I cannot make a chilli to save my life

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are your results? Dry or greasy? Bland or too spicy? Etc

Just BLAND. Absolutely no spicy results despite tripling my spice quota.

Spices might be old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try adding a bit more salt and a few cloves of chopped garlic.

Salt is bad for you.

[Anonymous]

She spices are better than others. Are you using stuff that came pre-packed in a spice organizer? Have you tried getting whole spices and grinding them yourself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't spell it either, lol.

But seriously -- what about your attempts are leading you to call them failures. Like PP said, is it turning out too greasy, the seasoning isn't right, you don't like the texture? What about chili you have had that you liked is missing from what you are doing?

I perfectly understand what she was saying.

[Anonymous]

^^ Some spices

[Anonymous]

I would dry rub the meat. Then brown it. And yes, salt helps. If you are adding kosher salt yourself, you will use a lot less than a restaurant.

[Anonymous]

Get a packet or two of chili mix seasonings. Use them.

[Anonymous]

McCormick or Carrol Shelby. Amazon has that.

[Anonymous]

I have a NM friend who sends me ground chile in the mail faithfully so I never have to buy it.

I don't measure seasonings, but: brown the ground beef (olive oil) and cook the onions, adding minced garlic when I combine onions and meat after draining off some of the grease.
I'll use a whole onion (large-is) for a pound of meat.
I soak and cook beans usually but otherwise 2-3 cans but I add seasoning right before adding beans and whatever form of tomatoes (usually a can of crushed whole and a can of diced)
I don't measure seasonings but I add cumin (probably close to a T because I love cumin), oregano (usually Mexican) and I would say at least 1/4 cup of ground chile. Maybe a tsp or 2 of salt, never more than that.
The diced tomato liquid goes in as well.
I'll add water or stock (usually veg because I save scraps in the freezer and make it whenever a quart ziplock is full and freeze) as needed. I'll let it start to boil and simmer, no timing but probably at least a half hour, longer if it's too liquid.
Sometimes I'll add a tablespoon of cocoa powder but not consistently.

[Anonymous]

Add ground chorizo to your ground meat. It brings a lot of flavor. I use McCormick’s chili seasoning as a base, but add extra cumin, smoked and sweet paprika, and cinnamon. If you have dried chilis, rehydrate them in chicken stock and blend, add those in as well. And let it simmer. Chili needs time to mature.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you need more salt. 1-2 tsp for a batch of chili isn’t enough.

[Anonymous]

You're probably way undersalting it. Even curries can taste bland and flavorless if you don't salt them. I would double or triple the amount of salt used and report back.

[Anonymous]

In my experience it is one of those things that is not worth the effort. Just buy a cup or bowl at some place you like when you get that itch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try adding a bit more salt and a few cloves of chopped garlic.

Salt is bad for you.

FFS.

The biggest problem with home cooking is lack of seasoning. If you always wonder why food tastes better in restaurants, it is almost always this. And 90% of the time the problem with the seasoning is not enough salt; salt pretty much = seasoning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a NM friend who sends me ground chile in the mail faithfully so I never have to buy it.

I don't measure seasonings, but: brown the ground beef (olive oil) and cook the onions, adding minced garlic when I combine onions and meat after draining off some of the grease.
I'll use a whole onion (large-is) for a pound of meat.
I soak and cook beans usually but otherwise 2-3 cans but I add seasoning right before adding beans and whatever form of tomatoes (usually a can of crushed whole and a can of diced)
I don't measure seasonings but I add cumin (probably close to a T because I love cumin), oregano (usually Mexican) and I would say at least 1/4 cup of ground chile. Maybe a tsp or 2 of salt, never more than that.
The diced tomato liquid goes in as well.
I'll add water or stock (usually veg because I save scraps in the freezer and make it whenever a quart ziplock is full and freeze) as needed. I'll let it start to boil and simmer, no timing but probably at least a half hour, longer if it's too liquid.
Sometimes I'll add a tablespoon of cocoa powder but not consistently.

This is nowhere near enough salt. If you can't have it for health reasons, fine. But otherwise, this amount of salt in this recipe for chili is a problem, not a solution.