what is my chili missing?

I've made chili a couple times.. it was never something my mom made growing up so I've depended on a few recipes and some vegetarian-twists but my bf says "something is missing"

My recipe includes:

ingredients:

• onion
• fresh garlic
• green pepper
• red pepper
• kidney beans
• stewed tomatoes
• tomato paste
• *turkey or hamburger (in his, none in mine)

spices:

• cilantro
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• roasted red pepper
• chili powder
• salt and pepper
• coriander
• cumin
  

I think thats it.

So, what am I missing? What do you put in your chili?

I add a little white or brown sugar.  But I do have trouble sometimes getting just the right amount...it's a trial and error to find your personal preference.

This is going to sound weird, but a tablespoon of peanut butter and real chili peppers and black beans.
Also I like tofu instead of meat in mine.

cumin

PB, eh? thats so crazy it just might work. I'll have to try it next time :) I'll experiment with the sugar too. I was thinking black beans as well, but my grocery store inexplicably doesn't carry them so I picked up lentils to try in it instead.. haven't gotten to trying it yet though since I forgot to pick up the tomatoes this week.

oh cumin. yes I already use that. Forgot til you said it though. I'll edit and change the first post to have it. 

you might just need to add more chili powder...I know I use around two tablespoons or more for a single batch.  It is surprising how much you need.  Also, for depth of flavor, I have been adding one chopped up chipolte pepper.  You can find them canned in adobo sauce in the mexican section of your grocer, they freeze ver well.  You can also use chipotle oil.  Once you do this, you can't go back to chili without it. 

Technically, I think chili powder is actually a mix of the spices you list (except maybe cilantro). Experiment, because not all chili powders are the same. Maybe he's used to the packaged chili mixes, not chili powder in a jar?

Maybe you aren't simmering it long enough? Simmering brings out the flavor.

Oh - and I don't know if this is his childhood memory or just my weird one, BUT, I grew up eating sweet pickles in my chili. We just spooned them on top, didn't cook them in. Or make saltine crackers with a spoon of chili, and a pickle wedged between two saltines!

Also try sour cream and cheese on top (if you can afford the calories, of course!)

Ack... following up again: I'm going to guess he misses the salt. Those chili flavoring packets have a TON of salt in them. Salt brings out flavors, so maybe that's what's missing?

Double ack!! I forgot to add: some chili recipes include chocolate. A chunk of dark chocolate, the baking kind.

you need a little somethign sweet. We use mashed strawberries, but i think blueberris could be nice as well. Yes, sounds funky but is really nice, it doenst really taste like strawberries.
Chili powder, i believe is just that. You can get different kinds of chilis though. LIke ancho chili powder, poblano etc.

I like the chocolate idea...i think that would give a really nice ...soemthing! Oh! I also used a coney island chiili recipe and it called for ketchup..it cmae out good.

oh wow.. chocolate in chili... that crazy! But, I'm not one to disagree that chocolate makes everything better. I'll definately have to try that one!

I am one of those who uses chocolate in chili - either baking chocolate (bitter) or unsweetened cocoa powder.

Other suggestions:

• half a cup of beer (darker beers add more flavor)
• a quarter cup or so of very strong coffee
• smoke flavoring
• cayenne pepper
  

Try a little more cumin for authentic flavor. My favorite flavor booster is lime zest and juice added at the end of cooking. 

Oh geez...no offense to anyone but some of these suggestions...ech. Also, those packets are nothing to aspire to. You can do much better with real ingredents and flavors. Here are my suggestions:

1. not knowing the amounts of spice you are using, I would first make sure you are using enough of each. I generally put at least a tablespoon of each cumin powders (both roasted and plain), chili powder, and onion powder for every 28oz. can of tomatoes or lb. of meat. I never use garlic powder - just more actual garlic. Save the cilantro for topping at the end. That is when the flavor comes alive, not during cooking.

2. simmer that thing for a good long time on low heat. Then refridgerate and serve it the next day. Seriously, if you try to make and serve chili in the same night you are never going to get the full flavors no matter what odd aditive you throw in.

A few more optional things you can do to bring out a bigger flavor include:
? really browing the meat and half the onions (but not the garlic!) really well until the skillet has a nice layer of dried brown stuff stuck to the bottom.

? deglazing the pan with a nice dark ale or stout (you could probably even try a low-cal beer)

? roasted tomatoes: take plum tomatoes and slice then in half, seed them, toss with oil and salt and lay them out on a baking sheet. Roast at 400-deg until shriveled and browned. Then chop up and add to the chili.

