, which I mention only to emphasize how awkward it was when I asked her if she would share her recipe with me and she just looked at me and shook her head.
I suddenly understood the competitiveness involved in these things - there would be another chili cook-off at some point and she wasn't giving away any secrets. Thus began my personal quest to win a chili contest!
Quest for the best chili
I tried a number of different approaches in the following years, including a purist Texas style chili that shunned beans and ground beef in favor of unadorned hunks of stew meat simmered in what I thought was an excellent balance of chiles and spices. “Delicious”, someone told me after I placed third, “but it’s not really chili”.
The award winning chili had beans in it. And I had to admit it was much better than mine, in part because it had three different kinds of meat in it, including sausage.
Determined to come up with an award winning chili recipe, I narrowed my sights to multiple-meat chilis and came upon Guy Fieri’s Dragon Breath chili, which is the recipe I’m adapting here.
Award Winning Chili Recipe
This chili contains chuck meat, Italian pork sausage and ground beef plus three different kinds of peppers (poblano, Anaheim and jalapeño) which results in excellent flavor, texture and heat.
And my version has a little something extra! Fieri‘s recipe calls for either bacon grease or canola oil to sauté the aromatics. Easy choice I thought, but it’s not as if you can buy bacon grease so I got a 12-oz package of bacon, cut it into small pieces and rendered the fat myself. It produced just about the right amount of fat, but also an interesting byproduct. As I looked at those cooked bits of bacon I thought “who am I kidding? Those are going into my chili!”
Also Lisa advised that I use three different kinds of chili powder to add a depth of flavor to match up against the three (now four actually) kinds of meat and three types of chili pepper. Finally, my taste in beer steered me toward an IPA rather than the lager suggested by the original recipe.
Aside from those differences and the fact that I brown the meat separately instead of in with the sautéed vegetables, the credit goes to Fieri for an amazing recipe, especially his use of spices which generates a level of heat that is just on the edge, which in my view is where a chili should be.
My chili won two cook-offs outright including one against Dean's award winning white chicken chili.
It also took best meat chili in a third competition (lost to a vegetarian in the all-around that year) and came in a very close second to Dean’s white chicken chili in another cook-off that was heartbreaking for me.
Against a field of roughly 20 chilis and with hundreds of votes tallied, Dean and I were counted up exactly even to tie for the win and the medal was awarded jointly to us.
In what has since become known as Chili-gate, I later that day discovered that unlike the previous competition, the cooks were not allowed to vote. I conceded that I had in fact voted and presented sole ownership of the blue ribbon to Dean. I kidded him that my vote was for his chili (it wasn’t).
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Here's how to make Eddie's Award Winning Chili:
This chili takes time to prepare and involves numerous ingredients, but it's totally worth it and the basics are straightforward.
Start by roasting, peeling, seeding and chopping the chiles. Keep a close eye on them while they are roasting - things can escalate quickly.
Peel off the skin. Use a small knife to scrape the seeds out. Then dice the flesh.
In the meantime, while the chilies are in the oven, cut up and fry down the bacon to provide the grease to use for sautéing (and the bacon itself!). You then sauté the chiles and vegetables in the bacon fat, remove them and brown the meat in the same pot.
Then add the spices, the tomato sauce and paste, chicken broth and beer and simmer for two hours.
Lisa asked me to advise you that if you want to be a little healthier you can skim the fat off the surface periodically which, in my opinion, for this dish is sort of like saying that if you want to be a little safer when you go cliff diving, wear knee pads. But anyway consider it mentioned.
No skimming was involved when I took first place in the cook-offs. And if you really want a healthy chili option, try this vegetarian chili or this Turkey Chili.
I also want to say that it is great to have a sous chef alongside when you prepare this chili, preferably Lisa.
One final note: for my taste the heat level is perfect, but if you want to tone it down, the best way is by reducing the amount of cayenne pepper.
Some of your questions answered
Over the years, we have gotten lots of questions from our readers, in the comments. Here are the answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions:
If the concern is alcohol, you can use a non-alcoholic beer. There are even non-alcoholic IPAs. If the concern is gluten, you can use a gluten-free beer. Whatever the reason is, if you don't want to use beer at all, you can substitute an equal amount of chicken stock.
We have had this issue and have doubled up on the poblano peppers, with great success!
Yes absolutely. Just make sure you turn the crockpot on high heat for a bit to be sure the chili gets up to temp. Then, once it's hot you can put it on the "warm" setting.
Cut the cayenne in half or eliminate it completely. Cayenne doesn't add much in the way of flavor but it does add a substantial amount of heat. Also, be sure to remove all the seeds and white pith from the jalapeños. For an even milder chili, stick to a mild chili powder, such as ancho or Mexican Guajillo Chili Powder.
Here's my award winning chili recipe. If you make this please come back to leave a comment and let me know what you think.
