Below are some shots of the Texas Chili (essentially just meat and gravy/sauce, peppers, onions, etc...) I made the other night, it was REALLY good. I got tutored back in college by a competition chili guy, it's serious business down here (Texas), I'd share my recipe with you, but well, it's a secret...sorry! But I'll tell you this...when I'm in a pinch there are some good "chili kits" that make great chili the easy/quick way. I like Carroll Shelby's Kit and my wife likes Fowler's 3-Alarm Kit (I think that's it). Making it from scratch is THE best way, but it's time consuming, blending the spices, chopping peppers, etc...letting the meat dry-marinate overnight, cook it for a looooong time, etc....
I enter local chili cookoffs when time permits, if you ever can get to one, GO! It's a BLAST (especially later that night/the next day LOL) to judge too!
This is the meat (4 lbs total, mix of beef and pork), marinated in the fridge with the spice mixture (dry) for 24 hours. This is "part" of my secret, it really does make a difference.
Here's the finished product, Brad's 3 Burn Chili (Burn your mouth, your insides and the next day, on the way out...seriously!). Even have a little display sign made up for it for competitions, it's typically wing "Best Overall" and "Hottest"...not bragging, just happy!