I suck at making chilli

14 oz for tomato sauce is fine.

Add a tbsp of sugar if chili seems too acidic (as per EN's instructions).

Don't use amber or dark beer. Gives it an odd taste.

Good luck!! I'd love to see you with 4 pots of various chilies on the stove tasting each one.. hehe.

Hugs,
Ratkity

Pick a recipe and do it; at least then you know what you've done and can adjust for next time.

 This is the recipe I use.  Everyone loves it.  I do prefer steak to ground beef, but this gives you an idea.  The cocoa makes a big difference.

1 lb lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon unsweetened baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans kidney beans, undrained

cocoa? brilliant! I can't wait to try it! I have tried to use a few things lately to turn it a little more brown than tomato red but I didnt think of that! I tried Worchestershire & A-1. I never use recipes and rarely make the same thing the same twice.

hope you like it!

Ooo interesting with the cocoa, I'll try this one too :) This makes three recipes to try!

Try mashing up some of your beans. Thickens the chili nicely!

Too watery = you need to take the lid off and let it cook down to a nice thick, rich state.

Too acidic = add a little sugar, like a tablespoon max.

Try leaving out the tomato paste and letting it thicken by cooking it down.

Oh, and try using ancho chiles instead of chili powder, smoked if you can find it that way. You can get anchos ground, in bits or whole. I just use it ground, but if you're a purist you can get them whole (dried) and grind your own. Use a little less than you would use chili powder. Use considerably less if you grind it yourself.

Thanks En!

It's odd about the watery part, I'd let it cook for an hour and it was still watery. Ack!

Are ancho chiles hot? OR are they on the mild side (I don't know much about the different chilis)? As hubs likes to say about my pepper heat intolerance "The spiciest thing you Slavs eat is sour cream!" (he's right... )

An hour? That isn't even STARTING to cook a chili at my house. Mine would simmer for at LEAST two hours open, after all the ingredients are in.

Anchos are kind of funny that way. Some people find them firelike and other people find them smokey. If you are using real basic McCormick or generic chili powder, use about half as much ancho to start. You can always kick up the heat later with more of it. Taste it as you go along.