By Terese Allen; adapted from Al Klimek’s recipe (see below)
For a medium spicy batch, use only one chili, 3 ounces of the Chili Seasoning , regular V-8 juice and kidney beans. For the very spicy version, use 2-3 chilies, the full 4 ounces of the seasoning, spicy V-8 and the chili hot beans. Or adjusts the amounts to your own liking.
You can get Kroll’s Chili Seasoning at Kroll’s West in Green Bay; they also have an online store but they don’t seem to ship the seasoning.
- 3 pounds ground grassfed beef*
- 1 (very) large onion, chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1-3 serranos or jalpeños, seeds removed and flesh minced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 package (4 ounces) Kroll’s Chili Seasoning (or sub another brand if you must)
- 1 heaping tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes (I use Muir Glen’s fire-roasted tomatoes for this)
- 1 bottle (24 ounces) V8 brand vegetable-tomato juice (can also use the spicy version)
- 1 large can (25 ounces) red kidney or chili hot beans
- black pepper and salt (maybe)
- water (or beer would be nice!)
Also: cooked vermicelli (break it into small strands before cooking, for easier eating); finely chopped sweet onions, and oyster crackers. Grated cheddar cheese is also an option.
Heat a large, heavy pot over (cast iron is ideal) high flame a few minutes. Brown beef in batches, without crowding the pan, and chopping it up to fine bits as you go. Transfer batches to a bowl as they finish. When the last batch is browned, add the onions, garlic, minced chilies and butter to the meat, lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the onions are wilted and mostly cooked.
Return all the meat to the pot and add the chile seasoning and cumin. Cook and stir for a few minutes to make sure the seasonings are well distributed. Add the tomatoes and V-8 juice. Stir well and bring to simmer. Add a little water to the tomato can and the V-8 bottle, swirl to get all the tomato and add water to pot. Add beans now, too. Simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The lid can be on or off. Add a little water as needed to keep the chili from sticking, or to get the thickness you like. Add black pepper, if desired, to taste towards the end of cooking. You may or may not need some salt, too–but the chili seasoning and the canned ingredients already have a lot of salt in them.
Turn off the heat and let the chili stand, uncovered, to cool off and develop flavor for several hours. You can also chill it overnight. It gets better as it “ages.” And it freezes very well.
To serve: place cooked pasta in bottom of bowl, ladle on the chili, and add chopped onions and oyster crackers as desired. Cheese, too, if you want.
Makes 12 or more servings.
*If you can’t find grassfed, no problem. But you’ll need to drain the excess fat off the browned beef.
— Terese Allen 2010
Al’s Chili – Hot Yet Friendly!
- Roaster Size Batch / Amounts listed in ( ) are for a 5lb batch
- Brown together & do not drain grease
- (5lbs) 15 lbs hamburger
- (1) 3 large onions chopped
- (1) 3 sticks butter – he says this is the secret ingredient!
- After above is browned – add
- (1) 3 tsp Cumin
- (1) 3 heaping tsp garlic (Al uses jar variety)
- (2-3) 3-5 jalapenos chopped with seeds
- (1) 2 cans of diced tomatoes – large size I think it’s 15oz
- (1/2lb) 1 1/2 lbs of “Bowl of Red” brand chili seasoning mix
- (1) 1-2 cans of “V8” brand tomato juice. Add 1 can first then add more to desired consistency
- (1-2) 3 small cans hot chili beans
He also adds homegrown dried & ground jalapeno pepper to kick it up if needed.
Simmer 1 hr and serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions, crackers and elbow or spaghetti noodles.
— Per Ellen Klimek, January 2004