I think chili is one of those things in which we all expect something slightly different. I think that this is a really good recipe, or at least the the base to a really great chili. I have made it at least 3 times now. I made it in a slow cooker/crockpot for the first time yesterday....came out thinner than in my soup pot, so keep that in mind(nonetheless, I thought it was my best tasting batch yet). I like a little more beans so I bought a bigger can of pinto beans. I also put a small can of diced tomatoes for chili in the pot(my husband doesn't like chunks of tomatoes). If I have any tomato products that I want to clean out of my fridge(ex. salsa, chili sauce, etc.), I throw those in too. I also use 3 tablespoons of brown sugar instead of the white. And I am usually doubling the spices(except for the chili powder and I haven't tried cayenne pepper yet). I really don't think you can go wrong with this. I get compliments everytime. Since I am new to making chili, I keep referring to this one to make sure I get at least the basics in. Try it. Taste it. And if you need to...modify to your taste. That's what I do. Then I usually put it on top of some macaroni noodles and top that with sharp cheddar, chopped onion, and Fritos....YUM!!!

This Chili was very hearty and tasty. The only change I made was to use the canned tomatoes in their own juices in lieu of the tomato juice. I believe this helped with this chili turning out more hearty rather than liquidly. Will definitely make again!

I've been searching for a chili recipe that would catch my eye for a long time now. I saw this one and what caught my eye was the # of reviews, so I printed it up and tried it out. I got rave reviews on my chili yesterday, so much so that my husband brought some to his mom to try; she's Italian and she even liked it! I made a few changes as well - I replaced the tomato juice with 2 cans of plum tomatoes that I diced myself, I used dry kidney and pinto beans and soaked them in water the night before. I bought a can of chipotle peppers in tomato sauce and added two of the peppers from the can. I slow cooked overnight for 10 hours - the smell was divine, the taste - out of this world! The chipotle peppers gave the chili a slight smokey taste and an extra zing that was well recieved. This is definitely MY new chili recipe and will be going into our annual family cookbook!

Chili is a hard thing to rate/make/read suggestions and comments about. Its just one of those things that can be made SOOO different and be SOO good many different ways!! I thought this chili was good, and especially good for a base chili and then you modify to make it suit your tastes. I followed others suggestions and cut out the tomato juice all together and used 2 cans tomato sauce and 2 cans of diced tomatoes. Next time I will only use 1 can tomato sauce. It seemed too thick but once it started heating up it was a little more liquidy than I liked. It was good though. My boyfriend rated it a 3.5. Me a 4 and our friend who was over a 5! So... anyways all in all I thought this was good especially for a beginner Chili Maker! Oh, I also forgot to mention I browned my meat beforehand w/garlic cloves and onion and then put everything in the crock pot!

This chili was delicious! I made it in my Crockpot. I don't like green peppers, so I omitted them. I also used two cans of stewed tomatoes instead of tomato juice. Grocery didn't have pinto beans so I doubled the amount of kidney beans. Here is a note: follow the directions and do not let the chili cook for more than ten hours in the pot! Otherwise, the meat will become very mushy (mine had the consistency of corned beef hash). Still, I'll definitely make this recipe again. Next time, I think I'll add some garlic. Thanks for such a great recipe!

I have entered this in my church chili cookoff, and finally with this I won!!! I added chopped garlic. i also used bloodymary mix instead of tomatojuice, and used only half of what was called for with that. Really tastey, not too hot, if you want hot add some more cayenne pepper.

This chili was amazing and so easy to make! I made it for my superbowl party of 18 this weekend, and thankfully I had doubled the recipe. I kept getting compliments left and right on this chili. I added a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, a tablespoon of cocoa powder and used V-8 juice instead of tomato juice. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly, and will certainly make this again!

This is the best chili recipe ever. My husband loved it, even my son who is a picky eater. Only 1 thing was missing - tomatoes. I added 1 can of diced tomatoes (undrained) but could easily use 2 cans next time. I made mine on the stove and it does thicken, I was worried it wouldn't. Even better as leftovers. Nice one George.

I didn't use the tomato juice, substituted some canned tomatoes I had (and wanted to use up LOL). I thought that it turned out well. However, after I was done, I added a dollup of sour cream and some shredded cheddar and it was great. I served with some garlic cheese bread I made. I made it in the crock pot, adding the meat after browning and draining the fat. We had four good meals out of it! Good all around chili!

Really good. It gives you a kick at the back of the throat. I did halve the tomato juice as everyone suggested. I also used half the tomato sauce and replaced it with rotel. I browned the ground beef and onions before I put it into the crock pot (that way I could drain it before I put it in). Then I added everything else and left it. Easy and tasty.