# Tommy's World Class Chili



## tommy c

9-10 #sirlion steak  (yes sirloin steak....trust me 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 )
3# thick cut bacon
3# pork sausage
3 large vadalia onions
6 green onions stalks included
6 green bell peppers
3 red bell peppers
1 yellow bell pepper
15 garlic cloves crushed
12 stalks celery diced
3/4 cup oil
6-8 jalapeno peppers or variety of your choice 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




6# tomato sauce
6# stewed tomato
3-5 packs of chili seasoning-I prefer caroll shelby's
1-2 boxes of fresh mushrooms- sliced
15 Tbls chili powder
6 tsp crushed cumin
3 tsp tabasco
2 tsp worcestershire
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp oregano
2 cups beef stock

Marinade the steak in worcestershire for about an hour and throw on the grill till medium rare.
Cut bacon to 1 inch and fry till ALMOST crisp. Drain and keep the grease.
Fry pork sausage and drain grease.
Dice vadalia,green onion,and all peppers. Slice mushrooms, and mash garlic. Dice celery. Saute these items in the oil in batches so you get good caramelization. (if you do too much at once, it stews)
Cut the steak into chunks and combine all meats, all veggies, all tomatoes and sauce into pot. ( throw all of that bacon grease in there too! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  again....trust me PORK FAT RULES)
Add all spices,beef stock, worcestershire and cover over medium heat for  about3 hrs stirring frequently.
I then like to turn it off to cool and refridgerate overnite and reheat the next day! Always better the next day 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




Now if you like beans... go ahead and throw as much as you like!

Thats it....chow down :D   If ya have questions, I'm here for ya!

Makes 3 Gallons


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## monty

This recipe looks fascinating! I will give it a whirl in October sometime when I have offered a pot of chili to my workmates!
Cheers!
Monty


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## cheech

Tommy C thanks for sharing the recipe.

I may have to have organize a chili competition! With this recipe it would appear that I could win hands down


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## tommy c

Cheech,
I won Grand Champion with this recipe :shock:  As I posted yesterday I've been reluctent to release it before today :roll:  But because I've gained alot of knowledge from everyone here at the best damn forum on the web..........I'm givin' it to all 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  ENJOY!!!!!!! and let me know what ya think. I do request 50% of all winnings in competitions though :lol:  :lol: just kiddin'


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## bob-bqn

My hat's off to you Tommy. :D 

We'll have to give your chili a try when it cools off around here. I can't wait.


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## Dutch

Ah, my kind of chili-NO BEANS!!! I can see this one cooking at the next football tailgate party!!


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## cheech

Tommy how many people do you figure on this recipe feeding?


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## tommy c

Cheech, That's a tough question. It makes quite a bit.....but it don't last long 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 I wish I could give ya a better answer, but, I'd be lyin' :oops:
Roughly 3 gallons


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## cheech

I made this recipe with what I had in the house.

So I did not follow it to the letter.

I must say it is awesome. Thanks for sharing the recipe


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## bwsmith_2000

Tommy C,
     I have one wonderful chili recipe in my file ... that is Fl. Jeff's Chili Verdi. After reading this recipe, I have also copied it into my file (that's the keeper file). I'm going to give it a try as soon as I can but judging from just reading it, I'm sure it's going to be a keeper. Thanks for sharing it.


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## tommy c

I was wondering if anyone was going to try this :oops:  I think this is going to be very popular, once more people try it


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## deejaydebi

Tommy -
Sounds good ! I was just asking about a chill with meat chunks in another thread! LOL

Gotta try this!


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## cheech

DeeJayDebi you really do need to try this. It is out of this world good.


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## shellbellc

I have my own chili recipe that I make, couldn't tell you the exact measurements of what goes in it, but definitely is always better with chunked meat.  I just use chuck (beef cubes).  I never thought of bacon in chili!!!  I'm definitely going to try this recipe, maybe cookin up a batch Saturday for Superbowl!!  We use beans up here, but I've been cutting back on the amount, maybe two small cans for asthetic reasons.  Don't want to upset the natives.


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## gemp's

I whipped up a batch for a football game tonight.


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## bigarm's smokin

*yes sir, no beans!! Much mo betta on my blood sugar! I thank you! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	









 Terry*


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## az_redneck

OK..I'm confused.. Every Chili Cook-Off I have been in was real picky about "green" things in the turn-in container. We also got dinged if fat could be seen floating on top or tasted when eating it (bacon). You won Grand Champion with green things and by putting the pork fat back in?