PrintRecipe
Eddie's Award Winning Chili
- Total Time: 3 hours 45 mins
- Yield: 10-12 servings 1x
Description
A fantastic award winning chili con carne with a robust meaty flavor, the perfect amount of heat, beef, pork, beans, fresh chile peppers, awesome spices, onions, garlic, tomatoes and beer.
Ingredients
- 3 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
- 3 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
- 12 ounces of bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips and sautéed until almost crisp. Reserve 3 tablespoons of bacon fat.
- 3 tablespoons bacon fat (rendered from the bacon)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola, grape seed or your favorite)
- 2 red bell peppers, seeds and ribs removed, diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced
- 2 yellow onions, peeled and diced
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced (10-12 garlic cloves, 6 tablespoons minced garlic)
- 1 pound boneless beef chuck, trimmed of fat and gristle, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 tablespoons chili powder (Try using 3 different chili powders for great depth of flavor - I use ancho, chipotle and Mexican)
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (Half this amount for less heat)
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 2 teaspoons hot paprika (not smoked)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups tomato sauce (passata, not ketchup for those in the UK)
- 8 ounces tomato paste
- 12 ounces of your favorite beer (I use an IPA because I like the hoppy flavor)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, with juice
- 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, with juice
Optional Garnishes:
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced or 1 red onion, finely chopped
- Shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack
- Sour cream
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Instructions
- To Roast the Chilies, Preheat the oven to broil (500ºF) Set an oven rack at the top, directly under the broiler. Spread the chiles out on a low-sided oven tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, turning peppers with tongs every five minutes, until their skins are about 60-70% blackened on all sides. Put the hot peppers directly into a paper bag. Roll down the top of the bag so they're tightly contained. Let them sit and steam for 15-20 minutes until the skins are loosened and easy to peel off. Peel off skins, remove seeds and membranes, and chop.
- To Sauté Chilis and Aromatics, add the bacon grease and oil to a large heavy pot or Dutch oven (6-quart), over medium-high heat. Add the chopped chiles, red bell peppers, jalapeño peppers and onions. Cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables just start to become translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Transfer all the sautéed vegetables to a bowl and set aside. No need to wash the pot, you'll use it to brown the meat.
- To Brown the Meats, add the cubed beef chuck to the pot and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring to break up the sausage and ground beef, until the meat is no longer pink. Return the cooked vegetables to the pot along with the reserved bacon.
- Add Spices: chili powders, cayenne, coriander, cumin, granulated garlic, granulated onion, paprika, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the Rest of the Ingredients: Add the tomato sauce and paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, to combine. Add beer, chicken stock, kidney beans with their liquid and pinto beans with their liquid. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for 2 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
- To Serve, ladle chili into bowls. Top with garnishes or put garnishes into small bowls for self serve.
Notes
Should you drain and rinse the beans? In my experience draining and rinsing the beans is not required. If you're someone who feels otherwise, by all means drain and rinse - the outcome will still be terrific!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
This recipe post was first published on October 23, 2017. It has been updated with new photos to show the cooking steps, a video so you can watch how to make it, and an added FAQ section that answer some of the most frequently asked questions from our followers. We haven't touched the recipe because, by all accounts, it's great just the way it is!
Kasey Peterson
Curious as to the exclusion of worshishire sauce and using chicken broth instead of beef? Sounds great and doesn't have my usual ingredients
Eddie
Hi Kasey - I don't have much of an answer for you other than the recipe I adapted used chicken broth and no worcestershire sauce. There is so much flavor in this recipe already I am not sure it needs other ingredients but feel free to try these adjustments and if you do, let me know how it turns out.
Clayton
Great Recipie!
Used a slightly modified version yesterday in a chili cook off and took first. Had to cook 5 gallons so it was almost quadrupled! I believe the roasted peppers made a big difference. I left out the beans this time (I personally love the beans), in south louisiana, chilli is not usually with beans. I used ground chuck and chuck stew meat, made a really lean chilli. With 16 lbs of meat (chuck, Italian sausage and bacon) there was only.a cup of grease to remove. A competitor removed almost a half gallon!!
Again, great Recipie! I will do it again!
Eddie
Congratulations Clayton. Wow - 5 gallons is a lot of chili. You certainly earned it! I get the thing about the beans.
Ed Taylor
I've made the dragons breath with my own tweaks and win cookoffs on three different occasions. My grandson who has always been involved decided he wanted to give yours a try and with a few minor tweaks of our own we took first place again at a 13 pot cook off . great recipe
Thanks, Ed
Eddie
That's awesome Ed. It's a wonderful thing to cook with your grandson I imagine. He must have been very proud of the first place finish!
Josh
Eddie,
Thank you for the recipe. Your chili just sweep the TTF King’s Bay command chili cookout. The only change I made was, the cookoff was first thing in the morning and a guy at work recommended to let the chili sit in the refrigerator over night. Turned out great. If you are ever in southeast ga, I owe you a beer. Thanks again.
