Ingredients
2 lb. 80/20 ground beef
3/4 Cup of favorite Chili Mix
2 × 14 oz cans kidney beans- 1 light kidney
- 1 dark kidney, drained
2 × 14 oz cans diced tomatoes, with juice
About 3 cups beef broth, plus a little extra as needed
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp jarred garlic
3 bay leaves
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Directions
Brown the ground beef, transfer to another pot, keeping all juices and drippings.
In the original pot, add the onion, cook for a little while, then add the garlic.
Add Chili Mix and combine well. Bloom the seasoning briefly, stirring constantly so it does not burn.
Add salt and black pepper.
Add the browned ground beef and all reserved drippings back into the pot.
Add the kidney beans, diced tomatoes with juice, about 3 cups beef broth, and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours.
If it gets too thick during the simmer, add a little more beef broth.
Taste near the end and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Story behind the recipe
This is our basic mild "nice" chili recipe, and you can add peppers to taste if you like it spicy! I made this for my friend who has won chili competitions. He thought it was a little too thick and needed more salt, so this revised version allows extra broth and final seasoning adjustment.
Originally, I had 3 jalapeños with seeds "not so nice version," and he said it produced a fairly hot chili. He thought it was too spicy, while his wife liked the heat. So, the recipe above is mild, but for me I would leave 3 jalapeños as the standard.