To my detriment or not, I follow a lot of random stuff on Twitter and Facebook.  On my Facebook feed a few minutes ago, this article on the “10 Quintessential American Meals” popped up via Skyline Chili’s news feed.  At first I laughed and thought no way, but sure enough, I clicked on the link and there it was at #5 on the list of ten best American meals.  I realize that chili is what they are focusing on and I agree that chili is a quintessential American meal and belongs on the list, but the best example they could come up with was Skyline Chili?!

Now, I like Skyline Chili a lot and have done reviews on their 4-Way Chili and also on their Cheese Coney Dog here on the blog and gave them both positive reviews and said how much I liked them.  That said, not even I am dumb enough to think that what I was eating was one of the ten best meals in America.  Totally absurd and I think most, if not all, people would agree with me that Skyline Chili does not belong on this list as the best example of chili.  I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I’ve actually eaten the best chili in America and name the place that provides it, but what I am going to say is that I know if I did eat the best chili in America, it wouldn’t be at Skyline Chili.

Anyway, just some food for thought (like the pun?) today to hopefully entertain you on a random Tuesday.

-IndianapolisEater

Chili is a great way to warm up on a cold winter day and last week, we posted a recipe for King David Dogs’ chili recipe.  This week, we have another At Home segment with another chili recipe, but this one has a twist:  it is my recipe!

My recipe has won the chili contest that WIBIA, EatHSE and several of our friends have had the past couple years.  Yep, that’s right, I’ve won with this recipe twice and had rave reviews on it when I’ve brought it out to football tailgates in years past (it’s actually a sore spot for WIBIA that I’ve won both times).  So, what I am saying is that with this recipe, you are guaranteed a flavorful chili that is simple and cheap to make!

FYI, this is a recipe you would want to make a day or two before and let sit in the refrigerator.  Also, you’ll notice one thing about this recipe…no beans!  Beans themselves are great, but they don’t belong in chili, in my opinion.  Without further adieu, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
[The spice level of this chili recipe tends to be hot, so that is just a warning.]

• 2 pounds hot/spicy ground sausage (if you want to cool the recipe down some, use mild sausage or ground beef)
• 4 cups of tomato juice
• 29 ounces tomato sauce
• 12 ounces tomato paste
• 1 large onion (chopped and diced)
• 1/2 medium-sized green pepper (chopped and diced; seeds removed)
• 1/2 cup of celery (chopped and diced)
• 1/4 cup of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (I often use Splenda as a substitute)
• 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Steps

1. Brown ground sausage and drain fat out of skillet.
2. Dump ground sausage in large pot and then cover with all other ingredients and stir.
3. Leave mixture in pot and simmer on LOW for two hours (if it comes to a boil, turn off burner and let the pot simmer with no heat source).
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. On the day of eating, pull chili pot out of refrigerator and re-heat on LOW for one hour.
6. After one hour, increase temperature of heat source in order to get chili to desired temperature (simmering on LOW will probably get you there).

After you get the chili to your desired eating temperature, serve it up plain, with cheese or whichever way you like it and enjoy.

-IndianapolisEater

I love Chili and my second annual chili fest was held last weekend…good times.  So I asked a few WIBIA friends for a Chili Recipe to get you through the winter.  It is no secret that I love King David Dogs.   Here is a chili they like to make:

Makes 8-12 servings

2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup red or green peppers
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 4 oz. can diced green chili peppers
2 15 oz. cans of chili beans
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
1 fresh diced Jalapeno pepper (optional depending on desired level of heat)

In large pan brown the ground beef.  Add the onion, garlic and green peppers; continue cooking until the onion is browned.  Drain the grease from the pan.

Add the tomatoes, chili peppers, chili beans, chili powder, cumin, thyme, salt, and cinnamon.  Also add fresh Jalapenos at this time if you choose to crank up the heat.

Mix well in the pan, and place a lid on the pan and allow the mixture to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.  Add the honey and stir well.

Add cheese, crackers, green onions, etc. as desired. (Extra sharp cheddar is highly recommended) Also very good with cornbread.