Now, I've never won Grand Champion, so maybe I'm missing something and should try adding more of your recipe to my chili...


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## gypsyseagod

texas world chili(or any other)cookoff rules state.
no beans
no vegetables
(tomatoes & chiles are fruits so they qualify as legal-as does garlic & onion).
just stating some rules not gouging someone's recipe or starting something. but here's the benchmark for chili in a cookoff setting. 
http://www.chili.org/terlingua.html
http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_I...i_cookoff.html


There is only one kind of chili recognized by CASI: Texas red. No fillers are allowed, or as the rules state: "NO FILLERS IN CHILI - Beans, macaroni, rice, hominy, or other similar ingredients are not permitted." (In Texas putting beans in chili has replaced horse thievery as the number one hanging offense.)


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## deejaydebi

Gyspy -
I did try it a few times. I think it's on my website under the Hall of Fame page. I use my leftover pulled pork or brisket and it's quite good. I do like beans though any kind of beans! I think the last time I threw in pintos.


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## gypsyseagod

i love brisket in mine & (being from texas hate to admit this)sometimes add pintos for the inlaws. i was just posting that for anyone wanting to enter a CASI cookoff.  kinda like throwing a tomato wedge in yer kcbs presentation plate...just general info- but i thought the hanging offense part was hilarious.


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## az_redneck

My post wasn't meant as a flame or anything. I am genuinely curious. I have always thought green stuff had to be VERY small or non-existant. Afterall, you're cooking a bowl of "Red"... I have always made sure none were visable in my turn-in container. And fat at the top is a BIG no-no! I use London Broil so I get a really lean and flavorful meat and cut it the size of your pinky fingernail. I have never added pork for fear of grease showing up. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






And I add beer to my chili...Tommy doesn't add beer so now I am really wondering.. lol 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





And, no chili should have beans, pasta or corn in it...


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## gypsyseagod

lol az- in texas, if it has pasta & corn it's called goulash... same here, but the beer has to be lone star or shiner(thats for nostalga)and ya have to have the requisite stuffed on it's back armadiller w/ a lone star bottle in it's craw(yes i said craw-we are 1/2 coon*zz 'round here).


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## richoso1

I like a guy who uses vadalia onions, great flavor and sweet too. I use them in my Georgia baked beans along with diced peaches and powdered honey.


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## sumosmoke

I'm a newbie to the SMF and found this wonderful recipe that I'm anxious to give a try! 

I do have one question: when the recipe states "6# stewed tomatoes / tomato sauce" how many cans, of what size, does that equate to? Any recommendations?

Thanks!!


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## ds7662

2 8oz cans=16oz, 16oz=1lb add the ounces and convert to lbs. Get biggest size can you can find and go from there.


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## bb53chevpro

I will have to try this. I usually put some home made smoked sausage it ours. I also put a jar of drained but not rinsed sauerkraut in it. Tried it once, and have been doing it ever since.


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## curious aardvark

weird, chilli with no chilli beans. Does the # symbol mean lbs ? 
And when would you need 3 gallons of chilli :-) I wouldn't even have room in my freezer - or any pot big enough to cook it in - even the preserving pans are only 2 gallons lol. 

I might try chopping it down a tad (okay a lot !) and see how it cooks. 
No way would I have ever thought to put celery in a chilli. :-)


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## dingle

Aardvark....I made this chili and chopped it by 2/3(I made a gallon of it in other words). Never should have done that. It was by far the best chili I have had or made!! Very flavorful!! When done I wished I had the other two gallons! And follow the recipe regardless if you would never make it that way. I know recipes are only guides but this one works extremely well.


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## christianpatriot

IMHO this recipe is right on! - now I do not compare myself to any of the folks on here, I am by far an amature from any direction that you look at it, but I have won a few chili competitions - nothing like state level comps, just local for fun type comps - this is a great recipe. I make some minor changes - for example, instead of "sausage", I add andoulie sausage. I do add the steak, folks love it when they expect nothing more than cheap HB and they get a bite of well seasoned steak on their spoon. As for beans...technically adding beans makes it chili con-carne- only at the kind of comps where you pay money to enter, do they require absolutely NO beans. For competitors, no beans, but for most regular folks, beans are absloutely expected. Great recipe!


