OK, per furrer's advice..

FREE SPIRIT CHILI
Step One
2 ½ lbs of chuck,sirloin or round steak. Done in a ‘chili grind’, or 1/2 inch cubes. It needs to be lean. Tell butcher to run it through a coarse grinder ONE time. It will be about the size of fat, curly sticks of licorice. Hope that helps, if all else fails, just cube it.
¼ tube of regular sausage. Jimmy dean, Owens, etc. You need ¼ of one 16oz tube.
1 tsp shortening. either lard or vegetable.
1 can (8oz) no-salt added tomato sauce
1 can (14oz) beef broth
2 ½ cups water

In at least a 4-quart(with lid) or larger pot, brown beef and sausage(broken up)in the shortening(do not drain). Add tomato sauce, beef broth and water. Then stir in DUMP ONE. Bring to boil. Then, reduce heat, put lid on pot, and slow simmer for 1 ¾ hours. Make sure to check and stir every 15-20 minutes or so.

Dump One
3 Tbsp Chili powder
1 Tbsp Onion powder
¾ tsp ground red pepper
2 tsp beef flavored base or instant bouillon
1 tsp chicken flavored base or instant bouillon
½ tsp Salt

It is best to make ALL of these dumps ahead of time, and then just dump them in the pot at the recommended time. Keep in mind, the chili will seem VERY watery and runny at first, but will thicken as it cooks, and as you add the dumps. Make sure to check and stir every 15-20 minutes.

Dump Two
Added after the initial 1 ¾ hours
3 Tbsp Chili powder
1 Tbsp ground Cumin
2 tsp Garlic powder
¼ tsp ground Black pepper

Add DUMP TWO, and keep simmering(with lid on) on low/med low heat for 30 more minutes. Chili will begin to thicken. Add small amounts of water if needed. Check and stir every 15 minutes.

Dump Three
Added at 2 ¼ hour mark
1 Tbsp Chili powder
1 tsp ground Cumin
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Onion powder
¼ tsp ground Red pepper

Add DUMP THREE, and simmer(with lid on) for additional 15 minutes. You want consistency to be thicker than soup, but not as thick as pudding. Add water at this time if it gets too thick. If its too soupy, then remove lid, turn up heat a little, and cook out some of the water. You need to watch the chili close during this last 15 minutes, it will make or break it. Total cook time will be 2 ½-2 ¾ hours. Serve hot with cheese and crackers, enjoy. PS- unused chili can be refrigerated(5 days) or frozen(2 months), and will get HOTTER as it sits up.

enjoy... feel free to ask any questions that you might have. and i want to clarify.. this is NOT my familys 'secret recipe', but its pretty damn close.. we have a few extras that we add, and a few 'insider' touches, but this is still better than 98% of the chilis you will ever eat. and, not trying to brag, but a close version of this recipe was the Championship Chili of the World winner in 1993. Bill Coad is my dad. and the 2001 winner, he used a real close version of this recipe also.

bigjohn

Thanks John,

Gonna try it this weekend .

Thanks bigjoohn!!!!
I'll be trying this soon.
I've got a bad cold, and this should help out.

After that, I suppose it's just - sit back and wait for Dump 4.

Will it affect the taste of the chili if I use an electric stove vs. a gas stove?

I think dump 4 would come through with live streaming audio....

streaming or steaming?

Both most likely.

John, thank you very much for sharing. That is very cool about your Dad! Like, famous and everything!

When you say "ground red pepper" are you talking about cayenne or something else? And we're talking the powdery stuff, not the red pepper flakes, right?

And, the $64M question, I'd like a little of your expert advice about Chili Powder. That seems to be the key. I've been just buying the big jar of whatever is at Costco (Schilling, maybe?). It tastes fine to me, but I suspect there is a whole world of yumminess that I'm missing. If I'm going to invest the time and emotion necessary to make this a success, I'd like to do it right.

Thanks again. I'm pretty sure there will be beer somewhere in my version.

