Here’s a few tips I’ve learned over the years.   First, browning ALWAYS matters. Searing your meat first will get you great flavor that will permeate your chili. Plus, you don’t want your beef or pork to become grayish lumps in your stew, do you? No. So make sure you’ve got a nice sear—this goes for both diced and ground meat.

Next, don’t throw your vegetables in raw.  Sautéing onions, garlic, and other veggies first coaxes maximum flavor out of them. So make sure your onions, for example, are soft and translucent before you add your liquid.

Like with your veggies, heat and fat draw out the flavor in ground spices. If you add them when the stew is almost finished, all you’ll taste is raw spice—not the deep, rich, spicy flavor that you love about chili.

Let that chili cooooook. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors will meld together. In fact, chili is just the kind of thing you want to make a day ahead: it gets better with a night in the fridge.

Lastly,  always say yes to toppings: onions, scallions, cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs ground chuck

3 peppers, 1 green, 1 red, & 1 yellow

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 large yellow onion

28 oz can tomato sauce

14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes

15 oz can of light red kidney beans, drained

15 oz can of great northern beans, drained

15 oz can of red beans, drained

3 TBS chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp oregano

salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Place meat in a large pot and season with salt & pepper.  Add peppers, onion, and garlic.  Cook until meat is well browned and onions are translucent.  Drain off excess fat. Then add the rest of ingredients and simmer for 1 hour or longer.  Serve with desired toppings such as shredded Cheddar, chopped onions, sour cream, and avocados.