Chris' Chili

Add another first place chili cookoff win!! I followed this recipe exactly and just won first place in a chili cookoff!! Will definitely be making this again. My DH and son went wild for it. It is somewhat laborious with the steak (which gave me the full on attention of both dogs) but it is well worth the effort!

Add a 2nd place trophy to the trophy rack, Chris! In stiff competition, this recipe hung in there for the red ribbon at USCG Training Center Yorktown's Annual Spring Fling Chili Cookoff. I made MINOR substitutions. I used one can of black beans and two of the kidney beans. I also added minced garlic and about 2 tsps. of paprika, and a whole chopped dried ancho chili. The judges said it was close...I think I lost out to a bean-free (Texas) chili! Good recipe...will make again (and maybe win next year!)

I just finished making this chili and holy cow its fabulous. I can't wait to taste it once its had a chance to sit in the fridge and all the flavors have had a chance meld together. I will definitely make this again and spice it up a little more. At first taste its not what I consider spicy, but there is a touch of heat at the end. I may update this once I've had a chance to taste the final product.

Made this for my family. Meat came out really tender and it had a really good flavor. I used franks red hot instead of texas pete. The only thing I would suggest is adding a couple of Jalapeno peppers to it. I will definitly make it again.

Wow, outstanding. Won 3rd place at a chili cook off. Added sriracha at the end because I wanted a little more heat. Also, make sure to brown meat in small batches or otherwise you'll be boiling it in its own juices. Thanks for the recipe, Chris!

My two teen age boys ate almost all of it immediately. I fixed it in the evening so I could reheat it the next day but there wasn't much to reheat. Each added it to their favorite meals list which is a high compliment. I will absolutely make this again and possibly enter local chili contests.

Made your chili recipe with a few additions, I didn't have the onion soup mix but added a chopped onion, chopped celery and 5 chopped up garlic cloves. Used ground beef and I added a jar of medium spiced salsa and used 2 cans of mexican spiced tomatoes. I didn't have to add the tomato paste and used a package of dried red beans prepared by the package. I added about 1/2 a cup of the cocoa. Really turned out great and we had it at our usual Thursday night hot dog roast and chili. Everyone raved about the recipe. Thank you Chris.

Just won first place with this recipe!! Thanks for sharing it!

This is AMAZING. I am obsessed with Steak n' Shakes chili, and this hits the nail on the head. I literally cannot taste the difference. Thank you so much! My family loved it and I plan on making it regularly. I used Angus Ground chuck instead of steak, but next time I will try the steak to see if it's even better :)

Made this for a football game and everybody loved it! Some said it was the best chili they've ever had! The meat isn't exactly cheap, but it is worth the price. Isn't very hard to make, just put the ingredients into a pot and stir it a little. Definitely refrigerate over night because the meat gets more tender and soaks up the flavor. Will make again!

Despite my inner cook urging me to add garlic, onions or peppers, I followed the directions. I chose this mild-mannered recipe since it would be eaten by toddlers thru adults. My first taste of this brought to mind the word 'smooth'. I set a shakers of chipotle and hot peppers on the side and offered condiments of cilantro, shredded cheddar, and chopped onions for those was wanted to jazz it up. It wasn't tomato-y or spicy, just easy to eat and well received. Great chili for those who don't like things other than meat and beans in their chili.

Great chili! I followed the recipe exactly and resisted the urge to add onions, peppers and chilies. Drives me crazy to read "reviews" by people who've made multiple changes to a recipe. This chili may not be what you're used to, but it's so worth trying. The flavor is so rich and smooth, I'll never use any other recipe again.

Add another first place win! I did change a few things such as smoking the beef for around 30 minutes with hickory and added a red pepper and extra beans. I also added a small can of diced chiles and substituted diced tomatoes with jalapenos instead of the tomato sauce and I added an extra tsp of diced jalapenos and 1 tsp of jalapeno juice.

Oh my goodness, best chili I have ever made. I used half ground sirloin and half sirloin steak to save money. Made double batch for party and people would scraping the crock pot for every last drop.

This was the best chili I have ever had. And that was using ground beef, instead of the steaks. I will definitely be using steak the next time to see if it can actually taste better. It is better as leftovers the next day.

Awesome! I want to note that I didn't have tomato paste so I used a 15 oz can of tomato sauce. Also my hubby won't eat kidney beans so I put a can of Bush's Best Grillin' Beans- Texas Ranchero. Yummo!

This was INCREDIBLE. Add another first place.

I won my first ever chili cookoff by using this recipe. I didn't change a single thing!! Excellent!

Simply the BEST!!!

