Anonymous wrote:Add more stuff into it. If you are making a pure meat chili, it's going to be super noticeable that you aren't using beef.
I use ground turkey and add:
black beans
kidney beans
diced green pepper
lots of diced onions
corn
diced carrots
LOADS of seasonings
You can add a little liquid smoke to help make up for the lack of flavor in the leaner meat.
But you most likely just need to drop the idea of making a perfect replica and just find a suitable replacement.
Mine is basically the above, plus a jar of salsa, red or green. In my family we put cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice in our chili (based on Hard Times Cafe version)—delicious. To thicken, I sometimes add a can of pumpkin. It’s virtually tasteless, but adds texture (and nutrition).