Tom,
Any decent chili powder will do dont believe the marketing hype......



snakeyes,
you dont know what youyr talking about i can taste the differnce betwenn "zip" chili powder and MONSTER chili powder.


no its been proven in triple double blind taste tests that there is no differnece in chili powder.

then flame war starts. lol

I think dump 4 might last a long, long time, and might possibly be lethal.

Tom,

I've actually had about 3 different chili powders at once lined up for a quick pinky dip taste test. There are quite apparent differences. Most chili powders are actually a combination of powdered dried chiles (ancho and other mild chiles), oregano, cumin, garlic, and sometimes salt. Since the quality of all the ingredients determines the quality of the whole, it's only natural that they taste different. I'd experiment with different brands to find one you like, or make your own.

I found that the bulk chili powder at Whole Foods is pretty good, but you can't beat Penzey's Spices versions for 'wow' flavor.

bj - I was surprised to see that the recipe doesn't include jalapeno peppers. Or even better - habaneros. Any reason they aren't included?

Well I tried BigJohns chili recipe.WOW this was the best tasting chili I have ever had.With this recipe I had to add nothing once it was done.Usually I have to add some salt,hot sauce or some thing to make it taste a bit more to my liking,not this time.Even the kids (18 and 20) commented that this was the best chili they have ever had.It is a bit on the spicy side but not to hot as to where it interfered with its great taste.Even the wife says it was the best.

I had mine with some jalapenos and flour tortillas man it sure went together great.Kudos to BigJohn for such a great recipe and for sharing it with all of us.Perfect on a cold winters night here in northeren Ill.

Who will be the next to try Big John's 3-Dump Chili???

After reading your review, I may have to try it myself. I wasn't going to since my wife doens't like overly spicy food, but if it was a hit with your entire family, it seems like a pretty good bet that it will be here, as well.

I might have to make something else for little Steven, though.

OK.. lets see if i can answer all the questions..

FIRST- rick, i am so glad that you liked the chili. it is a little hot, but not overbearing. heres why.. it is a 'competition' chili recipe. and when they do the judging of the chili, they usually only take 1 or 2 bites. so you have to put as much taste into those 1 or 2 bites as possible. you have to make a BIG impression. so, it is a spicy recipe, but still very delicious in small to medium portions. thanks again for the kind words, i am truly pleased that you and your family liked it.

tom- sorry the recipe was confusing.. YES, the "ground red pepper" is cayenne. i think there is a big difference in different brands of spices, but to be honest, they will all have the kick you are looking for. i personally prefer mccormick spices off the rack for everyday cooking. they even make a "texas spicey chili powder" that has a little more kick to it. but, we get all of our chili spices in bulk from Penderys. since we go to soooo many cookoffs a year, it just makes sense to buy large quantities and seal-freeze them til we need em. Penderys has very consistent and quality spices. they are one of the top suppliers for the folks on the chili circuit.

ray- competition chili, or true texas cili, has no 'extras' in it. no jalapenos, no bell peppers, no onions, no chunks of tomatoes, no beans, no rice, no noodles, etc.. its just meat and sauce.. in fact, your chili can be disqualified and rejected from judging if it has 'extras' in it. but, trust me, if you cook the recipe, you will see that it dont need any extra, it is plenty good and hot the way it is.. but also, you can mess with the recipe all you like. it is just a starting point, feel free to experiement. just dont try and turn it in for judging..

peter- YES, there will be a 4th dump. this chili will definitely 'clean out the pipes' as we say. i dont want to scare anyone. it aint gonna keep you on the pot for 3 days or nothing. but it will flush your system.

i think that was all. ? and if any of ya'll try this, feel free to add whatever you want. although, i prefer chili in its purist form, you are more than welcome to make it to your tastes. and if you do make sime, please revive this thread and tell me. i would love to hear what you think of it!!

EDIT- sorry peter.. forgot about the stove question. when we are at the chili comps, we use the standard coleman two-burner cooktop. so, gas. but, you can make it at home on a regular electric stove top. i have done that several times. the biggest problem there is that you have MUCH more control with a gas fire. sometimes electrics have temp swings that make for inconsistent heat. just make sure to keep an eye on it. as stated in the recipe, a nice slow simmer will make the best chili. be patient, it is worth it!!

bigjohn

Cool, I pass Penderys on a daily basis. Its smack dab in the middle of what photographers call the "photo district".
Do they make any other good or special spices that you would recomend?