Wow. This is hands down the BEST chili I have ever had. Rich, hearty and complex flavors. Delicious!

I substituted venison chops for the beef (because I had too much of it in my freezer) and it tasted awesome. Great recipe!

Would have liked more vegetables in it.

You can add another 1st place trophy to the ever crowding case! This chili has amazing flavor. I did make some additions. 1 can on green chilies, 1 can of diced jalapenos, 2 cans of chili Rotel, 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes and 1/2 tsp on white pepper. And I substituted chili beans instead of kidney beans.

I followed the recipe and everything turned out great. It has a nice blend of spices. The only problem is that it was gone in a day because everyone kept going back to get more.

This was wonderful.I always wanted try cocoa in chili was in the middle of making chili so made it with ground turkey.

Overall a good chili recipe. What makes it stand out is simmering the steak in bacon grease and the cocoa powder. I am surprised though that it is so award winning. There are lots of top secret chili recipes out there that aire on the side of exotic. That said, there is such a conservative use of spices. And arguably so, more beans than some chili men would consider using (no draining of the beans is interesting). The recipe is worth a try for sure. It has some great things going for it-namely the fact you don't drain off the steak liquid. You lose a lot of good texture and flavor if you do.

Too thick for our family.

This was the best Ever! Thanks so much for this recipe,I used ground beef,since thats what I had and onion instead of the soup mix also hot peppers instead of the pepper sauce,(what I had),It was a Super hit with all!

Add another 1st place. We had a small church Chili Cook-Off, and got Judges Choice out of 20. Thanks for sharing this, it is good, and will end up a regular at this house.

Wow! I made pretty much as written except I didnt have a can of tomato sauce as I thought I did... So I used up some fresh tomatoes and used a little extra tomato paste. And I used Pepsi instead of Coke. I did half the recipe as it was only myself my 14 and 3 yo boys. But the picky 3 yo ate his whole bowl!!Thats an accomplishment! And my 14 yo gave it 5 stars. I was confused on the "yellow sport pepper sauce" Did that mean hot sauce?? I could NOT find yellow pepper hot sauce anywhere. SO I used the vinegar from a bottle of little hot yellow peppers. Anyway, given my changes I made out of necessity I dont think they affected the taste at all. But I will be making again and will make exactly the same maybe this time using the Texas Petes actual hot sauce although it is not yellow...

Great recipe! I've been looking for a good hearty chili recipe and this is it. I made it without the sirloin and it was still great.

I have made this about three times for various family functions and it always was gone very quickly. I skipped making it on one occasion and it ruined the party! I have now been instructed to ALWAYS bring the "great " chili. Thank you for the recipe. It is a huge hit.

I forgot to rate this recipe when I made it because it wasn't anything that stood out. I've had and made a lot of chili before and this recipe was not at all what I thought it would be. My oldest daughter (the picky eater) devoured her portion but I thought it was quite bland. We are having the leftovers tonight so hopefully I can change the rating.

I have been wanting a homemade chili recipe using chunks of steak rather than ground beef. This fit the bill perfectly! Even better, my very picky childern LOVED it. Will definitely be making this again.

WOW!!! Outstanding! And I thought I made the best chili!! clearly I was mistaken! Thank you 4 sharing!

good but not great kind of boring but simple in taste

Excellent chili. Family loved it, including my picky eater. Added an onion and shredded cheese.

I made this chilli yesterday for our annual chili cook off @ church and guess what??? I won! Add another win to the roster! :) It was delicious!

I entered this in a chili cook-off based on reviews and I got 2 votes. Dead last place out of 20 entries. I really liked this chili personally, but what do I know? I rarely eat chili because I do not eat ground beef. I made is EXACTLY as the recipe states, except I did add a few chopped jalapeños to the finished product, because after I took it out of the fridge the next morning and tasted it, it was very mild. I personally did not mind the cost of the steak, but it would have been much cheaper to make traditional chili. The broth is very gravy-like and hearty. I would make it again for my family but I would never subject myself to enter it in another cook off.

Made almost exactly like the recipe with just a couple changes for personal preference. I used 2 lbs round steak and 1 1/2 lbs ground beef, I replaced one can of kidney beans with chili beans and came close to doubling the soda. Also didn’t add the extra hot sauce at the end. This was the best chili I’ve ever made, thank you Chris!

Awesome chili!!! The only change I made was making my own onion soup mix because of food allergy issues. My 9 year old loved it!

I just used regular cooking oil to brown the meat. The thought of bacon grease grossed me out. Everyone loved it!

Thanks Chris! I won second place in the chili contest at work! Every other year, I came in last. This was a great recipe!

Thumbs down. Wouldn't make this again.

