Texas Chili

I made this without the chile sauce. All the chile sauces I found in the supermarket seemed to be ketchup with high fructose corn syrup added. I looked for chile sauce recipes, and they were ketchup or tomato paste with Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Since two of these are already in the recipe, I simply added about half a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and a splash of red wine vinegar. Tasted great to me, and the rest of the family ate it up too.

Even as a wary, southwestern neighbor of Texas, I think this is a fine recipe, but I, too, have a quibble with the beans. Mine, however, is not with the mere addition of beans but with the choice of kidney beans. I realize the tough-skinned, grainy kidneys probably were chosen in this recipe for their contrast with the softer, smaller cannellinis, but my preference for any bean in proximity to chili or chile always will be the toothsome, flavorful and inherently noble pinto.

Like most of the recommendations said, I halved the brown sugar and cocoa portions, but also replaced the cayenne with ancho chili powder and added 2-3 teaspoons of chipotle tabasco and sriracha. It left the chili with more flavor but not much of a kick, though that was the intention since a few of the individuals I was cooking for cannot handle any type of heat.
Across the board reviews said that it was the best chili they've had. Thanks very much for the recipe.

When I moved to Texas more than a decade ago I attended a chili cook-off sponsored by my school district. There were many different kinds of chili represented. Some had beans, some didn't; some had ground beef (never turkey) and some had cubed beef; some had tomatoes and some didn't; some had a variety of vegetables and some didn't. The only thing all of the recipes had in common was the word "Texas" in the name of the recipe.

I read the notes and followed their lead--I omitted both the sugar and the cocoa and instead used Sam Adams cream stout which added a bittersweet note, also used a little Worcestershire and red wine vinegar instead of chili sauce. I used a hatch red chile and cayenne. I love the flavors, balanced between chocolate and coffee notes from the stout and the chiles.

Since my goal is to live my life in a manner diametrically opposed to most things Texan, I can safely say I couldn't care less how authentically "Texas" this chili is. I only care how tasty it is. And it was. I followed a few of the suggested changes but next time I think I'll follow the recipe more closely and just omit the brown sugar. And thanks to the Instant Pot directions in a comment below. I followed them and it turned out perfectly.

Have made this a number of times, commonly tweak recipe by using 50/50% combination 85/15 ground beef and bison totaling about 1 1/3 Lbs, and double the brown sugar. It's an easy meal and provides great leftovers!

OMG! Make this! I tweaked a few minor things after reading some of the other reviews. Worcestershire sauce and red vinegar instead of chili sauce and a chocolate and cocoa flavored beer that was lamenting in my pantry instead of regular beer and chocolate. I honestly had serious doubts, but the flavors all melded and became so much more than the sum of their parts. I had some serious foodies here to share it with, and I was asked to only make this chili, and make it often, from now on.

As a native Texan I actually have no objection to beans per se but kidney beans are just wrong; needs to be Pinto. Way too much brown sugar. To cut tomato acid a pinch of sugar is all that is necessary. Also, crushed tomatoes much better flavor than canned diced in any chili recipe; negates need for tomato paste. Don't get me started on the coffee, beer etc.....Clearly a Yankee recipe.

Really any beer works beautifully, but I like Paul's idea below, a chocolate porter microbrew! For chile sauce, any red hot sauce - Tabascao, Cholula, etc. - would do, but we do recommend adding it little by little to taste. It gets very spicy quickly!

I love this recipe! Unfortunately the beer never makes it into the pot because I keep drinking it! Next time, I swear, I'll use the beer in the food. Still tastes great without the beer, though, if you choose to forgo that ingredient for whatever reason - no judgement.

Made this in the instant pot. Used 1 tin crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of beer and 1 packet instant espresso powder instead of coffee to reduce liquid. Added 1 tbsp New Mexico red Chile powder and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. 18 minutes on the Chili/Beans setting, 10 minute natural release. Very good!

Sure. Beef or chicken stock would work as a substitute.

This recipe is a WINNER– literally, won the chili cook-off at work with it. The depth of the flavor of the broth is unlike any other chili I've tasted before, it's rich and boozy and everything you've ever dreamed of in comfort food. I am a big fan of Cholula and used it as the chili sauce, coupled with a dollop of plain greek yogurt to round it out. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Made this exactly to the recipe...first. Then, like others, I found it was too sweet for my taste. I added vinegar, another can of tomatoes, extra beans, more beer and some stock to compensate. Then balanced out the herbs/spices. Tasted better to me. I recommend adding less than half the brown sugar and see what you think. You can always add more. Then after I read all the complaints about beans I felt like a such a fool and I picked each one out by hand. Well actually...no. I did not. :)