Sam's Chili

Ok, this ain't the melt your face off, set your knickers on fire kind of chili.  Fact is, it's kind of mild with a medium sort of lean.  If yours is the type of tummy that's "spicey" challenged, you may want to avoid this stuff.  And, if you like it a little hotter, sub chili (or even habanero) peppers for the jalapeños. 

If you're going to cook this recipe like I normally do, you'll need a few things that one doesn't normally include for a traditional evening meal.  You'll need a really big pot (I use a crab pot), storage containers, a freezer, a full day to cook, and the next day off (the leftovers won't be cool enough to put away until the next morning).  Also, grab your colander; it's going to get a workout.

On the other hand, you have different fingers.  But, that isn't important here.  If you want to make this for just one meal, and maybe a little for lunch the next day, you'll also need to add a calculator to the list above.

Ingredients 15 lbs. of hamburger Five 28 oz. cans of Tomatoes Three 27 oz. cans of Bush's dark red kidney beans Three 27 oz. cans of Bush's light red kidney beans Six large Vidalia onions Eight mild jalapeño peppers Spices:  Sea salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, minced garlic, chili powder Ten packs of McCormick's Orginal chili mix

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop the onions to a size suitable to your liking.
2. Seed and chop the jalapeños.  It's an old wive's tale that a pepper's capsaicin (the "heat") is in the seeds.  It isn't.  It's most concentrated in the pithy membrane that holds the seeds.  Keep that and you'll up the ante a tad.
3. Drain and thoroughly rinse the beans.

Instructions:

Fire up two burners... put the crab pot on one and a frying pan on the other. 

Dump all the tomatoes and the rinsed beans in the crab pot and let it start coming up to temp.  Also, add:

• the chopped jalapeño peppers and onions
• two Tbs. of sea salt
• one Tbs. of black pepper
• one Tbs. of crusshed red pepper
• two Tbs. of chili powder
• four Tbs. of minced garlic

In the frying pan (cast iron is great), start frying up the hamburger in roughly two pound portions.  It's easier to keep it from clumping up in large chunks this way... and it's way easier to drain the grease off.  As you drain each pan full, pour it in the crab pot.  I suppose, if you're a neat freak, you could cook the hamburger in the crab pot, but it's hard to keep the meat loaf size clumps from showing up, and draining that much hamburger at one time is a real pain.

As soon as all the hamburger is added, add enough water to cover it all and add the McCormick chili mix.  Stir it in real well.  I know the back of the chili mix says it's one pack per pound of hamburger, but it works better at one pack for every two lbs.

Anyway, bring it to a boil.  Cover and reduce the heat just a tad and let it brew at a good simmer for about six to eight hours.  And, don't forget to stir it occasionally.  Top it off with a little fresh shredded sharp cheddar and enjoy.