I had no idea what yellow sport pepper sauce was, so I substituted "pickled" yellow hot chili peppers - 3 chopped up made about a tablespoon. The chili came out pretty good. The meat was amazingly tender. I will try it again with a different hot pepper sauce next time. I served this up with shredded cheddar cheese - very good.

Oh my this is so good. I am not crazy for most chili because of the ground beef. As soon as I saw that this was made with sirloin I couldn't wait to try it. I halved the recipe, but now I wish I wish I made a whole batch. I only used one can of beans and I added mushrooms. I don't know why but I love mushrooms in chili. I can't wait to make it again.

Entered this recipe in a cook off and won. Great recipe and easy to make. Will be using this recipe often in the future.

I've tried a lot of chili recipes this is the best yet. Only one I make now.

This won my work's Super Bowl Chili Cook-off and it wasn't even close. I used only 2 cans of beans, used salt/pepper/garlic powder to season the steak and added some crushed red pepper at the end but other than that I followed the recipe to a T. Thanks a lot for an awesome recipe!

Uuuuggghhh! The ONLY chili recipe. I make it exactly as written and it turns out beautifully every time. Brace yourself...this is a rich, thick chili. The crock-pot tip is gold, and I've found I can start it in the afternoon and let it simmer (covered), stirring occasionally, until dinner time to similar effect. Perfect snowy-day-off meal. AND!!! The leftovers are amazing on scrambled eggs with cheddar and sour cream. Just a little tip for what to do with the leftovers. Not that you'll need it. This stuff is yummy!

Added pintos because we like. Added a little more chili powder. Next time may add jalapeno, but it was really delicious what chili should taste like not watered down hamburger chili. Having leftovers tonight, yummy

Another first place trophy to add to the list! The cook off was a couple of weeks ago and I'm still getting requests for the recipe! Footnote: not very hot...if you like a bit more spice, increase the amount of hot sauce.

So delicious and def reminded me of SteakNShake! I did almost 2 lbs of meat, but we are a meat loving fam. Also in the slowcooker. Started with beans/sauce/seasonings on low for 4 hours then followed the directions on cooking meat and added to the beans along with the coke and cocoa powder. Was great to use for Chili Dogs too. I do not like a thick chili, this was perfect in between. Will make again the whole fam loved it!

It tastes wonderful.. A lot like Steak n shake chili but better. Used a milder hot sauce cause kids and I don't roll with real spicy

I followed the recipe, except I just used chuck since it's cheaper. Also, throw the bacon in with the meat...you won't regret it! Oh, and I drained one can of beans before I realized that I wasn't supposed to. I don't think I needed that extra liquid so I'll probably do that again next time. And there WILL be a next time! Loved it! Serve with cornbread (Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread is my favorite).

I like the cubed beef. This chili didn't have enough "kick" and it was very thick. A lot of work for marginal results. Not sure how this has won so many contests! I will not be making this again

Very good chili!

Followed the recipe exactly and won a chili contest In July -Excellent !

This is one of the best chili recipes I've tried and I make A LOT of chili since it's my partners favorite meal. I am always in search of "the best" recipe, and try new one's out all the time. In doing so, I often make two different recipes and compare them head to head. I made this one and Chili I the same weekend and Chris' Chile "won" our taste test. (Chili I was too sweet, but we will adjust the sugar and try again as I think that one is a winner). I might even submit this as one of the 2 chili's we will enter at our club's annual chili cookoff. I followed the recipe as written, except for subbing 1 can of pintos for the kidneys. I used Lipton's "Beefy Onion" soup mix cuz I figured it couldn't hurt having a beefier flavor. Couple things that I find important... the texture is good and the method is fairly simple (not a whole lot of chopping or steps) with no crazy, hard to find ingredients. As far as taste, I'm almost always disappointed in how soup/chili tastes the first day, so usually reserve judgement until day 2 after the flavors have a chance to meld and Chris' Chili was surprisingly flavorful right off the bat, and even better day 2 or 3. While I realize everyone has a different idea about what makes good chili, Chris' Chili tastes like what I think good chili should taste like. If you like some kick to your chili, I recommend adding some peppers or cayenne. The pepper sauce was barely noticeable - this coming from a spice wimp. Thanks Chris!

