Last night was First Friday (just a week late) at the squadron. The first Friday of every month, the squadron gets together and just hangs out. Kids tag along and there’s usually plenty of beer, food and merriment to go along. Since it is well into chilly fall here in Germany, this First Friday, we had chili cook-off.
Sorry for the blurry picture. Cameras and phones aren’t allowed in the squadron bar. But I took one anyway. I keep a blog yo, I gotta take pictures. Sue me. 😉
There were crock-pots as far as the eye could see and over 20 different chili recipes. There was a delicious selection of chicken, vegetarian, spicy, and classic chili. There was only one really bad one, there is a story about this, but I’ll just sum it up by saying that we were all curious to know how the chef managed to get the taste of dumpster into his chili. Heh, heh. You kind of had to be there for that and you kind of have to know the guy. 🙂
All the chili was sampled and votes were tallied.
Remember how I slaved over a hot stove to perfect my chili recipe? Well, I brought the chili to the party, fo sho. My chili, called TPF Chili, won for best afterburn! The prize was a very nice bottle of vodka. I love vodka and my stock at home is about empty…it was destiny, I was meant to win.
If you’re feeling brave, you can try TPF Chili at your house! It’s really not that spicy, it has great flavor and okay yeah, a little afterburn. You can turn down the heat if you want by tweaking the recipe to your liking. It’s kind of a goofy recipe, I know, but trust me that there is a rhyme and reason for everything…I am, after all, a champ. 🙂
TPF Chili
source: my nugget
- 5/8 lb hot sausage
- 5/8 lb ground beef
- 1 can dark red kidney beans, undrained
- 1 can low-sodium black beans, undrained
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 can (10 3/4 oz) tomato soup
- 1 can (10 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes with habaneros (regular diced tomatoes to turn down the heat)
- 1 can (15 oz) Hormel Chili with beans, vegetarian
- 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies, undrained (drain chilies to turn down the heat)
- 3 cubes beef bouillon
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp bacon bits
- 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cup beer (I used Bitburger, the local brew here)
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp Tabasco sauce with habanero (reduce this or use regular Tabasco to turn down the heat)
Cook sausage and beef completely in a Dutch oven. Add a splash of crushed red pepper and chili powder to meat while cooking. Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients in a large soup pot and bring to a simmer. DO NOT drain beans, tomatoes, or chilies. Add cooked meat to the soup. Let simmer for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Transfer to crock pot and cook on LOW heat for AT LEAST 6 hours. It is best if you are able to stir occasionally.
The longer it stews, the better. I make mine the night before and let it sit in the crock pot overnight and all day before serving it. It is best if served with shredded Mexican cheese, tortillas, and a cold beer.
ENJOY!
Tamera says
Mmmmm, looks delicious!