Reviewed: May 16, 2012

This was delicious! Eating this as I type. After reading the reviews and seeing complaints about saltiness (being sensitive to salt myself) I tried my best to use all low sodium ingredients, omitted the salt, and used just a couple of bouillon cubes instead of the four tablespoons of granules, as I didn't have any. I made the sauce (basically everything but the meat, onions, garlic, and beans) the night beforehand, adding a small can of tomato paste and four bay leaves instead of two. I think leaving the mixture in the fridge overnight helped everything mingle. The day of, I browned ground beef with half a large onion (I'm a lightweight when it comes to cutting onions) with garlic powder (as I didn't have cloves.) I drained the mix then poured everything (waiting on the beans, using black instead of pinto) into my crockpot for a few hours. I don't see where the complaints about spiciness come from. When I went to add the beans on the last leg of the recipe, it was still this side of bland- and I'm a total baby when it comes to spicy food! So I added a couple of shakes of all the spices used. Served with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheddar, and a handful of fritos! Next time will probably add another can of black beans, another can of tomato paste, and another half or full pound of meat, and perhaps some chives/green onion on top of the sour cream for garnish.

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Reviewer:

Raelda

Reviewed: Feb. 10, 2012

Absolutely a great savory experience. I never had a problem with the salt (taste as you go w/salt always). Othewise the ingredient proportions are spot-on, this is restaurant quality. If you throw in a few hot peppers, make sure that the stew sits overnight to mellow their fruity flavors otherwise it's a bit too sweet and funky. You won't believe what this tastes like the next day...

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Reviewer:

Andrew B

Reviewed: Feb. 7, 2012

My boyfriend and I loved this recipe. I added a few ingredients to it for a little something extra. I added a 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon and an ounce of semisweet baking chocolate. These ingredients are common in many Mexican dishes and were really a nice addition to the chili. I also added 1 1/2 tablespoons of hot sauce. Fantastic!

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Reviewer:

Stefanie_S

Reviewed: Jan. 14, 2012

I really wished I had read the reviews before making this. It had way too much salt; even the salt loving husband said so. I used no salt added tomato sauce and that didn't help cut the salt factor at all. I think this would definitely be an amazing recipe if the TBSP of salt was omitted. I will make it again and maybe add a can of Rotel to kick it up a little.

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Reviewer:

Amy C

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Slidell, Louisiana, USA

Living In: Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2011

I have used this recipe for years and it is always a hit with family and friends.

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Reviewer:

tlpoch

Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2011

Wow!! This was amazing! I make this all the time for my husband to take to work. Those gus have it gone before 11am!! I will continue to make this over and over again! I leave out the salt and add some diced jalapenos. MMMMmmmm!!!

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Reviewer:

Melissa

Reviewed: Nov. 2, 2011

The cooking time is way too long for me. This recipe should cook to well done in half this time. I would cut back on the cumin and the salt. And, my greatest pet peeve about most chili is that it is too soupy. I would omit the beer and tomato sauce. I prefer diced tomatoes over stewed tomatoes as the sauce is thicker. I prefer a meaty chili, not a soupy one.

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Reviewer:

silverfox229

Reviewed: Jul. 12, 2011

No wonder this has such fabulous reviews -its delicious!! We were hungry for chili, and didn't want to go to the store for my normal cheater chili mix, so decided to try it from scratch. Who knew? Only switch was a can of beef broth for the boullion, what I had on hand. We enjoyed this over tortilla chips with all the toppings as a super nacho supper. Thanks Christine and Jim!!

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Reviewer:

SweetBasil

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Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: San Diego, California, USA

Living In: Liberty Hill, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 3, 2011

This recipe is perfect, IF you omit the salt ike others have suggested. I tasted after simmering and did not need to add any. Other then that, the seasonings in this recipe are perfect! DH even went back for seconds. I will be making this again and again and I highly recommend this recipe...without the added salt of course!

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Reviewer:

jamers9050

Reviewed: May 14, 2011

I doubled the garlic, used a dark lager and only used a pinch of salt. I didn't have pinto beans but I did have organic black beans so I used those. This was tasty--very beefy. This was quite easy, which I appreciated after the day I had. I basically sauteed the veggies and meat and threw everything in the crockpot all day, just to save on time and energy. Close to my favorite chili--I think it could use a can of tomato paste but quite good. My husband remarked this would be great in chili dip.

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