Nina’s Texas Chili

Born and raised in El Paso, TX. This was absolutely Delicious–a real keeper I make it all of the time for Super Bowl party’s and cold days out it’s always a hit. My changes were as follows: 2 pounds of beef sirloin, 1 pound of hot Italian sausage, 1 pound sweet Italian sausage , 4 cloves of garlic, 2 deli precut red/yellow/green bell pepper containers from the produce section, one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, one 15 ounce can tomato sauce, one heaping tablespoon of Knorr Chicken consommé Powder(this is the secret weapon for most Mexican dishes. My mothers favorite go to), 1/4 cup honey, seasonings were the same all around but I and them all to the meat when browning trust me it’s a game changer, I sub the masa with three yellow corn tortillas diced into lil pieces it gives it the exact same effect. Just BEFORE adding the tomatoes, tomato sauce, honey and kidney beans add 1/2 a can of modelo negro. I let the entire mixture cook on low in my slow cooker for 8 hours. We added cheddar cheese, sour cream and fresh diced onion to our bowls and serve it over a bed of Fritos. This is spicy but I have yet to get a complaint about this recipe. Thanks it’s part of my food repertoire!

We all love this. Thanks

My family called it spicy sweet. If that’s your thing, fine. It’s not ours. I made it as described but I left of the sugar b/c I thought it would be too sweet. IT WAS. With only the honey it was still too sweet. I won’t make this again.

I enjoyed this recipe a lot, however 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper was a bit spicy. Next time I will use 1 teaspoon. Use Top Sirloin! Cut into 1 inch cubes, they break down nicely during cooking time. I also omitted the beans. I put the 2 chicken bouillon cubes into ½ cup of boiling water to soften. I served over homemade cornbread and topped with a small dollop of sour cream and handful of shredded cheddar. Overall, this is a great Texas Chili and will make it again.

this is a great recipe, very pica and I am sure the sugar and the honey termpered that somewhat, although it was hot, IMO. My wife & daughter loved it

I used hot Italian sausage and added some additional spices for depth and complexity, but overall, this was a great chili recipe. As others mentioned, I did not add beans, since this is TEXAS chili (and also because the reason I was looking for a Texas chili recipe is that I don’t actually like beans all that much). It was great with the hot sausage, but I think it would be just as good with mild or sweet, as indicated in the recipe, and I’m pretty sure I’ll try it that way in the future. This is, for me, the perfect chili to use as a base for all my variations. Thank you for the great recipe!

Delicious–a real keeper. My changes were as follows: 2 pounds of beef sirloin, 1 pound of hot Italian sausage (cut in bite-sized pieces–casing not removed), 1 large red onion, 4 cloves of garlic, no bell peppers, one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes,one 15 ounce can tomato sauce, one can chicken broth, 1/4 cup honey, seasonings were the same except for the cayenne. I used 1/2 tablespoon. Just BEFORE adding the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, honey and kidney beans I added the spices and cooked with the meats for several minutes. I let the entire mixture cook on low in my slow cooker for four hours. We added the cheddar cheese as well as sour cream to our bowls. I didn’t add it to the chili mixture as stated in the recipe.

This wasn’t bad, but rather spicy, and I cut the cayenne and chili powder down. I didn’t add the sugar, but did put in the honey–I guess it’s a good thing I did, although I was worried about making it sweet. It didn’t. I didn’t have sirloin so just left it out and halved the sausage. Not bad, but I’d cut the chili powder even more and leave out the cayenne if I made it again. Hubs stated it was too spicy for him, so we’d have to adjust. Thanks for the recipe.

Recipe Group Selection: 12, November ’11. I only made a half batch of this and it made plenty for the two of us. I didn’t have a can of kidney beans so I used mild chile beans. I fixed this one day, refrigerated it and we ate it the second day. It was nice and thick and had wonderful flavor, although it was a little too spicy for me. My husband loved it, and topped his with shredded cheese. I added sour cream to mine to help cut the heat a little. Overall a very good recipe and I can adjust the spices the next time.

I made this for Recipe Group and it was excellent! I followed the recipe except for the masa, which I could not find in my small town grocery, I also made mine in my slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low (If you want thicker chili & don’t have masa just crack the lid on the slow cooker for the last hour or so to thicken.) I browned and drained the meat then just tossed everything except the cheese, stirred that in just before serving. Tastes a lot like bbq sauce to me. This is a real crowd pleaser being that the recipe makes 6 qts. Served it with mini corn muffins. I will make this again, maybe serve over brown rice (like our usual chili).

Made this for Recipe Group. I liked this chili. I used a chuck steak which worked out fine and was cheaper for the value. I didn’t use the sausage because I don’t like it and left out the green pepper using roasted yellow and orange ones. I only used half the cayenne and it was plenty spicy on the back of the throat. The sugar and the honey both made this a little too sweet for me. I always add a few tablespoons of sugar when I cook with tomatoes to take out the acid. I thought the cheese would make this a slimy mess, but it just dissolved right in there. I cooked stovetop as this sounded like what directions call for, even though it says she does it in the crockpot. I have never used masa before and was impressed with it as a thickener. I only made a half batch and got a quart and a half out of it. I’m not sure why it calls to add part of the ingredients after you get the meat browned and the onions and peppers soft and then add spices in one at a time. I would add the spices in with the meat and vegetables to flavor the meat, then add the rest in and cook it. All in all a nice chili! Thanks for the recipe.

Made this for Recipe Group. I liked this chili. I used a chuck steak which worked out fine and was cheaper for the value. I didn’t use the sausage because I don’t like it and left out the green pepper using roasted yellow and orange ones. I only used half the cayenne and it was plenty spicy on the back of the throat. The sugar and the honey both made this a little too sweet for me. I always add a few tablespoons of sugar when I cook with tomatoes to take out the acid. I thought the cheese would make this a slimy mess, but it just dissolved right in there. I cooked stovetop as this sounded like what directions call for, even though it says she does it in the crockpot. I have never used masa before and was impressed with it as a thickener. I only made a half batch and got a quart and a half out of it. I’m not sure why it calls to add part of the ingredients after you get the meat browned and the onions and peppers soft and then add spices in one at a time. I would add the spices in with the meat and vegetables to flavor the meat, then add the rest in and cook it. All in all a nice chili! Thanks for the recipe.

Best chili recipe with hint of sweetness! I did make some changes: I left out the sausage, cayenne and beans. I added 1 bottle beer. Soooooooo good!!

Awesome recipe. I tried it with and without the sausage, and prefer it without. I also eliminate the beans b/c it’s TEXAS chili. I used 1/2 can of chicken broth instead of chicken buillon. I also cook it in a slow cooker on low for about 8-10 hours. I also add about 8 oz more of tomato. Best chili I’ve ever had.

I liked this chili. I always add more spice than called for because I like flavor.

This is a pretty awesome chili. Especially on the third straight rainy night. A little too spicy, but I just left out most of the cayenne..worked out perfectly. Even the kids liked it!!

unbelievably awesome. great taste, great heat and sweetness.