Well, I have to add one to the chili list. I got this off the net a long time ago. I add a can of beans at the end of cooking, but thats a personal preference and this chili tastes excellent just as is.
I end up adding more chicken broth during the latter stages of cooking because it gets too thick and threatens to burn.
Mac

AXIOM Chili

Gray 2-1/2 pounds of cubed beef chuck tender in 1 TBSP Crisco

Add
1 Can - Swansons Beef Broth
1/2 Can - Swansons Chicken Broth
1 - 8 oz Can - Hunts Tomato Sauce
Float 2 Serano Peppers
Bring to a boil and add the following:

First Spices
2 TSP Granulated Onion
1/2 TSP Cayenne
2 TSP Wylers Beef Granules
1/4 TSP Salt
2 TSP Wylers Chicken Granules
1 TBSP Pendery's Fort Worth Light Chili Powder
2 TBSP Gunpowder Foods Texas Red Chili Powder
Cover and cook 1 hour - squeeze peppers and discard pulp

Second Spices
2 TSP Pendery's Ground Cumin
2 TSP Granulated Garlic
1/4 TSP Gunpowder Foods Hot Stuff
2 TBSP Gebhardt Chili Powder
1 TBSP Pendery's Fort Worth Light Chili Powder
1 Packet Sazon Goya
Adjust liquid with remainder of chicken broth, if necessary
Cover and cook 30 minutes

Third Spices
1 TBSP Gebhardt Chili Powder
1 TSP Pendery's Ground Cumin
1/4 TSP Granulated Garlic
1/4 TSP Cayenne
1/4 TSP Brown Sugar
Reduce heat to a slow boil
Cook 10 minutes
Adjust Salt, Cayenne, and Gebhardt Chili Powder to taste

Gunpowder Spices - 1-800-PEPPERS - Website: BIGBRUCE.COM
Pendery's Spices - 1-800-533-1870 - Website: PENDERYS.COM

So BigJohn, is there an easy way to modify this for a "mild" version. I would consider trying it, but my wife and I both don't like spicy things, so I have a feeling it will be a bit much for us.

Thanks Bigjohn! It sounds wonderful. I'm going to give it a shot next weekend. Do you recommend a particular beer to go with it? (Dumb question )

Tom

bray- ALL of penderys spices are very good. always very fresh and they do air tight seals on bags to ensure added freshness. i think a lot of their chili blends comes down to personal preference, some are more hot, some are more salty, and some can even have a hint of sugar to them. we use the terlingua blend most of the time, and have used the ft worth blend, and it is good also.. i see another recipe has been added using penderys spices.. they really are good.

zarak- to be perfectly honest, i have never really played with the recipe in an attempt to make it less spicy. usually, the effort is to make it more spicy, or flavorful. i would think you could maybe just reduce the amount of chili powder and ground cayenne you add, but then you would need to reduce the water content, cause the spices help to absorb the water.. if you reduce the spices, and not the water, it will end up being way too soupy. and, you might try and reduce the cooking time some. i know i have stressed that slow cooking is the key, and it is.. but, the longer you cook, the more time the flavors have to build and come to their full potential. so, if you cook for less time, they will not fully develop, which is kinda what you would want. again, less water needed since less cook time. hope that helps.

tleigh- beer, hhmm.. when we go to chili cookoffs, i usually get common standards. nothing fancy or special. lone star, coors, budweiser, etc. just make sure its cold. and have a few handy.

bigjohn

Sorry, self gratifying bump!!

got an e-mail from engine joe earlier, and he made the chili. he said it turned out real good, but not as HOT as he thought it would. i was telling him that i wasnt ready to give out all my secrets to get it REALLY hot.

and, he had a problem with too much water in the pot, it wasnt at the right consistency. but that comes with trial and error, gotta keep the heat to it, and make the best of it.

i got 2 thumbs WAY up for joe, and his first authentic "BOWL OF RED"... as we like to call it!!!

so thats 2 down(wid and engine joe).... who's next?

ya scared....?

bigjohn

BigJohn's pretty sufficiently summed up my email to him, so I won't go through all that again, except to add that I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be making it again, probably with some of my own variations.

