The classic, traditional chili is a beloved comfort food for many individuals. This zesty and slightly sweet dish is packed with ingredients and flavors that offer a delectable experience. While the basic old-fashioned chili recipe already guarantees a delicious treat, there are endless opportunities to enhance it further by adjusting the spice levels, adding exotic toppings, or experimenting with unique ingredients. In fact, many tried-and-tested tips can be incredibly valuable in creating perfect chili dishes.
Old-fashioned chili recipe
This dish requires a few key ingredients commonly found in most kitchens. One will need ground beef, onions, diced tomatoes, chili beans, tomato sauce, celery, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and yellow mustard.
To begin the process, start by cooking the ground beef in a pot until it turns brown. Once it is done, add in the finely chopped onions and celery and gently stir the mixture until the meat and vegetables are tender and properly cooked.
For a smoother texture, one can add diced tomatoes and around 12 ounces of tomato sauce into the dish. Adding chili beans or chili bean sauce enhances the dish in terms of seasoning too. Ensure to stir the mixture well before adding garlic powder, salt, and chili powder to enhance the flavor. While the recipe for a standard old-fashioned chili would conclude at this stage, one can customize the dish with multiple ingredients to elevate the taste. The combination of simple ingredients and their flavors make this one of the best ground beef chili recipes available.
By adding Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and yellow mustard into the mixture, the dish instantly gains a delightful sweet and spicy undertone. To deepen and enrich the flavor of this old-fashioned chili, allow it to simmer for some more time. For added texture and flavor, one can also consider to top the dish with cheese or sour cream.
When serving this dish, one can consider garnishing the dish with some chopped green onions to add a burst of flavor. Those who prefer chili with cornbread or tortilla chips can also opt for them. And if one feels more experimental, try to replace beef with ground turkey or chicken. Additionally, those who want a vegetarian dish can simply incorporate more beans in place of ground meat.
Tips to enhance the taste of chili dishes
There is a whole treasure trove of tips and tricks one can use to bring out the best in their chili dishes.
Cooking for long periods
In the case of some ingredients and dishes, overcooking can spoil the taste and texture of the final product. However, chili recipes are an exception to this. These dishes benefit from lengthy cooking times, allowing the different flavors to blend correctly. Moreover, the rich ground meat normally used in chili recipes requires about 90 minutes to two hours of stirring to achieve a tender and well-cooked texture. For those with time constraints, a slow cooker can be utilized to prepare the chili dish. Also, the vegetarian version of the dish may get cooked faster as compared to this.
Using broth instead of water
Water is known to be a universal solvent and works great for adding moisture and smoothness to dishes. That said, when it comes to cooking chili, using a flavorful broth is a better option. Seasoned chefs often substitute 4-5 cups of water with quality soup broth while making different chili recipes to improve the overall flavor of the dishes. A concentrated soup base dissolves more quickly than a typical bouillon cube, and many people find it to be more flavorful as well.
Mixing a few tablespoons of tomato paste
As stated above, old-fashioned chili can be customized in a number of ways depending on what consumers need from their dish. People who want an intense, concentrated flavor in their best ground beef chili recipes can add multiple tablespoons of tomato paste to achieve that objective. Using tomato paste is a great option for those who have limited time, as it provides an instant burst of flavor without requiring lengthy simmering periods.
To achieve this, simply combine around two to four tablespoons of tomato paste with the other spices, allowing the mixture to cook until the distinctive aroma of the tomatoes comes out from the mixture.
Blooming different spices
Simply adding spices to chili dishes won’t fully enhance their flavor. Instead of just mixing them in, try to “bloom” them first. Blooming is essentially a cooking technique that involves subtly modifying the spices by heating them to intensify their flavors. For example, certain spices contain essential oils that can greatly enhance the flavor of any given chili dish. So, after blooming the spices, one can add them to the dish after softening the onions or cooking the meat until it turns golden brown. This process helps to release the essential oils more organically into the mixture, improving the flavor of the dish.
Adding a touch of sweetness
The standard texture of chili is typically rich and its taste is inherently spicy. Adding a sweet ingredient to the blend can help balance the heat in chili dishes. Diced carrots are a popular choice for adding that touch of natural sweetness into the mixture. Additionally, sweet potatoes and winter squash are excellent options used for achieving the balance.