Josh
Eddie
Hey Josh - I totally agree about the power of leaving the chili to sit overnight. I do that myself when I enter a contest mostly because there is no other way I can get it done before bringing it in to work, but I also came to find it improves the flavor. Congratulations! I don't get down south much but I sure appreciate the offer and possibly one day will be swinging through.
darren dale
Hi from UK we cooked this recipe today and can honestly say is best we ever had . We couldn’t find different types of chilli required so just used green chilli instead but was very good ! Thank you
Eddie
Hi Darren - I live in the UK these days too and have the same issue with getting the right peppers, but you can get close enough I have learned.
Andrew
Thanks for this awesome recipe Eddie my wife and I just tried it today and the flavor was spot on! My wife keeps on taking sample tastes while the chili is simmering 🙂 We didn't had the anaheim peppers and IPA but it's ok we'll try to add those next time. This one's for keeps.
Eddie
Hi Andrew - so glad you and your wife enjoyed this chili. Yes, tough to stay away from those little sample tastes, but helpful too if there are any adjustments to be made. Enjoy!
Nicolle
Best chili I’ve ever made—and really the best I’ve ever had! It was a lot of work, but so worth it. The texture is simply amazing. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Eddie
Thanks for making my day Nicolle. Glad you enjoy this recipe - yes, I agree the texture is a big part of what makes this special.
Suzy
I have to say I just won the chilli cookoff at our church for the Knight’s of Columbus. The chili was voted the best hands down with no one coming in close. The comments were glorious and I was embarrassed by all the compliments and attention!!! This is the best chili I’ve ever tasted and so worth the effort. It was fun to gather the different ingredients and then watch the expressions on the faces of the judges!!
Eddie
Congratulations on your win Suzy! Sounds like you did a fantastic job making this recipe.
Manon
I will be making this recipefkr this Saturday's chili Cook off. Can I simmer the chili in a crock pot instead of the stovetop? If so, how long should it simmer in the Crock-Pot?
Eddie
Hi Manon - I am so sorry I missed this comment before the cook-off. For the future, I am attaching a reply I posted for the same question a while back:
Hi folks – I don’t use A crock pot for this one but I am guessing it would be great. Perhaps this link would be helpful: https://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-converting-recipes-to-the-slow-cooker-189343
Jenn Thompson
Found this recipe just in time for National Chili Day tomorrow! I added diced carrots and a touch of vinegar. Just had a bowl, it's very balanced and delicious. I will add more slice next time around. Thanks for the share!
Sheila
Hi Eddie - Do you drain the meats after browning? I don't see a reference, so I'm not sure if this step is understood or left out by design. 🙂
Can't wait to try the recipe........thx!
Eddie
Hi Sheila - I don't drain the meat after browning, the juices become part of the chili. As discussed in my recipe, you can skim the surface of the pot from time to time to reduce the fat content a bit if that's behind your question. In any case, good luck to you!
Lauren
Enjoying this recipe tremendously! Brilliant...
I never drain the fat off of anything by the way ha!
Dee
You're right. It's a winner! I won in a 12 pot cook off!
Eddie
Congratulations Dee! Well done!
Laura Fuentez
I just won the chili cook off at my job by following this recipe exactly! Love it so much!!!
Eddie
Congratulations Laura! So glad to hear you were victorious - enjoy the glory.
John
Used this recipe as a guide for my chefs association chili cook off made some tweaks to it ground sirloin cubed ribeye extra peppers and onions both chopped and pureed several dashes of you sauce and took first place scoring 48 out of 50 points took first place blew the competition out if the water
Eddie
Congratulations John! 48 out of 50 - very impressive. Enjoy your blue ribbon and be sure to gloat properly, such as "I thought all the recipes were really great, but I guess there had to be a winner - who was that again?"
JH
Excellent recipe. Googled 'Award wining chili recipe' before entering my first chili contest at work. Made a few small changes such as adding Worcestershire sauce and used ground turkey instead of Italian Sausage. Finished 3rd so quite happy. Found out the 2nd place finisher was also a chili rookie who googled the same phrase as me. He ended up with the exact same recipe. Later found out voting for the winner was skewed as they received votes even after their chili ran out. So a 2nd and 3rd place both from rookies with this recipe is a pretty good showing.. Will definitely make again. Thank you.
Eddie
Hi JH,
Wow -
Good to know that this recipe was well represented at your cook off. Congrats on your finish especially as a rookie! I appreciate your coming back to leave a comment.
Melanie
I just won my church chili cook off, first place!! It was a time consuming recipe but well worth the pay off! I only roasted poblano peppers and did not used cubed meat. Only ground meat, sausage and bacon! Other than that I did the exact recipe!! It is so complex and flavorful! Thank you for sharing!
Eddie
Congratulations Melanie - so glad you took first place at the church cook-off! Well done.