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## packplantpath

Botany geek alert, tomatoes and chiles as fruit, sure.  Onion/Garlic?????

Only in texas chili
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





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## roadrunr

glad this thread got bumped up....im tryin this recipe this weekend

i gotta have my chili...buuuuuuuuuuuuurp ;)


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## rc1800

How much worcestershire does it take to marinade 10 lbs of sirlion steak for 1 hour ? It has to be more than 2 tsp?


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## bigredq

I've been waiting patiently to try this recipe.  weather is starting to whisper chili so I made it yesterday.  a few differences but only on amounts.
6lbs of sirloin, I smoked it for 1 hr with lots of hickory. than seared it before cutting it into pieces. 1 1/2 lbs of bacon and 2 lbs of sausage. everything else stayed the same cept I used 4 large cans of Bush's chili pintos in chili sauce.

It hit very close to the 4 gallon mark on my pot, which I did outside on the propane fire.

It's got a perfect enough heat to satisfy hot heads like me and also enjoy if you can't take the heat.

one thing tho, It killed a Hundred dollar bill at the grocery.  lol.

Thanks for the recipe, good chance this will be what I do for chili from here on out.


Kev


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## abelman

This sounds Great! Since the weather is changing and it's getting to be Chili seson out here, this is going on the To Do list, 

Thanks


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## blaken

Well September just hit and that means the start of chili season.  I love this recipe.  I have made it at least half a dozen times.

Here are my twists
I substitute the chili season packets for other spices.  Usually straight ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, salt then more oregano and cumin.  I don't add the salt until finish so I can judge how salty it is from the bacon.  I also salt my veggies as they cook.  I looked at the Carol Shelby's chili seasoning and it looked like just a bunch of stuff I already had.

Instead of sausage I use Chili meat.  The wife just doesn't like sausage so I add extra spices to compensate.

I use baby bellas instead of white mushrooms.

If I am doing sirloin I throw on some spicy steak rub that I make.  It is mostly more of the same spices already in the recipe and then on to the grill.

The best change I have ever made to this recipe though is to skip the sirloin and go right for the brisket.  I have made it twice now with half a brisket and it is amazing.


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## benjaminr

So I just pulled a pot of this off the stove and I bow down to you sir!

I didnt use the sirloin, and I did baby bellas but everything else was the exact same. MY OH MY I am going to enjoy eating this over the next week or so!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!


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## rivet

Well thanks for finding this thread and bumping it up to the present! Sounds like the kind of chili I make, but since I'm not Texan (ohthankgawd 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





) gotta have beans for a proper chili!

I've definitely put celery in my chili, but only the young, inner stalks that are pale yellow, with the small leaves and all. Add a "something" to the flavor.

In the South, a good chili has got to have green peppers in it, and have never, ever, heard of mushrooms in it so there ya go. It's a regional thing!

Always had some nice sliced decent cut of meat in it to make it a meat-main-dish plate...Tommy has made that into an art, and the idea of half a smoked brisket in there sounds unbelievably good. 

Tommy's recipe has already been added to my cooking "bible" and many thanks to the rest of you all posters who've contributed pointers, ideas and variations. Much appreciated.

Some of the rewards of running across archive-level posts like this one is you find such interesting things.....It was strange but nice to see a post by SUMOSMOKE referring to herself as a "newbie"  !


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## beer-b-q

Got me another Chili recipe...


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## blaken

Well, I got to work today and there on the wall was the gauntlet I have been waiting for.  My department is hosting a chili cook off.  The only problem is two other guys in my department read this forum.  So this is the official dibs call on this recipe if anyone else at work is reading this.  You know who you are.


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## donnylove

Thanks Tommy for sharing your chili recipe.  I used it for a chili feed this week at work and won the prize for best chili out of 16 entries.  Good stuff!


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## kurtsara

Mt guess is me and 2 or 3 other guys


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## tommy c

Thanks to everyone that have tried my Chili recipe! When I first gave out the recipe...there were alot of people questioning it. Now that people have tried it, I'm getting some praises.
It took me some time to perfect it, and I'm so happy that people here at SFM are enjoying it as much as I do.

Thanks again,
Tommy


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## gruelurks

Adding another post to a long running thread, thanks for the recipe! It is simmering on my stove right now about 3 hours in, and man does it smell and taste good so far! I smoked the sirloin with mesquite for an hour or so, along with a mix of ground chuck, pork and turkey mixed together in a large slab. Once the ground meat was done smoking I flash fried it in a skillet to break it up then dumped it in the pot. For the ale, I used a bottle of Bell's Hopslam Double IPA. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 Note to others, make sure you have a large enough stock pot for this batch!


