“Dark Brandon” Chili
3 lb ground beef (or other meat, should be lean)
2 lg white onions
7 heaping tbsp chili powder (preferably dark chili powder but regular works fine)
2 tbsp black pepper
4 tbsp granulated garlic powder
2 tbsp MSG (A’ccent brand, can substitute salt)
2 cans Rotel chili fixins (or hot)
2 28 oz cans small peeled diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 14 oz cans chili diced tomatoes (undrained)
3.5 tbsp ground cumin
8 oz V8 (vegetable juice; may use up to 11 oz)
1 can tomato soup (about 10 oz)
3 cans dark red kidney beans (undrained, no rinse)
4 tbsp baking cocoa powder (or dark chocolate)
1 cup brown sugar (dark or light, but use dark for thematic consistency)
? tbsp salt (salt to taste, see below)
Saute/brown onions and beef in 6 qt (or larger) stock pot
Add spices and salt
Then add tomatoes, ok and salt to taste
Add beans and simmer
Makes about 5 qt
This is based on a recipe originally by Dr. Earl Parrott, which was modified and adapted
by the members of the Ad-Hoc Chili Committee, September 2023, after taste-testing and debate.
As written this is likely to be pretty spicy and somewhat sweet, so those preferring a milder chili should be sparing with chili powder. You may also wish to be conservative with the brown sugar. Our experimentation indicates that MSG or salt will really help bring the flavor out.
This recipe is likely somewhat too big for most crackpots, so you may want to cut it in half if you want to use a slow cooker instead of a stock pot.