Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

2014 championship chili

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Sherry Blizzard
Piney Flats, TN

Mom and my brother Tom won a chili cooking contest in 2014 in Paris, Texas. She passed away on January 19, 2023 and was known as Witch 1-2-3 here on JAP. This recipe is very similar to the Ganado Chili she was known for when she ran the little restaurant in Ganado, Arizona. Yes, the secret to this thick and hearty chili is Tapioca. It is a great thickening agent.

(1 rating)
yield 4 -6
prep time 15 Min
cook time 1 Hr 10 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For 2014 championship chili

  • 1 lb
    ground sirloin
  • 1 lb
    ground chuck
  • 1 lb
    smoked bacon, diced
  • 1 lg
    onion, diced
  • 3 tsp
    minced garlic
  • 4
    green chile's, pureed
  • 4 Tbsp
    chile powder (ancho)
  • 1 Tbsp
    salt
  • 2 tsp
    smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    ground cumin
  • 1 tsp
    garlic powder
  • 1 can
    rotel tomatoes (pureed)
  • 2 c
    pinto beans (optional)
  • quick cooking tapioca (optional for thickening)

How To Make 2014 championship chili

  • 1
    This chili is far better the next day. Go the extra step to make this the day before. The extra time allows all the flavors to marry well and you won't be sorry for preparing ahead of time.
  • Cook diced bacon until soft, but not crisp.
    2
    Cook diced bacon until tender (not crisp) and rend the fat (save for later). Set the bacon aside in a separate dish.
  • Brown the burger and drain the fat.
    3
    Cook ground sirloin and chuck, drain the fat and break up the burger into small pieces. Discard the fat.
  • 4
    Put the rendered bacon grease back into the pot and saute the onions. Add minced garlic and cook until soft.
  • Puree tomatoes and chile.
    5
    In a food processor, puree the Rotel tomatoes and the green chile.
  • Add in the chili powder, salt, paprika, cumin, garlic powder and the rest of the ingredients to simmer.
    6
    To the pot with the onions, add in the cooked burger, pureed tomatoes/chile, bacon and the rest of the seasonings. Allow to simmer. It will be a thick chile, but if you want it thicker, add a little sprinkle of tapioca to thicken more. I added 1 cup of water and 2 cups of cooked pinto beans. I did not need to add tapioca.
  • 7
    Place chili in a covered bowl to sit in the fridge overnight. Re-stew the next day over low heat.
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