Hot Rod’s Famous Chili

I swore I would never share my Chili recipe. Never. I’ve been perfecting this recipe for years. Even won me some awards. In any case, here it is.

I am finally posting my Hot Rod’s Famous Chili recipe. This is THE recipe that really got me into food blogging as well as published my first Recipe Book. I made the first incarnation of this recipe well over 10 years ago. Through trial and error, and tons of feedback from family and friends, this is what I ended up with.

Over the years I even entered this recipe into a couple of local Chili Cook-offs competitions. I can proudly say that I have never ranked less than 3rd and have finished first several times.

Now I'm sure some of you are looking at the ingredients and thinking that this chili is too complicated to make but it really isn't!

I realize that Chili is very subjective so while some of you may absolutely love this chili recipe, I am sure some of you may not care for it. That's ok because I have a bunch of other of my chili recipes already posted.

According to the International Chili Society, there are several categories of Chili: Traditional Red Chili, Chili Verde, Homestyle Chili, and, believe it or not, Salsa. They stipulate that Homestyle Chili is the only category of chili that allows the use of "fillers" such as beans and pasta.

That being said, Chili Appreciation Society International, does not appear to categorize chili, but adamantly forbids beans and other nonstandard ingredients, like macaroni, rice, and hominy.

If you've ever wondered what part of the pig Bacon comes from check out the picture below. Surprised?

🥓 How to Make Bacon

If you struggle to make bacon perfectly, I've put together a short tutorial on How to Make Perfect Bacon - 3 Ways. Check it out! My preferred method is baking it in the oven.

And don't throw away that bacon grease! Bacon is expensive and the grease is great for making Scrambled Eggs, Grilled Cheese, Popcorn and even hash browns. It can keep up to 3 months if properly stored in the refrigerator.

If you love both Chili and Copycat Recipes, I highly recommend you try my Wendy's Copycat Chili or my Delicious Tex-Mex Chili recipe. You won't regret it! Another great recipe you need to try is my Corn Burritos with Red Sauce.

💭 Ingredient Substitution

If you prefer not to use alcohol, in this case, a bottle of beer, you can substitute for an equal amount of Apple Juice! I've made my Famous Chili Recipe with Apple Juice on several occasions and several people commented that they prefer the Apple Juice version over the Beer.

🐄 How to Handle Raw Beef

Thaw raw ground beef on a plate on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator, to avoid dripping onto other foods.
Keep raw and ready-to-eat meats separate.
Wash hands thoroughly before and after handling raw ground beef. Wash cutting boards, bowls, and utensils used to prepare raw ground beef with hot soapy water and rinse well.
Use separate plates to carry raw ground beef patties to the cooking area and cooked patties to the serving area.
Use a Thermometer to ensure Ground Beef Reaches the Safely Cooked Internal Temperature of 160°F.

🌶 How to Handle Hot Peppers

The capsaicin in hot peppers is what makes peppers hot. If you handle hot peppers gloveless, it’s a guarantee that you’re in for a nasty case of chili burn, both on your fingers and anywhere you rub. Like your face. Ouch!

Even if you wear disposable gloves, be careful about what you touch. The gloves are going to protect your fingers, but touching any part of your body with the gloves after you’ve handled hot peppers can lead to severe chili burn. Resist the temptation to rub your eyes. Wait until you’ve removed your gloves and washed your hands thoroughly with soap.

The Scoville Scale is the measurement that tells you the spiciness of a given type of pepper.

Pepper Type	Scoville Rating (Heat)
Bell Pepper	0-0
Banana Pepper	0-500
Poblano Pepper	1000-1500
Jalapeño Pepper	2500-8000
Serrano Peppers	10,000-25,000
Manzano Pepper	12,000-30,000
Tabasco & Cayenne	30,000-50,000
Habanero Pepper	100,000-300,000
Ghost Pepper	855,000-1,000,000
Carolina Reaper	1,500,000-2,300,000

For more great recipes with Italian Sausage, I suggest you check these recipes out:

📋 What ingredients do I need

You will need the following ingredients to make Hot Rod's Famous Chili recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Ground Beef, Italian Sausage, Chili Beans, Pinto Beans, Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Petite Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Yellow Onion, Celery Stalks, Green Bell Pepper, Red Bell Pepper, Jalapeños, Bacon, Beer, Chili Powder, Worcestershire Sauce, Garlic, Oregano, Ground Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Light Brown Sugar, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Squares, Spicy Mustard, Better Than Bouillon and Hot Sauce.

🥣 How to make Hot Rod’s Famous Chili

In a large pot, add onion, ground beef and sausage, and cook until brown. Drain fat.
Add all vegetables to the pot and stir. Add drained canned beans and canned tomatoes and stir.
Stir in spices, sugar, chocolate, and mustard and better than bouillon, and stir until well combined.
Add hot sauce to taste.
Add bacon and beer, stir and cover. Let simmer for a couple of hours stirring occasionally.