Mama Withrow’s WV Hot Dog Chili

If you need a versatile chili recipe for your Super Bowl party this is the one!  It is awesome on hot dogs, nachos, and you can add beans for a traditional chili.  It makes a large batch so you make all three dishes from one pot.  Plus it freezes beautifully. 

Mama Withrow’s WV Hot Dog Chili

INGREDIENTS:

·         1    extra-large sweet onion, like Vidalia, finely chopped

·         6    pounds extra-lean ground burger

·         3    pints (6 cups or 48 oz) water

·         4    pints (8 cups or 64 oz) crushed tomatoes

·         1/8  cup crushed red peppers, or to taste

·         ¾   cup chili powder

·         ¼   cup garlic, chopped

·         1    cup ketchup

·         ¼   cup yellow mustard

·         1    tablespoon salt

·         ½   tablespoon ground black pepper

·         1    (6 oz) can tomato paste

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         Place onions in a large deep Dutch oven or heavy bottom stock pot, add beef crumbling to break up, and water.  Stir until water and onion is completely combined with beef.  Mixture will look like similar to oatmeal.  There should not be any large pieces of hamburger remaining. 

·         Stir in remaining ingredients.

·         Place on stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

·         Reduce and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally 3 hours or until desired  consistency is reached.  As chili cooks any grease that rises to the top can be skimmed and discarded. 

HINTS:

·         Do not brown meat first.

·         Freezes well.  Place in an airtight container leaving about ¼ -inch space for expansion. 

·         Add extra crushed red pepper if you like it spicier, less if you like it mild.

·         Half the recipe if you need less…I like to make a big batch just because of the long cooking time. Then I have some in the freezer for impromptu dinners.  For me it is NOT a hot dog without chili!