Is there a really decent canned chili?

[Charlie Bernstein]

I’m not a fan of sweet cornbread or sweet tea. I will eat sweet cornbread but I WILL NOT drink sweet tea.

Sweet tea: Gross!

Sweet cornbread: Blechhh!

 

[Buzzgrowl]

Since we've moved on to Italian food, a quick aside which has been long weighing on me...what the heck was Italian cuisine like before the first tomatoes were sent back to Europe in the late-15th Century???

Eggplant.

 

[Buzzgrowl]

Bitter can come from peppers not being fried, grilled or baked. When they are thrown fresh into a boiling pot, they can turn bitter and infuse bitternes into the meal. Poorly made ratatouille and imam bayildi can have the same problem, as well as ajvar.

 

[Vegetable Man]

Some parts of the Deep South, they will put sugar in everything. For whatever reason, we ate at a fairly highly rated seafood restaurant in Bainbridge, GA, one time. I'm pretty sure this was just because we were passing through on our way up US 27 to get on I-185. Both their tartar and cocktail sauces were sweet! It was uneatable. Never, ever, have I been anywhere on the Gulf Coast where those sauces were sweet like that.

They do it with greens sometimes too. I get adding a touch of sugar to take the bitterness out of collards and other braised greens. Some folks take it overboard. I want a bumper sticker that says, "Save the sweet for the tea, don't put sugar in the greens!"

Agreed. Greens should not be sweet.
And leave the pepper sauce on the table, no need to mix it in. It's good, but everyone likes a different ratio.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Agreed. Greens should not be sweet.
And leave the pepper sauce on the table, no need to mix it in. It's good, but everyone likes a different ratio.

I don't care what they've done to the greens, I'm still putting pepper sauce on 'em before I eat 'em. The only greens I really like are collard greens anyway.

 

[ale.istotle]

How about brick chili? I have heard of, but never experienced it. Any better that canned?

 

[dkmw]

For the “hot dog chili”: It’s super easy to make, it’s kinda like what would a greasy diner cook do.

Ground meat, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and regular old chili powder. It’s stupid, it ain’t really chili, but somehow on a big sloppy chili dawg it’s just right.

 

[Phrygian77]

For the “hot dog chili”: It’s super easy to make, it’s kinda like what would a greasy diner cook do.

Ground meat, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and regular old chili powder. It’s stupid, it ain’t really chili, but somehow on a big sloppy chili dawg it’s just right.

Yeah, it's a totally different thing. I don't brown the meat. I mash it with a potato masher. Needs lot's of chili powder and extra cumin for a big flavor punch. I sometimes add a bit of anchovy paste instead of Worcestershire.

 

[oregomike]

I’m just wondering. I’m a big believer in the idea that homemade anything is better than canned anything. I make a lot of my own soups, and I have several different great chilis I can throw together.

But fall and winter are big time chili and soup season for me, and I’m a busy guy who doesn’t always have to time to shop, prep, and cook. Therefore I keep a selection of canned soups handy for when I need something speedy with minimal cleanup. They’re not as good as anything homemade, but they definitely get the job done in a pinch.

Chili is a different story. I have never found a decent canned chili. Don’t get me wrong, when I want chili dogs, the 99 cent generic can of hot dog chili is the ONLY way to get it done so it tastes like an old school drive-in dog. But for an actual bowl of chili, to eat as a stand-alone meal, it’s all just crap. If anyone has a suggestion that isn’t, I’m all ears.

I haven't found any. I've done it so many times, t's pretty easy for me just to dump a few cans of black beans, meat, and seasonings into a slow cooker without even measuring. I can get a good chili going in about 20-25 min in the morning and have it ready after work, with minimal tweaking. If that's still too much time, there's always your grocery hot aisle. Ours always has decent made-on-site chili and soups during the winter.

 

[Frisco 57]

I've got this thread to blame for the pot of Chili I just whipped up! Sorry, it's not out of a can.

 

[Ebling]

I tried canned Skyline Chili once and was basically horrified. That said, I would give their restaurant a try if I ever find myself near one.

 

[Area51]

I keep a couple of cans in my cabinet for those quick meals. I usually go with Deninson's Hot. There are a couple of brands I will not buy, but as a whole they're all meh'ish. Of course, they don't compare to homemade.

I always put a little red wine vinegar and a good dash of bufalo chipotle sauce in. Or tabasco in a pinch.

 

[Vegetable Man]

I don't care what they've done to the greens, I'm still putting pepper sauce on 'em before I eat 'em. The only greens I really like are collard greens anyway.

Sounds like you prefer a higher pepper sauce ratio.

Collards are the best, but I'll eat whatever if it's cooked with ham hocks or/and bacon.

 

[Happy Enchilada]

This is what we use if we just want to do chili dogs

 

[Happy Enchilada]

It might be worth your while to find a hispanic supermarket, sometimes they carry brands from Mexico that I have found better than US brands. They may even have something fresh.

... and that donkey's not just on the label ...

 

[Fretting out]

Deja vu

This seems really familiar

 

[Fredhead59]

Wolf ChilI is not bad.
NOTHING wrong with sweet tea. I won't drink Yankee tea.
Sweet corn bread? Nope,I don't eat it. Tried it in vegetable soup one time. Never again.
My wife and my two daughters love it.

 

[ndcaster]

Since we've moved on to Italian food, a quick aside which has been long weighing on me...what the heck was Italian cuisine like before the first tomatoes were sent back to Europe in the late-15th Century???

Depends where you were. There were many cooking traditions, very delicious ones. A good historian on the subject was Piero Camporesi.

My wife is from Arkansas and makes runny chili with Campbell's Tomato Soup in it.

There's no need to comment on that.

 

[teletimetx]

There’s plenty indecent chili in this world.

Not much can be done about it.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Wolf ChilI is not bad.
NOTHING wrong with sweet tea. I won't drink Yankee tea.