A Man and His Chili

Every man needs a chili recipe.  As of a week ago, I have mine.

This is based on one from Allrecipies, but I modified it by halving the beef, adding more beans, and doubling most of the spices except for the chili powder, which I halved.  To me, too much chili powder obscures the other tastes.

Ingredients

• 1.25 pounds of lean ground beef
• 30 oz of tomato juice, maybe less.  Put this in last so you don't make it too soupy.
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/8 - 1/4 cup Chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more if you want)
• 2 cans of red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Directions

1. Brown ground beef on stove.  Drain and crumble.
2. Add all ingredients to a large kettle.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer very slowly for at least 2 hours, preferably more.  If you have a crock pot, use that.
3. Serve with sour cream or cheese.