? Pan-roast the spices first. Heat your cooking vessel or a skillet, add a tiny bit of oil (optional) then toss all your spices in there and stir them around for just about 30 seconds. This is common in Indian cooking but it's for the same purpose. The flavors will bloom a little more.

I suspect your BF probably wants more of the sweetness that comes from carmelization of the various ingredients. That kind of flavor can be faked with adding coffee, chocolate, or straight sugar but you'll still have that weak acid taste in there as well as some other off-flavors.

And yes...top with cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, chopped scallion, tabasco, good tortilla chips, a margarita... make an event out of it and then adjust your calories for the rest of the day.

Hope this helps! -sfu

Tobasco! And use beef mince not burger or turkey.  If you use fresh ingredients eg garlic it will taste better.  Most of the other spices I am sure are nice but the result won't be chilli. 

 mince, kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tobasco = chilli con carne.

I actually put a bit of ginger in my chili. It's supposed to help with "wind" and it adds a zesty flavor. You already mention it, but LOTS of cumin and LOTS of chili powder.

Thanks for all the respnses everyone! Lots of stuff to try, and I plan to. I think you all are basically right with the sweetness thing. Since there is basically nothing sweet except fresh red peppers in mine... which isn't really sweet at all.

I do use lots of spices though, no worries with me going light on the spice.. so thats definately not it. I didn't add measurements to my description cause I basically don't measure much when I cook.

few small questions...
"sweetness that comes from carmelization of the various ingredients." Is that done by the roasting of the spices, leaving it rest over night or...?

"And use beef mince not burger or turkey."
Clueless-vegetarien-question: What is beef mince?

Hmm maybe this is an American/British thing so apologies if this is already what you were doing.  Beef mince is ground up beef - maybe this is what you meant by hamburger? I had taken that to mean the meat you generally bbq then eat in a bun...

Hi Sarah,

 sfumato is on the right track. The beer is a great idea that I forgot to put in the recipe I posted here long ago. As sfumato said, you don't need garlic powder or onion powder, just use more of the real thing. Real garlic and onions have TONS of good stuff for you that the powered version just doesn't have. Always choose real food when you can!

ingredients  my recipe has that you're doesn't (maybe one of these is what the bf says is missing?):

• celery (will add sweetness)
• carrots (will add sweeness too)
• chipotles in adobo
• dried oregano
• tomato sauce
• if you don't want to do the work of roasting your own tomatoes, Muir Glen makes organic fire roasted whole or diced tomatoes that add a lovely smoky flavor to chili.
• I use 3 kinds of beans, kidney, pinto, black (I wouldn't recommend substituting lentils, the texture will be wrong). I'd use more kidney or pinto beans if you can't find black beans.
• garnish: it's all in the finish...top with fresh lime juice, cilantro, some guacamole, yogurt, diced red or green onion, crumbled tortilla chips, or some sharp cheddar cheese.

 Please don't add sugar to your chili. It doesn't need it and there's no nutritional value to it, just added calories. 

 btw, chili freezes and reheats great. I always, always have some in my freezer!

 good luck tweaking your recipe!

Hi Sarah,

I have a really great chili recipe that I love. Here it  is:

Brown 2 pounds of lean ground beef. Drain well on paper towels to remove as much grease as possible. In a large heavy pot, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 large chopped onion, and 1 large chopped green pepper. Place on low heat and stir fry until veggies are tender. Add 60 ounces of tomato sauce, 28 ounces chopped tomatoes, 30 ounces of red kidney beans, 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, 4 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons coriander, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir well to mix and bring to slow boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add 1/2 cup of cornmeal (finely ground). Increase heat to medium and bring mixture back to boil stirring frequently. Simmer another 2 minutes to cook cornmeal and to thicken chili.

You can easily make this vegetable chili by subbing tofu for the meat. Sorry about the format. I will post this in the recipe section as well with the title 'Chili jmw' if you want to do a search for it there so you can see nutrition content as well.

Hope this helps. It is a really good recipe. I always doctor it a little based on what I have for veggies and canned tomatoes/sauce on hand. The cayenne gives it the heat so use sparingly if you don't like it hot and go for it if you do. You can also add chili peppers if you like.

Good Luck!

J Watkins

I also agree with the no sugar suggestion as well as the chocolate (unsweetened) suggestion. Chocolate is actually very authentic in Mexican cooking and lends a nice richness to sauces. I'd add just a little at a time (maybe a tbsp of cocoa powder) until you see how it affects the flavor. I'm like you - I rarely measure when I'm cooking, except to count count calories! And yes, if you refridgerate overnight, the next day it always seems to taste better. Not sure why that is! Same thing with soups & stews.