I've got a recipe that's won a number of competitions, and has been used for a couple of decades. It comes from the other JR, whose family has spawned a number of state and world chili champions. I've modified it a bit, but here goes.First, you need some staples. Beer is mostly for the cook, but a spritz in the chili never killed anyone. You need pot to cook in, and some fundamental ingredients:
Chili powder, comino (cumin), cayenne pepper, salt, paprika, oregano, onion and garlic will cover most of what you need.
A couple of jalapenos are good for flavor, and I'll show you how to use them properly. A beef bouillion cube, a small can of tomato paste, and a couple of cartons of chicken broth (low sodium) will round out your ingredients. I don't use water in this recipe, but if you can't find broth, just use water.Let's cook. First, mince about 1/2 a large yellow onion, as fine as you like. The onion will break down in the cooking.
Also, you need about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (I buy mine pre-minced in a jar). Saute the onions and garlic in a little olive oil. Now it's time to brown the meat. When I'm cooking for competition, I get a good cut of meat, trim it by hand, and cube the pieces into about 3/4-inch cubes. Screw that for cooking at home.
I just bought 3 lbs of chili grind. Yeah, it breaks down into little pieces of hamburger-like meat, but that's okay for eating. Try to get a lower fat grind, so you don't have to mess with draining after browning. Dump the meat in, and brown it with the garlic and onions. Drain if needed. Smells good, don't it?
Now it's time to add the first round of spices and stuff. 1 TBSP Chili powder, 1 TBSP Comino, 1/2 beef bouillion cube, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper, 1 small can of tomato PASTE, a few dashes of Tabasco Chipotle (I did this on a whim, and it's really, really good), and one jalapeno. Just drop the whole pepper in the pot.
Cover the whole thing with chicken broth, and let it simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes. Beer time.Next, get one of those little strainer thingies, fish the pepper out, and put it in the strainer.
Use a spoon to squish the juice out. Discard the pulp, and replace with a fresh pepper. Now we add more spices, and things start to take shape. Add 6 TBSP chili powder, 2 TBSP comino, 1 TBSP paprika (it's for color, ya know), 1/4 tsp of oregano (don't overdo this, unless you like spaghetti sauce), and cover with chicken broth. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, or a couple of beers.
At this point, you'll notice your chili taking on a beautiful red color, with a shimmering golden sheen on the top. This is a sign of goodness to come.
I'm usually a little woozy at this point, but we're close to the end. After more simmering, squeeze the juice out of the last jalapeno, add another 1-2 TBSP of chili powder and comino, another 1/2 tsp salt (taste it first, of course), and then cook it until you can't stand waiting anymore (about another 30 minutes or so, depending on the meat). Your preference on the thickness of the chili will determine how long you cook it. Remember, chili will thicken as it cools.
Chili is best served as a lone dish, and at this point, I don't care what you put in it - just don't tell me about it. I prefer a little chopped onion and grated cheese on mine. Chili stores great in the freezer. I like to fill a few freezer bags with some, and store it. Next time you have guests for a football game and burgers and dogs, break out a bag, nuke it, and be a hero.
A note on ingredients. You can spend a LOT of time and money looking for just the right chili powder, comino, etc. Yes, you can get fresh onion and garlic. But for cooking at home, go with the bargains. Use powdered ingredients - big deal. Make sure your chili powder isn't full of comino, but if it is, cut back on the comino. By the way, the chili is almost always better the next day. Enjoy.
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