C4 Chili Recipe

I won a company chili cookoff with this recipe. I like the balance of umami and heat. The name C4 does not relate to the explosive but the key ingredients: Cayenne, Chipotle, Cinnamon, and Cumin.

Tips

• I have shifted to the Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes as I think it provides a nice smoke flavor to the chili.
• I don’t use RoTel tomatoes because I like to control the spice separately. If you do use RoTel, adjust any additional spices by taste.
• Fish sauce does not make your chili taste like fish! It brings out the umami in the meat.
• Cinnamon is an overlooked addition to chili that provides a pleasing flavor to blend with the heat of the spices.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground beef
  • (optional: replace 1 lb of beef with 1 lb Conecuh sausage)
• 3 cans (14.5 oz) of Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (not the garlic version)
• A tomato can of water (may add up to a second if needed, but don’t create a soup)
• 1.5 tbs cumin (unless it is in the sauce)
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 medium onions or 1 big sweet onion, diced
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ oz chipotle sauce (to start) — find a brand you like; the first time I used Spicin Foods Chipotle Sauce, but have used others as well
• ¼ oz fish sauce (brings out the umami in the meat)
• Up to 1 tsp salt and additional chipotle sauce to dial in the flavor
• OPTIONAL: 2 pieces of bacon, diced

Cooking Instructions

1. Brown the meat, drain in a colander, then set aside.
2. Put a little oil in a pot (I like a stock pot, but use what you have or prefer) and sauté the garlic and onion. Alternatively, you can dice up about two pieces of bacon to sauté to create the oil to which you’ll add the garlic and onion.
3. When the garlic is browned and the onion sufficiently caramelized, add the meat and all of the other ingredients. Some suggest adding the spices and letting them heat for 30 seconds to a minute before adding the ingredients. I haven’t tried it but don’t hate the idea.
4. Bring the chili to a boil, then let it simmer for at least an hour or two until the water has reduced. Stir occasionally.
5. Taste, then add ingredients to dial in to your preferred taste:
   • Not spicy enough? I usually start with the Chipotle Sauce instead of more Cayenne. The sauce has some other spices with it. But add a little at a time, stir in well, and taste. Better to build up to the desired spice level than try to offset it.
   • Too spicy? Add water and masa to dilute the spices and thicken the chili.
   • Add some brown sugar to offset the tomato acidity and dial back the spices.
   • Adjust a little at a time and keep tasting. You don’t want to overcorrect.