One question to the Penderys users. I see a lot about blends. Do you use those blends in measure for the chili powder, or in substitution for entire dumps? I just noticed that the blend seems to include cumin, onion powder, etc, and that would seem odd... do you just use the blend as a dump?

Wow, you guys are into your chili's. I'm more of an "eater". We try to make as many local chili cookoffs that we can.

Best I've had was one where the guy marinated his beef in Jack Daniel's for several days. And no, it's not Friday's chili...

Well, I didn't make your chili. But what I did do was modify my chili to add the spices in dumps (cooking significantly longer) and tweak the spices a litle bit. Came out quite good and was a huge hit at my buddy's place for the super bowl. It almost made up for me loudly cheering for the Eagles given that I'm in Boston. Really, it did...

(I'm from Philly originaly.)

i have the print out of the recipe and i keep wanting to shop for the stuff and make the chili but i keep getting stuck doing stupid stuff like finishing my ht setting up my new axiom's ya know useless trivial stuff.

I made the chili for Superbowl Sunday as well. Found some of the Pendereys locally. Overall, excellent chili.

Adjustments I'll make next time will be to make it hotter (a little more cayenne and some other tricks), but bring down the salt level a little. I suspect that was the result of the chicken & beef broth options I selected. So I'd test it before adding any of the additional straight salt the recipe calls for. I managed to get the consistency right.

Thanks for the recipe!

Rich

thats good to hear samandnoah!!

another trick to add some heat, is to get a fresh, crispy jalapeno, and take a knife, and cut 3-4 slits in it from top to bottom. then, just chunk it in the pot, and every time you stir it, just kinda squeeze the jalapeno against the inside of the pot. it will help to get the juices flowing thru it. the heat and spicyness will be extracted from the pepper, then when you are done, just 'fish' out the pepper and throw it away.. or, eat it, which ever you prefer.. you will find that this trick will add a great amount of KICK..

and the chili can come out salty sometimes.. its one of those things thats hard to judge. definitely play with the recipe to get it to your liking. you can also find no salt added, or salt free broth.. that might be an option for you to try also. and pendereys has some of the best spices.. we use them alot. also, mccormick makes a chili powder called, "texas hot".. if you see it in your grocery store, BUY IT.. i guarantee it will give you some added kick also.

and congrats on getting the consistency right. that tends to be the biggest variable every time. water, water, water.. its the hardest, but most crucial element.

bigjohn

All these posts and no one's pegged my question, so here I go again (on my own... headin' down the only road... I'll shut up):

"
One question to the Penderys users. I see a lot about blends. Do you use those blends in measure for the chili powder, or in substitution for entire dumps? I just noticed that the blend seems to include cumin, onion powder, etc, and that would seem odd... do you just use the blend as a dump?"

sorry joe...

i have only used the blends a few times, so i am not that experienced with them. i suppose you could use them as complete dumps, but obviously, it will change the taste and look of the chili. if it were me, i would stick to regular chili powder, and maybe use the blends to experiement with. i wish i had a better answer for you...?

but, i would like to say again, penderys has some of the better spices on the market. so chances are, whatever you get from them, it will be of highest quality.

bigjohn

Thanks John. You just mentioned the Ft. Worth and... I forget the other and discovered they were blends of mostly the same seasonings as in a dump. So I thought that was how you and others had been using those blends.

Merely a misunderstanding in the end.

Just to throw in a plug for my favorite spice company, Penzey's also has wonderful spices at quite reasonable prices. I don't know about their chili powders, though!

Well here's to BigJohn. I am going to make the Free Spirit Chili tomorrow. I have all the ingredents out and getting the dumps ready tonight.

For anyone who hasn't tried it...............it's GOOD

Cool. I love chili and am gonna try this out, but maybe cool it down a bit for the rest of the family.

FYI, yes the private label spices often are cheaper and of lower quality than the national brands. I was in the food business before and knew a spice rep.