As is- wonderful. Just for my reference after the third iteration... root beer in stead of coke, 2 tbs brown sugar, 1 tbs Tabasco smoked Chipotle , 1 tbs mustard

I made this a few days ago, and it really is great chili. I suppose I expected it to be a little better, but it is a good recipe. I was raised in a blue collar family with a lot of kids and not a lot of money. The best my Mom could get for our chili was your standard ground beef, and I had a lot of trouble getting over that this recipe calls for steak. Perhaps I'm just set in my ways regarding the ground chuck, but I feel like ground beef is more suitable for chili. It's also pretty darn pricey to use two different kinds of steak in this recipe. I also prefer more a variety of beans in my chili. I think I'll loosely follow this recipe in the future, but I'm going to go back to ground beef and use a wider variety of beans. All in all, if you have the money and prefer steak in your chili, this is an excellent recipe for you.

I make this every year at Halloween and everybody goes nuts over it, I make it for 30 servings because of a big Halloween bash. I add a few cans of sweet corn to it and leave the rest the same...I just like a bit of sweet corn in there to go with the spices of chili.

This recipe was very different so I followed it almost exactly...the only change was that after doing the browning of the meat stage (I made it quite brown) I cooked it in a crockpot on high for 5 hours (you probably could have gotten away with 4 but we were out). Using this method the meat did get very tender so I would say that's a good way to go if you want to use the slow cooker. The taste was very interesting and different, I would just say that we felt it was missing something...definitely some spice but maybe some acid too? I will probably add a teaspoon of adobo seasoning and maybe some Frank's red hot next time I make it. It was good on eggs leftover this morning too. I would say that it tastes better today than yesterday.

I've made this recipe probably twice a year for the past four or 5 years, I use NY steak instead of sirloin because I buy NY roasts and cut my own steaks, but other than that I follow the recipe to a tee. this is a great recipe..

This was a good chili but I wouldn't make it again. I tried it because it said it would taste like Steak n' Shake's chili but it tasted nothing like that. I followed the recipe exactly and the odd ingredients were different and a little fun to try out.

Somehow with only a few ingred's this becomes a wonderful recipe and as I was making it I REALLY had my doubts watching it come together. I had to use the entire envelope of dry soup mix and used a diff. bean (steakhouse grillin beans)but it is really a tasty blend for a smooth, sweet, saucy chili. Thanks loads! It does not make very many servings though...maybe half of a 6 qt pot..enough to stretch to 3-4 ppl

Better than Steak 'N Shake!

I followed this recipe to the letter and was very disappointed in the results. The chili was very bland. If I try making this again I will substitute mild salsa for the tomato sauce to give the chili some flavor.

Its fine. That's it. Just simply 'Fine'. Honestly cant believe it has won 12 chili contests as the flavor was VERY BLAND. Had virtually no chili taste, but you do get the grit of the cocoa powder in your mouth. I've won numerous chili contests with varying recipes and always on the lookout for the next big thing, but would not enter this one. But then if you have ever entered a contest you realize how many horrible cooks are out there.

Made this this for family dinner, used dry beans instead of canned, had to look up the right ratio of canned to dry , had to sub catsup for tomato sauce, and cream soda for coke, and tweek the chili powder and salt, added garlic powder (because I think the catsup made it kinda sweet) Best chili ever. Also used T-bone steak and hamburger. Used what I had on hand. Next time I will follow to a tee, but don't know if it could get any better, we will see,this is a keeper. Thank You!!

I guess I had big expectations after seeing it won multiple chili cook offs. It's ok. A thicker smokey like sauce and meaty with the cubes of steak. We made this for a chili cook off and it came in 7th of 14 entries. And I made it per the recipe. Not sure I would ever make again to be honest.

Easily 5 star for me. The problem with chili is that people are so opinionated and/or polarized on what is chili and how it should taste and look that scores can be so subjective than other recipes. It even becomes a macho thing in some cases to be rigid on a chili concept. I found this Chili just what I was looking for in a chili. Similar to a Steak and Shake Chili but better. The steak was what made it texturally so different. The beans were so tender and the flavor was just right. I used Coke and Texas Pete's. I did not find the dry onion soup mix so I used Campbells french onion soup and strained out those disgusting onions. I made it to the recipe except the store was out of dry soup mix. I used 10 ounces of sauce instead of the 8. Changes I may try the next time would be to find the dry onion soup mix as listed, double the Texas Pete's or use Franks red hot sauce.

I cannot believe I'm saying this, but my Favorite Chili Recipe has just been replaced !!! This Chili is WONDERFUL! The only changes I made were: used 1 lb diced pork tenderloin (I don't eat red meat), added sauteed sweet onion and a can of diced tomatoes. The rest of the recipe was followed exactly. I would give it more stars if I could ! Thank you so much ChrisG !

This Chili is so good. It’s not hard to believe it won 12 chili cook offs. It reminded me of my favorite chili from the Texas Roadhouse…yummy

I served this to friends and family on New Years Eve, it was a hit. Made a crockpot full and no left overs!!!!!! I added lean ground meat to the recipe and kept the carbs to a low by only using half the recommended beans. A great recipe!

