When I was growing up, chili was a staple in our house. My parents make a great, savory, vegetarian chili that’s so filling you won’t even miss the meat. This is not that recipe. My dad entered that recipe in a chili cook off at work and won. And one of the other contestants complained that their recipe shouldn’t have won because it didn’t have meat. While my parents’ chili recipe is great, Mac and I came up with our own version that we have tweaked over the years.
Mac lived in Oklahoma during my senior year of college and bought buffalo meat regularly. We experimented with it when I went to visit him, and we really liked it. So we began adapting recipes we already made or trying new recipes to replace beef with buffalo. If you haven’t tried it or can’t find it, feel free to swap out lean ground beef.
I personally like thick, stick-to-your-ribs chili recipes, so this recipe is pretty hearty. A big can of crushed tomatoes and a smaller can of tomato sauce make a solid base. I use two to three cans of beans in each batch (it depends on how I’m feeling when I make it). My secret ingredient is this tomato, corn, and okra succotash. You can find it in most grocery stores for about a dollar a can. I love it, and it adds such great flavor to the chili. If it’s too thick for you, add a cup or so of hot water or another can of tomato sauce before serving.
You can also fix my chili in a Crock Pot. Once you brown the meat, transfer it to a Crock Pot set on low. Add all of the other ingredients and heat for at least two hours. From there, it’s ready to eat. I tend to serve my chili with cornbread or Ritz crackers. I also keep cheddar or Mexican cheese and sour cream within reach. Chili isn’t chili without some sort of dairy.
Chili
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or buffalo
- 2–3 cans of stewed tomatoes
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can Great Northern beans
- 2 cans of Margaret Holmes tomatoes, okra, and corn
- 1 small can tomato sauce
- 2 packets chili seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat a deep stockpot. Brown beef totally. You should see no pink!
- Stir in one packet of chili seasoning.
- Drain and dump in your canned beans, tomato sauce, corn, tomatoes, and okra.
- Stir in the tomatoes. Mix in second package of chili seasoning.
- Bring the whole pot to a boil. Reduce and simmer at least 20-30 minutes. I sometimes make mine early in the day and simmer it for several hours.
Notes
- Use whatever beans you like most. Black and Great Northern are my faves for chili.
- Buffalo is a great, healthier alternative to beef. It’s more lean, so be careful not to dry it out while cooking. It also has a more spicy flavor than plain ole beef. You can generally find it with the packaged fresh ground beef in the grocery store.
- If you want to use a Crock Pot, brown the meat first. Transfer the meat to your Crock Pot, add all of the other ingredients, and heat on low for at least two hours.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
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