Reverse Engineered Chili

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ground beef
• 3 medium onions, Diced
• 2/3 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 cup ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, Drained (Consider 1 can each light and dark for color)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, Juice Included
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3 cups water

Directions

1. 1

   In a pot no smaller than 5 quarts, brown the ground beef with the onions.

2. 2

   When the ground beef is thoroughly cooked, drain the meat as completely as possible. I press on mine to squeeze out ALL the fluid I possibly can.

3. 3

   Return the meat/onion mix to the pot.

4. 4

   Add all the "wet ingredients" to the pot next. Then, add all the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

5. 5

   Bring mix to a low boil, stirring frequently.

6. 6

   Once it begins to bubble, reduce heat to simmer/warm and stir periodically. I like to simmer mine for about 3 ½ hours, at a minimum. I leave mine uncovered to allow the liquid to evaporate. (OK, I cover mine with a splatter screen to minimize the mess.).

7. 7

   In my opinion, the more the fluid is reduced the better. Doing so just allows the flavors to marry that much more thoroughly.

8. 8

   I like to serve this dish with grated cheese and raw, diced onion. I also love saltine crackers with butter or spread. Of course, open faced, toasted cheese sandwiches (some call it cheese toast) also goes well with chili, for that matter, so do grilled cheese sandwiches.