ChiliVanilli 2.0

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Many years ago, I convinced three friends (Pete, Julie and Meg) to enter a chili competition with me.  There was a minor problem: none of us had ever made chili before.  Nor did we have a recipe.

So, we collected about 15 different chili recipes and created our own.  The results? We won the Tiburon Chili Festival! There were over 200 entrants!  People were lining up for our “Chili Vanilli”.

November 2020 Update

It’s hard to believe that I had not made this chili since the (in)famous Festival in 1991.  It had simply been too long.  So when some friends came over for outdoor dining around the fire pit, I knew it was time to do it again.  But the recipe seemed old…and maybe even juvenile.  So I took the time to re-write it:

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds of ground beef
  • 1 pound ground meat mix (beef/veal/pork)
  • 8 strips of bacon, chopped
  • 4-6 Italian sausages, casing removed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large onions, minced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 red peppers, minced
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, mined
  • 2 28 oz cans while San Marzano tomatoes
  • 28 oz can Goya red kidney beans (optional for purists, but I recommend)
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 1/2 cups burgundy
  • 1/4 cup Bourbon
  • 1/4 cup Guiness Stout
  • 1 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seed, crushed
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 4 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon basil
  • 1 teaspoons oregano
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoons black pepper
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • Small chunk bittersweet chocolate

Add to thicken if needed:

  • White cornmeal

Prep

  • Peel and mince onions and garlic.
  • De-seed and mince peppers
  • Crush cumin seed
  • Remove casing and chop Italian sausages
  • Chop bacon strips.

Saute

  • Heat a large heavy skillet on medium high heat
  • Brown ground beef and meat mix; add to slow cooker
  • Brown Italian sausages; chop into small pieces with spatula while browning; add to slow cooker
  • Cook bacon chunks; add to slow cooker
  • Reduce heat to medium low and add onions and garlic to bacon grease and saute until soft; add to slow cooker
  • Return heat to medium high, add olive oils and sauté peppers; add to slow cooker

Mix

  • Empty can of tomatoes (one at a time) into blender and gently pulse; add to slow cooker
  • Add remaining ingredients (except chocolate) to slow cooker
  • You can stir as you go along but make sure everything is mixed together now.
  • Cook on high setting for 2 hours
  • Cook on low setting for as long as you want, but at least another hour or two.
  • Stir and taste often
  • One hour before serving, grate chocolate into chili; stir

If you need to thicken, add some white cornmeal or cornstarch mixed with water.

Serve

  • Fritos
  • Diced scallions
  • Sliced jalapeños
  • Sliced avocado
  • Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Grated Colby
  • Queso Blanco sauce
  • Sour cream

The Original

Here is the original recipe.  The portions yield about 8 gallons, so make sure you either get a huge pot or scale it down to something sizable.  Please let me know how much you enjoy it!

Dave’s Chili Vanilli

To win a chili competition, simply create the following:

Ingredients

  • 36 tablespoons olive oil
  • 12 large onions, minced
  • 24 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 10 pounds of ground beef
  • 12 strips of bacon, chopped
  • 14 Italian sausages, boiled and chopped
  • 8 cups of water
  • 16 cups canned tomatoes
  • 10 green peppers, minced
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 2 cups burgundy
  • 6 teaspoons celery seed
  • 4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 12 teaspoons cumin seed, crushed
  • 12 bay leaves
  • 24 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons basil
  • 15 teaspoons salt
  • 4 teaspoons oregano
  • 6 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 6 teaspoons black pepper

Add to taste:

  • Bourbon
  • Guiness Stout
  • Unsweetened chocolate

Add to thicken:

  • White cornmeal

The Process:

Prep

  • Peel and mince onions and garlic.
  • De-seed and chop green peppers
  • Boil and chop Italian sausages
  • Crush cumin seed
  • Chop bacon strips.

 

Saute

  • Heat olive oil in giant skillet
  • Add onions and garlic and saute until golden brown.
  • Add green pepper.
  • Add beef, bacon and sausage. Brown.

 

Cook

  • Transfer meat mixture to huge cauldron (8-10 gallon capacity)
  • Add the remaining ingredients while stirring
  • Bring to a boil
  • Reduce heat to simmer
  • Simmer uncovered until ready to serve.
  • Add cornmeal to thicken if desired.