EXCELLENT, I MADE THE CHANGES AS THE OTHERS DID: CHILI BEANS, ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND 1/2 THE BOTTLE OF A 14 OZ BOTTLE. EXCELLENT......THANK YOU RICK AND EVERYONE ELSE.

Fantastic chili. Just entered this into a contest today and got first place overall. My wife (who does not like chili) said I could make this again any time. I can't understand why some people would reduce the amount of chili powder. I used the full 1/2 cup and it was barely medium hot. It may seem like a lot, but this recipe makes more than the 20 servings it says. Changes I made replaced two cans of kidney beans with cans of medium chili beans. Italian seasoned diced tomatos two small cans of diced green chilis In the next batch, I would cut back a little on the BBQ sauce as that seemed to overpower some of the other flavors.

Excellent. I made this for a large group of my friends and they've been asking for it again ever since.

Very good basic recipe. Here are the changes I made: first, I cut the chili powder to about 1/2. Second I used sweet sausage instaed of hot and third, I used tomato puree instead of tomato sauce. I think the bacon and sausage make a big difference and also the unsweetened chocolate. Great flavor. It was easy and really good. I served the chili over pasta. Next time I will try rice. Thanks!

I won first place in the mild category using this recipe. I used about half the chili powder, 1/4 the Bar-B-Q sauce and used plain ground sausage instead of spicy. I also added some brown sugar about an hour before the contest. I've made it twice now and everybody thats tasted it just loves it. If serving at a contest just serve crackers. Sour cream and cheese takes away the true taste of the chili. Thank's Rick...Great recipe.

My hubby and I entered this recipe in a chili cookoff yesterday and won in the Most Flavorful catergory.The note enclosed in our winnings said "What a mouth pleaser that was!"Great Job" We cut back on some of the ingredients and used organic ground bison and swet italian sausage for the meat.One can of black beans and one can of dard red kidney beans..Added one bulb of sliced garlic and 1/4 tsp. of cumin. Cut way back on the chili powder to one tsp. and one cup of the barbeque sauce. We used uncured bacon.Neither one of us had ever made chili before so this was a real thrill to win over almost 20 other entries.

Superb!!

The bacon flavor got lost in the mix, I cut down the BBQ sause and still it was overpowering. I've made it twice and with some extra tinkering to the recipe it turned out great - less BBQ sause, more liquid - tomatoe juice!

I just won 3rd place in a chili cook-off. My only change was using Sweet Baby Rays Honey Barbeque Sauce and adding garlic. Thanks for the recipe.

I made this last year for a cook-off and it won. I think the BBQ sauce was a hit.

Using this recipe, I won 1st place at a church chili-cook off! I noticed that others have written about similar success. The only changes I made to the recipe were using half the amount of hickory barbecue sauce and using uncured bacon. I should also note that I used Asian Indian chili powder. Thanks for sharing this fabulous recipe!

Excellent!! I love it. The chocolate is a great touch. The only thing I would recommend changing is the amount of bbq sauce. It gets a bit too much. And I added some beer, which really helped out. Thanks Rick.

This chili took second place at a recent chili cook-off that had fairly stiff competition (7 other decent entries). Of course, what makes this particular recipe a “winner” is its novelty. Who doesn’t enjoy chocolate? So here are my tips for taking a prize with this recipe: (1) Give it a good name that includes the word chocolate. No offense to Rick, but call it something like “Chocolate Chili Cha Cha”. This also warns away anyone who may be allergic to the key ingredient. (2) Offer two toppings only: sour cream and shaved chocolate. (Let the competition keep that dull cheddar cheese.) (3) Add a few dashes (or more) of cayenne pepper to give it a little pep. (4) Cut back on the BBQ sauce as others suggested, but consider adding ¼ cup of brown sugar. But be careful: don’t make it too sweet. (5) Add more beans (as I did) if you feel the meat to bean ratio is too large. (6) Make it 36 to 48 hours prior to the competition to allow the flavors to meld. Also, many people commented that the chili reminded them of a mole (MOH-lay) – a traditional Mexican sauce served over chicken or turkey that incorporates chocolate but is not typically sweet. So, you may want to consider serving it with hot corn tortillas (instead of corn bread). The idea is to set your chili apart from the rest of the competition. Good luck…and may the best chili win. Yours. [One last note: I sliced the onions into thin rounds and sautéed them in a little of the bacon grease. Delicious.]

Very good, big hit with everyone!

I made this chili the other night with mixed reviews. I took the suggestions of previous reviews and used the brown sugar BBQ but only 18 ounces. Other than that I followed the recipe to a tee. Some of my friends raved about it that it was the best they had ever had, and begged me for the recipe. My husband said it was unique - not good or bad, just very different in flavor from what he expects from chili. I tolerated it. I probably will not use this recipe again. Based on the results we received, you either love it, or simply tolerate it.

Finally after 20 years of trying to please my husband with a chili - this was it! I reduced the beans to two cans, one dark and one light red kidney beans, only one cup of BBQ sauce, used ground venison and Tennessee Pride Hot sausage tubes. I used slightly more chili powder to finish off the 2.5 ounce spice bottle and it was perfect. I suggest making this the day before you need it to let the flavors blend together more. YUM! Thanks Rick - who knows maybe I'll enter a chili contest like the others :)

Excellent recipe. I halved the recipe and used just a few squirts of barbecue sauce. Excellent chili. I also used 1 can of the kidney beans and 1 can of black beans in lime juice with jalapenos.

Cut way back on the BBQ sauce only used 8oz Cut back on Chili Powder to 1/4 cup Won our local chili cook off!!

I absolutely luv this recipe. I was craving chilibeans and came across this recipe. I thought it was a little weird at first because of the ingredients, but it is YUMMY. We fight over who gets the last bowl. I have made it a few times, and it's always just as good!!

this was awesome- everyone that tried it the first time I made it thought it was the best chili they had ever had. now that I have made it 2 times, I would say to downgrade the amount of BBQ sauce and add more tomato sauce. Very, very good