re: advice question for 2 alarm chili

a hershey chocolate bar. i shite you not. google it.

Mexene

I have been using this. We like it.

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Chipotle peppers in adobo (canned)

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+1, game changer, but go slow don’t start with the whole can

OP this is a long read but I feel will help you come up with some new techniques to tweak chili in a different way to suit your tastebuds. I might suggest changing your meat up where it is not just beef hamburger meat in it. Last weekend I used 2 pounds of ground chuck, 1 pound of ground sirloin, 1 pound of ground pork, and I smoked 1-1/2 pounds of shirt steak and 1-1/2 pounds of flank steak to medium doneness. I put a quick sear on the skirt and flank steak after I smoked it then cut the meat against the grain into small pieces. That’s 7 pounds of meat minus the fat that cooked out while browning and smoking/searing the meat. I used two boxes of 2 Alarm and one box of Shelby Williams. Instead of adding tomatoes I used a 16 ounce jar of picante sauce like you would eat with chips and dip and a 10 ounce can of fire roasted Rotel. I also sautéed onions like you but I also added a couple of poblanos that I smoked then diced up when I grilled that flank and skirt steak. I also used about 12 ounces of beer and beef stock. The different textures of meat after it all cooked down was very flavorful with a hint of that smoked meat taste. Tossing in a chipotle pepper in that adobo sauce sold in the Mexican section of a grocery store also adds a different kind of unique flavor.

Look, I know not everyone can afford to throw in skirt and flank steak into a pot of chili, however, there are other alternatives. Smoked chuck roast chopped up is nice. A local grocery store here has a cut of meat they sell by the hamburger meat called carna asada something or another and is great to add. Its meat that you would sear off to make steak street tacos with. Some folks add a little dark chocolate or turbinado sugar to cut that acid down from the tomatoes. That isn’t a terrible idea but go easy or you risk taking a savory dish and turn it into dessert. That sweetener helps to calm the chili down if it’s too spicy. In closing the smoked meats that have a little chew mixed with ground beef and a tad of ground lean pork sure seem to take a good bowl of chili and turn it into an exceptional bowl of chili.

Chip up some smoked brisket and put in there at the end.

I've used that kit many times.

Sub out half the beef for ground pork.

Sub out the water with a dark beer.

Add diced onions.

It definitely needs a bit more salt and a ton more heat.