I've made this five times now. The first two times I followed it to the "T" and it's awesome. The last few times I've subbed out one can of Kidney beans for one can of pinto. Or I've swapped half the steak for ground beef. Also awesome. Next thing I'm going to try is draining the beans and adding a cup of Beer (IPA) of course.

Just made this recipe today - made it exactly as the instructions say, and it was absolutely delicious! My 3 and 5 year old kids loved it as well, and they're pretty picky eaters when it comes to beef (they aren't real beef eaters). The most amazing part to the taste is how tender the meat is.....I think it's the Cola that does that? Wow! No doubt this is going in the cookbook so I can make it again.

Replaced the beef with venison. Otherwise followed the recipe. Made it a few days ahead for a holiday get together and then put it in the crock pot the day of. Delicious. Will definitely make again.

Excellent! Used half ground sirloin and half steak, followed the rest of the recipe exact. Will definitely make again.

If this was a recipe for beef tips in gravy, I would say it is tasty and the gravy is very creamy and has an interesting flavor. 4 stars for that. But as chili? No. It was incredibly bland and had no chili taste whatsoever.

I'm not sure what everyone else is used to eating, but this chili is mediocre AT BEST! Against my better judgement, I followed the recipe exactly, and it was underwhelming, to say the least. It is basically meat and beans in a thick sauce. Someone has done this before. Its called Hormel.

Awesome taste with the first bowl. Can't wait until the flavors meld more. The only thing I didn't have was the Texas Pete yellow sauce. I will have to look for it for the next time I make this. What I used in place was regular Tabasco. Thank you Chris for the fantastic award winning recipe.

I don't see how anyone is getting steak n shake chili vibes from this recipe. it doesnt taste like it at all. it's a good recipe, but not what I was looking for

I am a huge fan of Dennison’s chili (which they don’t sell in Texas) and Steak ‘n Shake chili. This is the best recipe to those. The paste and tomato measurements are perfect to have it be more stew and chili like than overly tomato-y. I did a few substitutions my second time making it ONLY to fit my personal preferences. I swapped out the kidney beans for pinto beans and added two extra cans of beans. The recipe didn’t specify whether to drain the cans or not so the second time around I drained all the liquid to make it thicker. I also used all ground beef instead and no hot sauce to make it easy on my toddler (both for texture and flavor). With the extra beans I did have to add some garlic salt and extra chili powder but it’s still great. Hands down the best recipe, and super simple to adjust to fit your preferences. I highly recommend following it to the letter the first time and then making changes on your second round (because you’ll want it again).

One of the best chili recipes I've tried, but not very spicy. I added freeze dried ghost peppers to heat it up a bit.

2nd place winner!! Wonderful recipe, Chris. Added a bit of dark beer and some of the bacon used for grease. Will be cooking this as an annual tradition. Thank you for sharing.

Excellent recipe...I spiced it up a bit but adding the coke and cocoa really gave it a nice flavor.

By far my favourite chili. It's pricey to make but very worth it. From one Chris to another, thanks.

I like to start in the morning so it can sit for a few hours prior to serving. It thickens up that way. I also add chopped green bell peppers for a little something extra. Yum!

Amazing! Best chili I’ve ever made!

I made it with ground beef, but used the ingredients listed. We really enjoyed it, and the leftovers are great! Good on a chili dog, and as a dip with cheese added.

Just awesome!

Good recipe. Nice flavor

AMAZING!!!!!

WON ANOTHER CHILI COOKOFF AT MY CHURCH HAHA I SHOWED YOU JP will make again multiple times a year

This recipe is best of show. I prepare 3 or 4 days in advance and set aside until the day I am ready to serve. I put the chili in a slow cooker the morning of and let it cook on low for 6-8 hours. I use the dry rubbed maple bacon (you can find at some Wholefoods butcher). I saute the bacon with the meat and then I grind it to a shredded consistency (I am not a big chunky meat eater). Outside of that, I made no alterations to the recipe. Huge hit in my family (kids ages 7, 5, and 2).

3 stars. Did not care for the chunks of meat. turned out to be more like a stew. I followed the directions exactly and won't be using this in my upcoming chili cook off.

Really good stuff Chris

Good recipe to start with. I then added fresh garlic, one diced onion, diced red pepper and fine diced two jalapeño peppers. I’ve used chocolate before but this was the first time I’ve ever added Coke, it worked out well. The beef I used was a prime rib roast that I trimmed and diced. I had about four pounds left from a sixteen pound roast I made at the firehouse. The end product turned out very well.