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## eman

This looks like a great chilli recipe.  I bet i can make a good size batch in my 100 Qt boiling pot.


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## rabq

Made this two days ago for a chili cookoff being held tonight.  Smoked a chuckie instead of the sirloin, pulled it and added with its juices instead of beef broth.

Added a tiny bit each of nutmeg, allspice, espresso powder and unsweetened cocoa, and a drip of maple syrup. 

Even if this chili doesnt win, I can say it is definitely the best chili I've ever made!

Thanks, Tommy!


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## tommy c

Your welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## chef jimmyj

Just came across this recipe...It is honorable for you to share an Award Winner! Thank you...JJ


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## tommy c

Your very welcome Jimmy!


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## tommy c

Your welcome!


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## meateater

Thats some good looking chili.


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## sloweredcivic

Probably a dumb question, But would this recipe be able to entered in CASI Cookoff?

The vegetables is what is throwing me off, I have never done a cookoff before and plan to put my own spin on this recipe, just want to know before I buy any ingredients that will get me dinged with the judges!

Thanks Andy


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## rippper

tried this yesterday at a chili cookoff at work. everyone loved it and it was awarded the first place trophy. tweeked it a bit, used my homemade chorizo instead of pork sausage, added a can of beer, and used some clamato juice.....the steak and bacon rocked this recipe.....thx


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## jotay21

I am confused.  Do you use 6lbs of tomato sauce AND 6lbs of stewed tomatos, or 6lbs of either?  Wanting to try this over the weekend.  Thanks.

Josh


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## loticlover

Ever year we have a Hallowen party and serve soups and stews before the kids go tick or treating.  This year we made this recipe almost as written--we added ground elk sausage that was first cold smoked.  People were talking about it for weeks afterward--it became common "water cooler" discussion at my wife's work.  :yahoo:

I've been meaning to post a HUGE THANK YOU for a month and finally remembered today with an iPad in hand.  Thanks for sharing Tommy!  This one is definitely a keeper.
:grilling_smilie:


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## loticlover

Josh-

If it is not too late, we used both.  The only difficult part of the recipe is sautéeing all of those veggies in batches, but it is worth the effort.  I happened to have a bottle of red wine on hand a deglazed my pan occasionally to make sure that I captured the depth of flavor presented by the "brown bits".


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## hebs

I sautee'd the veggies right in the bacon grease as soon as I pulled all the bacon out of the pan. When that ran out I just added extra olive oil. Tons of flavor in this chili. It has given me great ideas for future cooks. 

thanks!


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## doctorvapor

Looks great.  I'll give this a try next time I break out the chili pot.


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## supercenterchef

rc1800 said:


> How much worcestershire does it take to marinade 10 lbs of sirlion steak for 1 hour ? It has to be more than 2 tsp?


I was wondering this too...?...should I just stick to the recipe?


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## loticlover

I used enough to cover about 1/2 (homemade and far better than any commercial product I've ever tried) then flipped it about 1/2 of the way through the marinade.


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## zendez33

Thank you so much Tommy. I decided to make this chili today for our company Christmas party Tuesday. Followed the directions exactly & OMG it is delicious! By far the best chili I have ever made/had. Thank you sir!


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## michael ark

Thanks for shareing.


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## jbird

chili.jpg



__ jbird
__ Feb 18, 2013






*Thanks for the recipe I took first at the winter fest chili cook off in Gun Lake, MI *


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## jaxrmrjmr

Temps are dipping down to a brisk high 60's this afternoon (I'm here in Florida), so I'm going to give this a try.  I'll check back in later with the results.

edit: didn't do.  I still want to try this, but I couldn't that day.


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## rgautheir20420

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to be sure I'm paying credit where it's due. I've signed up for a Chili cook off at my church that's in a little over a week. I've been searching for a recipe and read through a lot! I've settled on this recipe to use (minus a couple things). I'll be warm smoking the sirloin for 2.5 hours over Hickory in my smoker before I do a reverse sear to med rare on them. I'll also be using my homemade bacon and subbing the pork sausage with my PP that I'll be making this weekend. I'm not making 3 gallons of it, so I'll reduce the portions as needed though. I'm VERY excited to be trying this.


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