So Much Chili, So Little Time!

Growing up, my mom always made chili one way - 4 types of beans (Cannellini, Pink Kidney, Red Kidney, and Black), ground beef, tomato sauce, and 2 types of chili seasoning (mild and hot).  It wasn't until about 3 years ago that I realized that not everyone makes their chili this way!  There are so many regional and flavor varieties, and since chili is tonight's recipe, I wanted to talk about some of these varieties and what makes them unique and regional specialties!  Here is a break down of the most commonly found varieties!


Cincinnati Chili
There are several reasons why Cincinnati chili is unique, and one of the main reasons being the type of spice used!  This chili includes spices and ingredients such as cinnamon, cloves, or even chocolate, but excludes spices such as chili peppers or chili powder.  Generally, it is served over spaghetti.  Here is the break down of the ways to order it: Two way: Spaghetti and chili, Three way: Spaghetti, chili, and cheese, Four way: Spaghetti, chili, cheese, and diced onions or beans, Five way: Spaghetti, chili, cheese, diced onions, and beans! 

Vegetarian Chili/Chili Sin Carne
Vegetarian chili is very similar to chili con carne, but removes the meat product and replaces it with tofu, potatoes, carrots, or other vegetables.  Veggie chili almost always has beans in it (since they are a great source of protein), but also include produce such as corn, squash, mushrooms, and beets! This is a great option, not only for vegetarians, but also for people watching their calories! 

Green/Verde Chili
Verde or green chili uses pork as its meat, and finds its color from tomatillos (a sibling of tomatoes that are green and tangy), roasted green chilies, chicken broth, and garlic!  This chili version is fairly spicy, as it is a more authentic Mexican dish, and finds its spiciness from poblanos, jalapenos, serranos, and habaneros! 

White Chili 
This style of chili is made by using white beans (either Cannellini or Great Northern Beans), turkey or chicken (ground or cubed), and chicken stock or broth.   It is spiced heavily with garlic, salt, pepper, and jalapenos!

Texas Chili
Texas style chili is generally made using meat only!  It is a very smooth sauce made of tomatoes and chili peppers with only meat visible in it.  Instead of using ground meat, this chili uses chuck beef! 

Chili Con Carne 
Chili con carne is the chili that most of us are familiar with!  It is made in a red tomato sauce, is heavily spiced, and includes beans and meat.  Most restaurants and recipes call for ground beef to be used, but traditional speaking chili con carne used venison, pork, and beef for the recipe! 

Kansas City 
This chili is generally not made with tomatoes, and consists mostly of finely ground beef and beans.  Depending on the recipe or where you are ordering it, you have the option of either dry beans (no bean juice), or wet beans (lots of bean juice).  Kansas style chili is also served along side vinegar, vinegar with hot peppers, jalapeno sauce, ketchup, cheese, and onions!  The restaurant that is famous for serving this style of chili is called Fritz's!

Springfield Chili
This style of chili is found in its most famous state at Joe Rogers Chili Parlor in Springfield, Illinois!  Springfield style chili is broken down into two separate pieces - beans and ground meat.  When you order or make this kind of chili, you can either serve the meat with the chili, or serve just the meat, or just the beans!  What really makes this type of chili unique is the spicy chili oil that is served with it!  There are 6 degrees of spiciness ranging from Mild to Firebrand, specifically at Joe Rogers.  If you are able to eat a whole bowl of Firebrand at Joe Rogers, they will add your name to the Honor Roll on the wall at the restaurant!  Some of you may have seen Joe Rogers featured on Man v. Food as Adam Richman attempted to eat 5 bowls of Firebrand!