Wick Fowler 2 alarm or Carroll Shelby's kit? Or????

https://penderys.com/shop/chile-peppers/chile-blends.html

Pendery's Original or Top Hat both are excellent. Get some of their cumin too. nothing in the stores compares.

Don't use it very much anymore but I've always liked Carol Shelby's. It was my go to when I first started out cooking long time ago.

I just used WF 2 alarm and add 4-5 tablespoos of Morton's Chili Blend to 2 lbs. of ground brisket and 1 lb. of hot breakfast sausage.

I think everyone in New Braunfels is a making Chili. No hamburger meat, no kidney beans, and I got the last box of Shelby's mix. I like Scoops with mine and there was only three bags left when I got mine. Had to wait on the meat and went back to find someone had returned some beans and I grabbed them up.

Wick Fowlers here with my 2 secret ingredients.

Roll your own, make it yours Haven't used a mix in at least 25 years perhaps 30

When I ran a meat mkt. the first cold spell everyone made chili or stew. I always had 4-5 cases of chuck rolls that you could make either out of. No reason to run out of either other than poor management. I always said it was better to be looking at it and not looking for it.

The small neighborhood we moved into last November is apparently gonna have a December chili cookoff. I saw it in an email, and, the wife mentioned it when I got home today. She gets competitive about these things. She's won a couple teeny-tiny ones. This could get ugly.

It is simmering now. Should be ready when the wife gets home.

BEANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have to have some fiber at my age.

I know that situation myself!
I have not tried the Wick Fowlers, but have used the Carroll Shelby's for years. Here is my recipe, no beans, no burger.

Best dang chili recipe

My late father-in-law Jim Neill and I worked this up based loosely on Emeril’s Chuck Wagon Chili recipe.

2 pounds lean chuck roast, cut into ½-inch cubes; elk is great for this too!
3 cups chopped yellow onion
2 TBSP canola or olive oil
1 pkg Carroll Shelby’s Chili Fixins Kit

Brown beef cubes in batches until done, remove, then sauté onions until tender.
Add browned beef back into the pot and sprinkle in the Shelby’s kit seasonings except for the masa harina. Stir to coat beef and onions, then add:

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
12 ounces of Guinness Stout or other dark beer
1 ounce semi-sweet baker’s chocolate, chopped
1-2 TBSP molasses
1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped. Warning – this is where the heat comes from and it is easy to overdo if you add much more.
½ teaspoon liquid smoke.

I let this simmer in a Dutch oven for about three hours, stirring occasionally. When it has thickened and the beef is tender, you can add the masa harina mixed with 1/3 cup water to thicken and further mellow the chili if you want. This is another recipe that is even better the second day, and it also freezes very well.

Try Adkins Texas chili seasoning. Good stuff! And I use beer instead of any water or broth. Usually per pound of meat, I use 1 can rotel, 1/2 chopped onion, 1 jalapeno, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1/2 pound of bacon (cut into small pieces) about 4 tbsp Adkins and 1 tsp Fiesta fajita seasoning or uncle chris's.

Same. Whenever I'm in a hurry and make a ground meat chili w/beans & tomatoes, I'll grab Carol Shelby's from the shelf.

When I make real chili (cubed meat/Texas Red - no beans) I have never used a kit. Only use a variation of dried chili's common down here & in Mexico, along with onion/garlic etc.

Ground meat chili I use Shiner Black, it's dang good.

Meat Church makes great seasoning in one bag for Chili, highly recommend

Either. No recipe, go by taste and prefer lots of diced tomato and hatch chilis.

Meatchurch chili seasoning is dang good

Chugwater Chili mix for a starter.

I'm with you.

I started at Wick Fowler's 2d cook-off. Didn't win but got a couple of compliments from the judges. I only use what could reasonably be found on a (well stocked) chuck wagon on a cattle drive - with fresh tomatoes stretching the cubbard

Only cubed beef, only fresh ground chile but break down and use packaged Cumin and garlic powder. Use Hatch peppers diced to mix with diced onions, brown the beef in cast iron killed, throw into the pot, add the diced tomatoes. If I screw up, Powdered store bought Chili powder works fine

Prepare spices separate, including salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder., onion powder, cilantro

For 5# beef, I have three fresh Japapeno slit on both sides but carefully - I want the seeds to add to the flavor.

Cover the beef, onions, tomatoes and diced hatch with about 1-2" water, Bring to a boil.
toss in first jalopeno and 1/3 of spices. Cover and drop to simmer.
after first hour - next jalapeno and next 1/3 spices
after second hour - last jalapeno and spices. Check meat tenderness for estimate of 'done' -

I like meat tender, not chewy - so it will be done (for me) when the meat is tender.

For Yankees or clueless guests I set up a second small pot, pour enough for their taste and add a can of 'bean de jour' but mostly Red or Kidney beans.

For me about 3Tbl Chile powder/# meat, 1 TBl cumin/# meat - two bay leaves,

For 5# at least one onion and two diced Hatch peppers. One tbl of oregano and two Tbl finely chopped cilantro for the batch.

The three Jalapenos point to about 2 alarm, so I always chop up Seranos or fresh Jalapenos in a cup, as well as extra onion, sharp cheddar cheese and fresh tostada chips.

Somewhere there are beers around.