Mrs. Cogito Makes: The World's Best Spicy Chili

The high today is less than 70 degrees, football is on, and the leaves are changing color. This can only mean one thing: it's officially chili season. I'll say it again because it warrants celebration, it's officially chili season. The most wonderful time of the year.

It seems like almost every midwestern family has their own version of chili that they think is great. Growing up, my family had their own recipe for a mild, sweeter chili. Jake says his family also went the more mild and sweet route. Both of our family's chili recipes are so good when returning home, but we both agreed that we wanted something spicier than we were used to. Thus began my search for a really good spicy version of the midwestern delicacy. I tried lots of recipes. Lots. None were what I was looking for. They were either too thin or too mild. Too few beans or too many tomatoes. Nothing was what I wanted so I set out to make my own.

I consider myself to be a pretty decent cook, but most of the time I am far from a chef. Cooks follow recipes, chefs make their own. I like to add a little of my own flair to any recipes that I make, but this chili is the only recipe I've truly started from scratch adding ingredients and adjusting things until it became exactly what I was looking for in a delicious fall dish. Not that I could be partial to a recipe I wrote myself, but this isn't just good chili, it's great chili. It's a spicy, thick chili but you can decrease the heat to your desired level as needed!

Let's get into what makes it so good.

Shown above left is my base group of ingredients.

• 2 lb. ground beef

• 1 medium onion, diced

• (At least) 2 fresh jalepenos, diced

• 2 cans diced tomatoes (I like using one can diced tomatoes with green chiles and one can diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery, and onion)

• 1 can diced green chiles, hot

• 1 can diced jalepeno peppers, hot

• 2 cans chili beans in chili sauce, not drained (not shown above because I didn't have any on hand and subbed them for other beans)

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 2 1/2 cups beef broth (I use bullion or Better than Bullion and reconstitue it)

• 3 tablespoons chili powder, divided into two 1 1/5 tablespoon portions

• (At least) 1 tablespoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 4 minced garlic cloves

It seems like a long list of ingredients, but I promise the recipe is not difficult. Most items are canned goods, so the recipe is a lot of opening and pouring. Getting everything together is the toughest part of the entire thing and that is very easy.

As mentioned above, this is my base chili recipe. I frequently add things or change things around based on what I have, what's on sale, and what I think could improve the recipe. For today's edition, I added two poblano peppers we had in the freezer that we helped grow this summer, some Worcestershire sauce, and a splash of coffee (more on that later).

A fun tidbit about prepping your peppers: many people think that the spice in peppers comes from the seeds. This is a common misconception! The seeds are actually very bitter and not spicy. The true heat comes from the membrane that holds the seeds in place, which I am very carefully pointing to with the tip of my knife.

It's also time we talk about the elephant in the room. Beans. I know that some people are not fans of beans in their chili. I am here to tell you that those people are wrong. If you're more than nine years old and you are still afraid to enjoy some delicious beans in your chili, it is time to grow up. Chili is a man's dish and anti-beaners are acting like boys. If you don't want to take my word for it, however, listen to the other love of Jake's life: Josh Groban.

To begin the recipe, I add my ground beef, onion, fresh diced peppers, and 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder to my large cast iron pot over medium heat to brown the beef and cook the veggies. I think adding part of the chili powder in at this point and part later helps maintain a stronger chili flavor to the dish while also ensuring each bite of beef has good flavor.

Once the beef is browned, I drain the fat and return the pot to the stove. At this point in the cooking process today, Jake finished taking a shower, left the bathroom, and from across the house yelled "Holy cow it smells good in here." I think that means I'm doing a good job. After this step, I add in all the other ingredients. Just pour the tomatoes, canned chilis, broth, tomato paste, and the rest of the spices into the pot and stir. The hard part is done.

Isn't she a beaut? As a woman that fancies herself a semi-pro chili chef, at this stage I bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then let it cook for at least three hours. Yes, I know that seems like a long time. It is. Perfection can't be rushed. However, if you are in a rush you could let it simmer for a half hour to 45 minutes and the chili would still be good. Any chili connoisseur knows that the longer a chili sits the better it gets, though.

At this point you should taste the chili to see if it needs any more seasonings, spice, or something special. Real chefs like Robert Irvine and myself always taste their dishes as they're cooking. Chef Robert and I are essentially the same person, honestly.

See, there's basically zero difference between those pictures. Two super buff chefs. I'm definitely not pushing up my bicep to make it seem bigger.

As the Roberta Irvine I am, I tasted my chili and thought it needed some extra love. I added in lots more cumin because cumin is the secret star of this dish that makes it so good. I would put cumin on anything. It is the sneaky king of spices. I also added a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a few small pours of some left over coffee from this morning. I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out. The internet told me something like coffee or cocoa powder adds some depth to chili much like a pinch of sugar in pasta sauce does. They compliment the acidity of the tomatoes and peppers and bring out the meaty, umami flavor of the beef. I refuse to come anywhere close to making the abomination that is Skyline chili, so I went for the coffee over the cocoa powder. I only added a little out of fear it would ruin the whole pot, so I'm not sure how much of a real difference it made. When the chili was all done, I thought it had a little je ne sais quoi that it doesn't normally have but Jake said he didn't taste any difference. Maybe next time I'll add in a tiny bit more to see if he notices a change as well.

Finally, after the 3+ hour (or half hour if you're in a hurry) simmer, the delicious, spicy chili is ready. Crackers are great and all, but crushed tortilla chips are the true crunchy addition your chili needs. Try it. You'll never go back to crackers again. We also add cheese and normally add sour cream/non-fat plain Greek yogurt for a little creaminess but didn't have any on hand today. Greek yogurt is a great low-cal, high protein substitution for sour cream if you're looking for something a bit healthier.

Like any chili, this is best the day after you make it following an overnight chill in the refrigerator. All the flavors really blend together to give you the best possible experience. I easily eat two bowls of this at each meal but would do more if my stomach could hold it all. It tastes so good you'll want to keep going back for more! I hope you'll give it a try and love it as much as we do! If you do make it let me know in the comments what you think and feel free to drop your favorite kind of chili (spicy, mild, thick, thin?) here as well!

World's Best Spicy Chili

• 2 lb. ground beef

• 1 medium onion, diced

• (At least) 2 fresh jalepenos, diced

• 2 cans diced tomatoes (I like using one can diced tomatoes with green chiles and one can diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery, and onion)

• 1 can diced green chiles, hot

• 1 can diced jalepeno peppers, hot

• 2 cans chili beans in chili sauce, not drained (not shown above because I didn't have any on hand and subbed them for other beans)

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 2 1/2 cups beef broth (I use bullion or Better than Bullion and reconstitue it)

• 3 tablespoons chili powder, divided into two 1 1/5 tablespoon portions

• (At least) 1 tablespoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 4 minced garlic cloves

Warm a large soup pot over medium high heat and add the ground beef, onion, fresh peppers, and 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder. Cook until beef is browned and veggies are cooked through. Drain fat. Add the tomatoes, chiles, and beans - all undrained, tomato paste, beef broth, and remaining spices. Stir to combine and bring to a light boil over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least a half hour up to 4 hours. Top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream or your choice in toppings and enjoy!