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Jisheng
257
Keyboard Club Member
Nov 19, 2017
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Alright, so I'm a fatty and I absolutely love chili cheese fries despite being lactose intolerant. Unfortunately, Costco only stocks Chili with Beans which I dislike(I'll still eat half a can every now and then because it's chili) so I've been trying to make beef chili like those from The Hat(It's a California-only sort of restaurant) or Wienerschnitzel but I've been failing at it.
So does anyone have a good recipe?
Nov 19, 2017
b9d9ffdad3ac59e7f6f
135
Nov 23, 2017
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JishengNothing wrong with enjoying food! Unfortunately I've never heard of The Hat or their chili so you're going to have to describe it for the rest of us. Does it have beans? Is it actually spicy? Is it greasy? Are there tomatoes in it? Is it smooth, chunky, wet, dry? Does it have meat? What kind? What color is it? A picture might help.
Nov 23, 2017
Jisheng
257
Keyboard Club Member
Nov 29, 2017
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b9d9ffdad3ac59e7f6fTo be fully honest, they taste like Hormel's canned chili as far as I can tell. I've tried about two different recipes that I found online and they didn't taste like it. Either that or I somehow screwed up the recipe which I'm not completely crossing off the list.
Nov 29, 2017
b9d9ffdad3ac59e7f6f
135
Nov 29, 2017
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JishengOkay, what you're after is called a "copycat" recipe and a Google search for "hormel chili copycat recipe" turns up several that look identical. Not sure how accurate that is as I've had neither. Also found a Wienerschnitzel copycat that looks a lot like the Hormel recipes sans bacon: http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/wienerschnitzel_copycat_chili_cheese_fries.htm/
These are all tomato-based beef recipes with spices and flour/corn starch to thicken, and the Hormel one has bacon grease. Since you say the flavor is off then it's likely down to your spice mixture, including how fresh they are (restaurants would generally have higher turnover than your spice cabinet). You'd have to rebalance the amounts to suit you. If you don't have a developed palate then it's going to be difficult (e.g., "this needs another 2 tbl of cumin"). Even if you do have a developed palate it's often difficult to replicate a spice mixture because it also depends on method of preparation, and sometimes you can't replicate industrialized processes at home (such as KFC's pressure fryer). These are all trade secrets and people who develop copycat recipes generally consider "close enough" to be success. And it's hard to figure out what cuts of beef they're using if it's ground and in sauce.
So instead of trying to clone the recipe, think of what flavors you like in a chili, and focus on building that into your own custom chili.
Nov 29, 2017
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