New Mom Starting From Scratch: Easy Chili: Taste like Wendy's but better!

Is chili easy to make? Well if you asked me a year ago I would of said, NO! I have tried through the years to make a chili comparable to at least a restaurant quality, or maybe Wendy's Chili. I have failed with various recipes in the past...I don't know what I did wrong and even though My Mr.Tasteful said it tasted "fine" that was not good enough!

One day I was watching Triple D or better known on Food Network as Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives. One of the restaurants he was cooking with where known for their Chili and his "secret" was Chili Sauce. Okay, it was like one of those "duh" moments, "why have I never used this"? Any recipe I used never called for it, or did it? I don't know! Chili Sauce gives a sweetness to the chili and it reminds me more of Wendy's chili if I was to compare the flavor to something you may be familiar with. Its super simple! I do recommend you cook this for at least 2 hours on the stove top, you could cook it for less however I can not guarantee what it will taste like. I would say no need to cook this recipe longer then 4 hours on the stove top. I prefer the 4 hour mark, that's how long I cook my chili for. Of course you could cook this in a crock-pot on low for 8 hours too.

Chili Sauce: I have tried store brands and I admit I enjoy Heinz the most however it's not necessary to buy that brand. I bought mine from Walmart. I will say this, 1 bottle does make the chili very sweet, so if you want less of a sweetness only use 1/2 bottle, then you can add more later if you want it sweeter.

Tomato Sauce: I make my own tomato sauce. I buy a 6lb can of whole canned tomatoes at Costco for under $3.00. I put in a pot then take my hand blender and puree to the texture I like. I put in 6 cloves of garlic and let sauce come to boil then turn down to a low simmer and cook anywhere from 4 to 6 hrs. I do not salt it or add anything else. This is just my base and I use it for a recipe that calls for a can of tomato sauce, I use 1 & 1/2 cups of my tomato sauce.The reason I do this is because one its very cost effect and I save lots of money! But I also learned that when you buy whole canned tomatoes those are less processed so the flavor of the tomatoes will taste not as metal like. You don't need to do this! Just buy any canned tomato sauce you like!

Bacon: This is NOT a necessary ingredient to use. I have made my chili without it, or if have leftover bacon fat use it, . BUT if you have it, please use the bacon! I have tried thick cut Pepper Bacon or chipotle bacon available and I liked both very much!

Beef: I used what I had on hand, I had bought some beef that was being sold door to door and the ground beef was in patties. I prefer to use a less fatty ground beef, I usually only buy 85/15 fat or 90/10 fat. I am not a fan of 80/20 because it is so oily. I rather use that grade for hamburgers not for Chili, Spaghetti or Soups. You can also use ground chicken or turkey in place of ground beef.

Beans: I keep it simple when it comes to beans. I just use Pinto & Red Kidney. I have used black beans and even add frozen corn (I know not a bean). If you do not like Red Kidney beans you can add a replacement bean or a extra can of pinto.

Spicy: I love spice! But I have My Little Cupcake to think about, and even though she actually likes spicy food I try to keep the heat low for her. Personally I love to dice up some fresh jalapeno pepper and let that add the heat. You can also use cayenne powder or red pepper flakes. Just add it to your taste, add to the onion/peppers stage. Maybe start with 1/4 tSp if you are not sure of the heat measurement that works for you. Then add another 1/4 tSp at a time until you get the heat index you like.

Steak Seasoning: I had the Chicago Style, I dont even know where I got it (think My Mr.Tasteful bought it at a local store). Just make sure when you buy a steak seasoning find one that has fennel seeds in it.... Because this has salt in mixture I recommend not adding any additional salt to recipe until after it has finished cooking for at least an hour. Taste it then and see if it needs salt, mine did not and I assume it was combined with the fact I also had bacon which is salty too.

Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce: Yes brand matters! I have tried store brands and nothing compares to this brand, you can find it almost anywhere, I bought mine at Walmart.

4 strips of bacon chopped or cut up into pieces
Dash of Olive Oil
1 medium onion diced small (doesn't matter what type of onion, just not red)
3 cloves of garlic diced (no not bulbs the cloves that make a bulb)
2 celery stick diced small
1 green pepper diced small (just split your green pepper in half)
1 tBs of Steak Seasoning (optional)
1 tSp Smoked Paprika (yes smoked, very important!)
2 tSp Cumin Powder
2 tSp Chili Powder
1/2 tSp Onion powder
1/2 tSp Garlic Powder
2 tSp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 bottle of Chili Sauce (I like Heinz)
4 cups of tomato sauce
2 cans (14oz each) of Pinto Beans
2 cans (14oz each) of Red Kidney Beans
2lb of ground beef or ground chuck (try and do 85/15 or 90/10 fat)
1 or 2 cans of water (or 1 & 1/2 cups of water).
Salt & Pepper for tasting.

My own tomato sauce made from whole canned tomatoes

Everything you will need (seasoning not shown)

Dice up your onion, Celery, Green Pepper & Garlic Cloves

Put pot on burner and turn to a medium-high heat (number 7 for electric burners) and add as dash of olive oil. Then add the bacon and let it cook until nice a brown/crispy (about 5 min), stir it after it cooks for 3 min.

Once bacon is cooked remove bits, you can eat as a snack or save for topping later for your chili.Then add beef and saute, but do not fully cook beef all the way through. Then remove beef and place in a bowl for later.

Turn temp down to a medium heat (about a 4/5 on a electric burner). Then add onion, celery, green peppers and the steak seasoning, let cook for 5 min or until onion seem translucent.

Then add cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion & garlic powder then stir and let cook for 3 min (helps cook out the rawness of dried seasonings).

Add your Chili Sauce

Then add the Worcestershire Sauce, cans of drained and washed beans and the beef

Then add your tomato sauce & water. Mixture will get more watery as it cooks longer so if one can of water is enough, wait to add another can after it has cooked for 1 hour, so you can have it thinner or keep it thick.