re: Anyone have any great chili recipes they would like to share?

I don't have a recipe, but I will give you my favorite tips.

I highly recommend making your own chili paste or puree. Just get a variety of dried chilies (Ancho, Mew Mexico, Anaheim, Guajillo, Seranno, Arbol) toast them slightly in a skillet then reconstitute them in hot water. Once they are soft, throw them in a blender with some stock or water and puree. You control the level of heat by what chilies you choose to include. You can also add some Chipotle in Adodo sauce if want a little smokey flavor.

I like using different textured meats as well. I use a combination of coarse ground meat and cubed skirt steak that I marinate in a carne asada marinade.
For the ground meat, get a chuck roast off the shelf and tell the butcher you want it coarse ground or chili ground. That way, you know exactly what kind of meat your getting.
For the skirt steak, marinate overnight then sear both sides on a really hot grill. I usually cook it until an internal temp of about 125 (med rare) then let it rest for about 5 minutes and cube it. Make sure all those drippings get back into that pot.

Miscellaneous tips

After browning the ground meat, I drain the fat and deglaze the pot with beer. I usually use Shiner Bock but any beer will work.

Even though this is a beef chili, I use chicken stock. In fact, I use chicken stock for everything that calls stock...even crawfish etoufee.

After the chili has simmered for a while, I add a plain Hershey bar. The chocolate adds a bit of sweetness along with a nice cocoa flavor.

I like adding diced red onions and cilantro at the end. Along with the flavor, it adds a splash of color that may help in a competition.

Buy a bunch of wendys and put it in a pot

eta: make sure you take the finger out first.

Farva I'm gonna try this one