-WIBIA

Rally's Chili Dog

What I Got:  Rally’s Chili Dog $1.29

Our next stop on our fast food chili dog tour is at Rally’s (Checker’s).  The Rally’s Chili Dog is a standard hot dog topped with chili, ketchup, mustard and red onion.

As with any chili dog, what you are primarily reviewing is the chili and Rally’s chili that they place on top of their chili dogs is top notch when compared against the other fast food competitors.  It’s meaty, thick and has a nice little kick to it.  Then, you get a nice little sweet flavor added in with the ketchup, which is something that you usually don’t see on most fast food chili dogs (or any chili dogs for that matter).

After the chili taste, you get a nice mix of a crunchy red onions and a meaty hot dog.  The bun can get soggy from the chili, but that is because the chili soaks it.  And if you like to soak bread in chili to make it soggy before you take a bite, then this is a great mix.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, I definitely would.  It’s cheap, the chili is tasty and the hot dog is meaty.  Plus, for a price that relatively low, it won’t hurt your wallet too much either.  As you can see in the picture above, this chili dog isn’t going to win any beauty prizes, but I would stack its taste up against any other fast food competitor.

-IndianapolisEater

Cheese Coney Dog

What I Got:  Cheese Coney Dog $1.69

We’ve discussed Skyline‘s unique brand of chili here before when talking about their Chili 4-way.   Here, they put their signature chili on top of a hot dog to create a coney dog.

Depending on your preference, you can get the coney dog topped with cheese, onion, mustard or a combination of all three.  I prefer my coney dog with all three.

A lot of different places are offering coney/chili dogs now, but I still think Skyline’s is one of the best.  My only complaint is that the hot dog they use is a little small, but everything else about this is perfect.  The chili is great and the melted cheese on top just adds another wonderful dimension.  I can (and usually do) eat at least two of these in one sitting and I’ve seen many other people do it as well.  For whatever reason, these just aren’t as filling as you’d think they’d be.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, I would.  As with my previous visits to Skyline, the prices get under my skin from time to time, but it really is worth it.  It’s a guilty pleasure comfort food though and worth the occasional trip.

-IndianapolisEater

Chili 4-Way

What I Got:  Regular Chili 4-Way; spaghetti topped with chili, white onions and shredded cheddar cheese.  $5.39

Cincinnati chili is a breed of chili unto itself.  According to Wikipedia (if it’s on Wikipedia, it has to be true!), Cincinnati chili is “characterized by the use of unusual ingredients such as cinnamon, cloves, or chocolate.”  Those aren’t exactly ingredients that you’d find in regular chilis and their chili does not taste like anything you are going to have anywhere else.  Because of this regional pre-disposition to this flavor, there are several competing chains in the midwest that offer this style.  Skyline Chili is one of those and much like White Castle, I’ve found that their food taste can create some polarizing opinions as well.  I’ve got friends that absolutely love the place and I’ve got others that wouldn’t get within miles of a Skyline Chili even if their life depended on it.

Now, I’m not a hardened food critic and I don’t have a super-refined palate, but I believe that the major ingredient in Skyline Chili is cinnamon as their chili is very sweet.  In addition to the cinnamon, Skyline chili is very runny and not chunky at all.  It’s almost like a marinara sauce.  Regardless it is a unique taste and if you like sweet foods, you are probably going to like their unique flavor of chili.

When you order it in one of the various Skyline ways, you get it on top of spaghetti noodles and can have it with either onions, beans, cheese or a combination of all three.  I prefer mine with cheese and onions.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, I would.  While Skyline can get a little pricey and can also get very messy, I certainly appreciate the sweet taste of the chili from time to time.  It’s not something that you eat regularly, but it is a nice occasional treat.

FYI, Skyline Chili is also available at the supermarket (at least in the Midwest) in canned and frozen varieties as well as through the internet, so if you don’t have an actual location nearby, you can always try the next best thing and make it yourself.

-IndianapolisEater