Homemade Chili & Why It's So Special

Blog & Recipe Written by Jennifer Cyphers

It may be spring time in the Pacific Northwest, but that doesn’t mean our cold weather is over. On those blustery days, it’s nice to curl up with a bowl of hot chili garnished with your favorite “chili toppings.”

Chili originated, and can be dated back to the 1850s, from what is now northern Mexico and the southern part of Texas, and in the 1880s in San Antonio chili stands became very popular. Even the great Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893 featured the then famous chili at the San Antonio Chili Stand.

Some would argue that in the early 1600s, a Spanish nun, Sister Mary of Agreda, is the first to create a chili with peppers venison, onions and tomatoes. Other top chili enthusiast say that it goes back to the Canary Islanders who made their way to San Antonio in early 1723 and use local peppers, wild onions and combined that with various meats to create early chili combinations.

In the beginning, the recipe consisted of dried beef, dried sweet chili peppers and salt, which were then pounded together, formed into bricks and dried. These bricks then could be boiled in pots on the trail, adding beans and tomatoes as available.

In 1977, Texas voted in chili as the official “state food,” and national chili day can be celebrated all over the country on the fourth Thursday of every February.

Here is a delicious recipe that simmers in your crockpot all day, making your home fragrant and your meal hearty.

What you'll need:

Spices

• 1 tbsp Mojave Chili & Ribs
• 1 tbsp Red Pepper Garlic 
• 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Merlot Wine Salt
• 1 tsp Fleur de Sel
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp thyme

Meat

• 1 pound grass fed ground beef, cooked

Produce/Sauces

• 1 each red & green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes- fired roasted
• 1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes- fire roasted
• 1 can tomato sauce

1. Add Seasonings to mixture

2. Put all ingredients into crock pot on high for 6 hours