The Ultimate Guide to Making The Best Tasting Chili Ever

For years, I have protected my secret 'Dragon's Breath Chili' recipe with my life. I would strip the labels off the cans, then pour the secret ingredients into glass canning jars. To one of the ingredients I would add red food coloring to make it look like Kool-Aid, and I would tell those who asked that it was cherry Kool-Aid.

A couple years ago, the Abilene Fire Fighters Association used my chili recipe for the big pot at the Ben Richey Boys' Ranch Chili Super Bowl & Brisket Cook-Off and I swore them to secrecy. I was mortified when I saw pictures of firefighters holding up cans of one of my "super-secret ingredients" on Facebook.

So, today's your lucky day. How would you like to make your own pot of award-winning Dragon's Breath Chili? Here's the recipe, super-secret ingredient and all. Tell me how it turns out.

Chili is the official "State Dish of Texas" and according to CASI (Chili Appreciation Society International, Inc.), chili DOES NOT have beans or any other legumes or fillers. If you wish to add beans to your chili, it is no longer called 'chili' but rather a "Northern Stew"!

Anyone can cook this recipe but remember, no two chilis come out alike. When you have two cooks making the same recipe at the same time using the same exact ingredients, you can still end up with two totally different pots of chili. In my opinion, it’s impossible for me to make the same chili twice. I say my recipe is 'chili by the numbers' - measuring everything the same every time to create a 'no mistakes chili'. Good luck!