Raines Carolina Chili Recipes

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Press ground beef into the hot oil to form one large patty; let the bottom brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir and break the ground beef into crumbles and cook until no longer pink, about 5 more minutes.
• Stir celery, onion, and green bell pepper into ground beef and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; pour in stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, and water. Break apart large chunks of stewed tomatoes. Stir in chili seasoning.
• Mix kidney beans and pinto beans into chili, season with salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix vinegar into chili.

Steps:

• Place the beef and 2 cups of water in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat. Bring the water to a boil while peeling and coarsely chopping the onion. Add the chopped onion to the beef. When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium. Stir to begin breaking up the meat.
• Add the tomato paste, ketchup, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper, if using. Stir well until the tomato paste has dissolved and the meat is mostly broken up.
• Continue to cook the chili at a slow boil, stirring about every 5 minutes or so, until the mixture is thick, about 15 minutes. As the mixture thickens, you may need to reduce the heat to medium-low or low to prevent sticking. Serve on hot dogs (see notes).
• NOTE: To avoid greasy chili, choose a very lean ground beef since the beef is not browned and drained in this recipe.
• Many Southerners prefer chili that is finely ground (roughly the consistency of cooked oatmeal) because it's easier to spread on a hot dog and easier to eat as well. To try it this way, place the chili (cooled at least 20 minutes) in a blender or food processor and blend on high until finely ground, 30 to 45 seconds.
• Do ahead: The chili can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days or it can be frozen for up to 2 months. If the chili has been frozen, thaw it in a microwave oven on the defrost setting, following the manufacturer's directions and stirring after each 1-minute interval, then reheat.
• To reheat, place the chili in a microwave-safe container, cover with a paper towel and microwave on high until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes for 1 cup, stopping once halfway through to stir.

Steps:

• Combine the ground beef, chili powder, garlic, hot sauce, seasoning salt, beef base, cumin, pepper, onion and 1 cup water in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart stockpot and mix well. Cook the chili over medium-high heat until the ground beef is cooked, about 30 minutes. Whisk in the tomato paste, making sure to blend it into the chili well. Simmer until thickened and the tomato flavor is incorporated, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve over burgers!