Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons butter
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
  
• 1 to 2 pounds ground beef or lamb
  
• 1 + 1/4 cup canned tomatoes
  
• 4 cups canned kidney beans
  
• 3/4 teaspoon or more salt
  
• 1/2 bay leaf
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons chili powder (click to learn how to make your own)
  

Instructions:

• Saute onions in butter
  
• Add meat and saute until well done
  
• Add all other ingredients
  
• Cover and cook slowly for about one hour
  
• Serve with crackers, cornbread, tortillas or nacho chips and beer (no one in their right mind would offer any type of white bread with REAL Chili Con Carne)
  

Notes:

• This is a basic recipe that can be used to BEGIN to learn how to cook REAL Chili Con Carne. The following notes are some suggested improvements:
  
• Use about twice as much onion
  
• Use two cans of chopped tomatoes per pound of meat
  
• Use three cans of beans per pound of meat
  
• Remove the bay leaf before serving
  
• The amount of chili powder used should be according to your desired taste AND the strength of the mix
  
• The Chili Con Carne WILL stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. You MUST watch this pot, keep the heat low and stir it often.
  
• There is not one person in all of Texas that thinks Chili Con Carne can be cooked in only one hour. Personally I think three is minimum and four to six is about right.
  
• The Chili Con Carne will be better the second day--so, make it a day ahead and refrigerate overnight.
  
• There are as many different lists of secret ingredients as there are good Chili Con Carne cooks. Some of my less than TOP SECRET additions may or may not be:
  
  • Some folks add black pepper (I can't believe anyone would consider making Chili Con Carne without black pepper--in fact, I think it best to use several different kinds of pepper . . . each different pepper adds its own flavor AND some cause heat quickly, some give a good "afterburn" and even others start out kinda slowly but with each bite the heat just keeps building higher and higher . . . but, use NO kind of sweet pepper, bell pepper or any other sort that does not have SOME burn to it . . .)
    
  • Some folks use brown sugar instead of white. Experiment with other sources of sweetness, instead of the sugar--like honey or Coke or . . .
    
  • Some folks, instead of using salt, add bullion cubes until the Chili Con Carne tastes salty enough--it will add richness to the pot far in excess of the additional cost.
    
  • Some folks, instead of beef or lamb use rattlesnake, road killed armadillo, untenderized grizzly bear meat, or ground horse hooves (do not remove the shoes first)
    
  • Some folks add some beer--careful about potential bitterness (its better to drink a lot more beer than you pour into the pot)
    
  • Some folks put in a little vinegar (or juice from the jalapeno jar)
    
  • Some folks add mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup
    
  • Some also squeeze in some lemon juice
    
• If it does not make you sweat, its not hot enough
  
• Even if it is hot enough, ALWAYS offer the wimps a chance to add heat at the table
  
• Make no apologies for injuries
  
• Anyone who knows beans about Chili knows that Chili has no beans! (And, that is why this is a Chili Con Carne recipe ["con carne" is TexMex for "with beans".])
  
• Everyone knows Chili has no beans and one L.
  
• Chili was invented by chuck wagon cooks before refrigeration--when out on the range they learned the cowpokes would eat the near-spoiled meat and not complain IF they couldn't taste it due to the HEAT (from the peppers)!