Deep with complex flavor, smooth, and served on top of a hotdog or eaten solo in a bowl, nothing screams classic Americana quite like chili. Nowadays, you’ll find recipes teeming with a volume collection’s worth of ingredients and tons of pots, all of which use up your precious free time and wreak havoc on your kitchen. But what if there was another way? Well, there is with this classic Chili Parlor Chili! This recipe is simple and super versatile, and what’s even better is that it tastes like you’ve been cooking it for hours.
While every country has its meat sauce, American chili has been a backbone staple for many communities in different states. From Chili Queens serving cowboys in the flatland frontiers of Texas to frugal counter service chili parlors staving off the strife of the Great Depression, chili has been front and center affordable good eats. Mirroring the rich sauces of northern Mexican cuisine, chili relied on the deeply developed sauce to provide satiety, when in reality, there was very little meat in the chili itself. During the Great Depression, many places added bulk by substituting some or half of the ground meat for cheaper ingredients like oatmeal. While Chili Queens are long gone, and very few Depression-era chili parlors stand, the memory of smooth and saucy chili still rings loudly in everyone’s memory. Luckily, now you don’t have to reminisce about it, you can make this chili.
Yield(s): Serves 6
10 m prep time
40 m cook time
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lbs ground beef, you can use either 90/10 or 80/20
2 cups beef or chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce or puree
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili flakes
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