Since on the southwest theme here, anybody ever try Mrs. Renfro's salsa from Texas?? just found some in Canada and its amazing.

I have made this chilli a couple of times. I have gotten raves everytime. I have not made it yet this winter though... hmmm maybe for the game tomorrow.

Well, I've been dying to make this chili for a couple of years now. I am finally going to do it next week before my in-laws come for a visit. Anyway, I put everything into a Word document so that it is nice and clean for printing out. Since it came from here, I figured I should share it here as well.

Free Spirit Chili Recipe

Oh, I am also going to make some "pink lemonade pie" to go with it.
Buy a graham cracker crust, tub (8 oz) of Cool Whip, 1 can (14 oz) condensed milk, and a 2 packets of pink lemonade Kool Aid.

Take the packets of pink lemonade (must be pink or it won't taste right) Kool Aid and mix the packets with the Cool Whip and condensed milk.

Put the mixture into the crust.

Put the pie in the freezer or refridgerator to make it firm up again.

Serve it chilled.

There are other recipes, but this one is the easiest.

I miss bigjohn.

Thanks, Nick.

let me know how the 4 dump chili tastes. I printed off the recipe and might try it out

Thanks for the bump. I think somebody said that the chili cookoff rules say nothing but meat and spices in the chili.

My question is ....what about adding some stuff to this? My personal favorite chili add ons are green and red bell peppers, onion, kidney beans, mushrooms, celery, sometimes garbanzo beans and jalapano or serrano peppers.

If adding, when should I add it?? 1st, 2nd or 3rd dump??

Its -40 with the windchill tonight and I need some chili!!!

I just can't read this thread without laughing everytime I see the word "dump" used to describe chili (and of course all of the obligatory quips that it breeds). But anyway, thanks for the word doc Nick. I printed it out and will keep it around for when I get ambitious and try this recipe.

celery?? As to when to add them, it depends how hard or soft you want them to be.

Don't knock the celery till you've tried it. Dice it up into fine pieces and it gives a slightly firmer texture to that of onions.

Dont make me discuss the merits of vegetables on this forum;) Its slightly better for you than the breakfast gravy at Bob Evans.

Gravy is not a breakfast food. I don't know what that person was thinking.

Honey, this'm gravy about'ta spoil. How'zabout I pour it all over your biscuits?

You must not have ever had really good sausage gravy for your biscuits. It's awesome.

Or maybe you just have certain ideas of what makes up breakfast food and what doesn't.

Either way, now we disagree on something, and I hate you now and forevermore.

Peter, you're so lucky.

Are you making fun of me?

FINE THEN!

I hate you too!

