need killer chili recipe for hot dogs, burger and fries

[LuluTheMagnificent]

So no beans, unless you have me grind them up at the end.

[paul balbin]

I have found "Wolf brand" chilli to be quite acceptable.

[wyogal]

We use Hormel, no beans. It's also good when done up Cincinnati style, with some cocoa, allspice, and cinnamon thrown in.

[CafeteriaFraiche]

There was a cool Dog chili recipe in the latest Lucky Peach.

[LuluTheMagnificent]

what is the lucky peach?

[CafeteriaFraiche]

It's a new magazine published by McSweeney's edited in-part by David Chang. It's extremely hands on and current. Definitely not Food & Wine... think Cook's Illustrated on acid. Check it out!
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/luckypeach

[hyde]

hot dog people are very serious about this read:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/432828

and proceed from there.

[LuluTheMagnificent]

thank you!

[chefj]

I wish i could give you the recipe for Ben's Chili from Ben's Chili Bowl in DC (but it is a secret which I do not know!)

[tim irvine]

Dice a brisket, brown the chunks in bacon fat, proceed with regular Wick Fowler recipe (basically paying for their good chili powder) but use real onions and garlic in place of their freeze dried stuff, and add a few glugs of Bourbon in place of water.

[acgold7]

I think Lulu's right. Chili in a bowl is really different from chili as a condiment. I think once you put chili on a burger, it needs to be smooth and very thick, or else it squishes out the sides and ends up mostly in your lap. So no beans unless, as Lulu points out, you are going to run it through a blender or FP at the end.

I usually do a riff on Alton Brown's recipe. I start with Ground Beef, and if I'm going to eat the chili straight up I leave it sort of chunky, but if it's going to be a chili "sauce" I keep it moving a lot so it's a fine sandy texture. Counterintuitively, coarsely ground meat will break up into finer pieces as it will not stick together. If you want the meat to clump into large pieces, triple fine grind it, and let it cook without disturbing it.

Then, when the meat has cooked and has released its juices, dump in any prepared salsa you like equal to the weight of the meat and stir. You could add a beer or two at this point as well if you need it to be thinner. Add prepared Chili Powder and Cumin to taste and spice to your liking with your favorite hot sauces -- I use a blend of about six different brands (could I be any more vague? But it's all so personal). Let it simmer for at least a half hour or so. Pulverize a bunch of Tortilla chips in a coffee grinder until they are a fine dust and thicken to taste. As a condiment it should be a very thick paste, but to serve in a bowl, much less so. If eating straight up, you can add beans if you so desire. In a pinch I like S&W Chili Makins or Ranch Style Brand.

[LuluTheMagnificent]

exactly! you are spot on. I will try the s &w chili when I am being lazy. thanks.

[acgold7]

Just the clarify, S&W Chili Makins are the seasoned canned beans you'd add to your own bean-less chili if you wanted to add beans to it. Some people probably (and I think these are the official instructions) just add these canned seasoned beans to some browned ground beef, and they are actually pretty tasty. S&W is a west coast brand and while I've seen it in the East, it's quite expensive there.

http://www.amazon.com/Chili-Makins-26...

You'll be lucky enough to find it locally, but others reading may have to resort to the interwebs.

[paulj]

Years ago they had several versions of this 'chili makings'. I liked their black bean version, but I don't think I ever tried the others.

[paulj]

Apart from using ground beef instead of small chunks, how would a hot dog chili differ from a good competition bowl of Texas Red (i.e. one where the seasoning is ground chiles, onion, garlic, cumin and oregano)?

[mike0989]

I can see your point about the beans. What I put in a bowl is different than what I put on a dog. Adding beans, for me, make a chili dog a borderline knife and fork dish instead of something I can pickup and eat with my hands.

Tyler Florence did a good basic one for his ultimate tailgate party. It's a good starting point that is easy to swing in a lot of different directions depending on what you like in a chili.

[biondanonima]

It depends on what type of chili you like for a burger/dog/fry topping. I like a chunkier style chili for eating straight up, but for dogs I like a "Michigan sauce" style chili, in which the meat is very finely ground and there are no beans, chunks of vegetables or any other textural elements.

[LuluTheMagnificent]

yes, this what I am looking for. will check out the thread below.

[jrvedivici]

I don't get it what's wrong with the beans? I often pile chili with beans on my fries or hot-dogs! I'm not sure you can have genuine chili without the beans!! Why don't you like the beans? Unless for an obvious reason......beans, hot-dogs and a few beers and you would probably want to stay clear of me for the afternoon.

[acgold7]

Don't let Texans hear you say that.... They'll tell you that you can't have genuine chili WITH the beans...

[LuluTheMagnificent]

when I eat chilli as a main meal then beans are fine. when I want it over fries, a dog or burger, I am considering it more of a sauce.

[dave_c]

I made a Texas Red Chili from this site: http://chile.netrelief.com/
The results were very good.