I hate you two too!

~~~

Woo hoo!

Me? I just hate your tutu.

My Toot Toot?

Bren R.

Bren R, thats funny, classic and wrong all at the same time. Hilarious.

As for Biscuits, Gravy and breakfast...I just cant get the concept in my head of people having coffee in the am. to wake up and then plowing as much grease and cholesterol in as they can to make you feel like taking a nap.

Makes me wanna watch "Supersize Me" again. I know on the east coast you can get a Mc Lobster when lobster is in season. Can you get a Mc Gravy sandwich for breakfast in some states??

Gravy doesn't have to be full of grease and cholesterol.

Of course, it's better that way.

Seriously, how can you enjoy chicken-fried steak and eggs for breakfast without gravy?

To me, it's kind of like the old anti-vegetarian argument - If God didn't want us to eat animals, why did He make them out of yummy meat?

See, I think we're supposed to enjoy food. It's natural. Ergo, Jack LaLanne is the devil ("if it tastes good, spit it out").

I dunno, I'm not sure how one enjoys chicken-fried steak at all.

Um, with a knife, fork and gravy. Duh.

You're not really a "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" guy, are you?

Gotta say that given the option on the menu, I'd choose a burger first. Or ribs. Or BBQ. Or hot links...

All this talkin' about gravy got me hankerin' for some, so yesterday the missus was kind enough to cook me a dinner of 2 scrambled eggs, Jimmy Dean sausage, and milk gravy over biscuits. mmmmmmmmm...

Don't forget a good beer with that fried chicken. Or a nice cup of sweet tea for non drinkers.

Mmm, sweet tea. Nectar of the gods.

nice and snowy.... sure seems like a good day for some four dump chili

YEAH! terzaghi got us back to the topic at hand... Chili! Whether 3 dump, or the sometimes optional 4 dump chili.

I was under the impression that the 4th dump was mandatory...

OK, I did the chili this weekend and it was good, but not great. I went all crazy and actually added veggies, so that probably did it. Or else the lack of Jimmy Dean sausage in Canada might have done it too.

Basically I subbed plain pork sausage for the Jimmy Dean, added a green and red bell pepper and some fresh mushrooms around dump 2 and 2 cans of Red Kidney beans around dump 3. I think the extra water from the veggies made it more soupy, so I added more browned beef rather than cook it out. Mmmmmmmm......meeeat!

I think the main issue is it was a bit too salty, so next time probably use some low salt boullion, beef broth or less salt.

Still good chili. The 4th dump is mandatory and still havent heard reviews from my Super bowl guests wives about the "flatulence quotient" of the chili.....but I bet it scored high..

When I first made it I too thought it was to salty. This last time I left out the salt and it was better.

It also depends upon the Chili Powder you use; I took bigjohn's advice and ordered from Pendery's. I think that made a big difference compared to Schilling or whatever.

So you significantly changed the chili and wonder why it doesn't taste as good as the regular recipe???? Am I missing something here?

So you significantly changed the chili and wonder why it doesn't taste as good as the regular recipe???? Am I missing something here?

If you call adding 2 bell peppers, 8 mushrooms and some kidney beans ..."Significantly" changing, yes I did.

How do you explain Rick "significantly" changing the recipe by using less salt and it tasting better???

Its chili, not a chocolate souffle'.

Yup... That is significant.

You know, that was to let you know that I was just giving you a hard time!

I thought it was just unsolicited condesending sarcasm.....I could have harrassed BrenR for that

You smell funny.

Bren R.

(If you ask for it, I bill you)

Made the chili last night, and gave is a sample (it is going to be dinner tonight). Nice and meaty with a slightly delayed "kick" to it. I like it, however, I am nervious that my family may not. They are such wimps.

Made this chili tonight. Came out pretty good. I like stuff hot so I doubled the cayenne pepper. I also added 1 can of red beans and 1 can of black beans (drained) in with dump 3.

I think next time I will use a different chili powder, or perhaps reduce the chili powder by 1 tbs in the first dump... It seemed a little over powering (covered some of the other spices)

Might add some onions and a can or two of diced tomatoes somewhere in the middle as well since I like lots of stuff in my chili. also a third can of beans wouldn't hurt.

Overall I was pretty impressed with the flavor.

Also I did not add any salt in any of the dumps.

Though I'd add the most interesting 'non-chile' recipe I ever had that called for Chili powder. It calls for a choice of chile powder or cayenne pepper. I first assumed cayenne pepper would always be my first choice but tried it with Chile powder and it was actually very interesting. Toned it down a notch for visitors and changed the flavor a bit.


SPICY THAI SHRIMP WITH PASTA

Cook time approx 25 minutes
SERVE OVER/WITH small precooked TRI-COLOUR ROTINI type PASTA

Heat in a large skillet
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds (pref black) Add & sauté until seeds begin to crackle
(about 4 min)

4 Large plum tomatoes chopped (about 2 cups)
6 gloves garlic (or 1 Tablespoon of minced)
2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or 1 Tablespoon minced)
1 Tablespoon minced chili pepper with seeds
(Sauté 3 minutes, tomatoes soften)

2 lbs uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
(Add, sauté 5 minutes, then remove
with slotted spoon, set aside)
¾ tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder
(Add, stir, 1 minute)

1 ½ cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
(Add, simmer 3 minutes or
until thickens slightly, then return shrimp with any juices to the skillet)

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro ( or 1 Tablespoon coriander seed)


STIR, add remaining coconut milk if it becomes too thick.

Stir, blend, then add precooked pasta.

Mix well, and then sprinkle with a bit of fresh cilantro (or parsley) before serving.