WalMart carries ground bison sometimes. It’s got a richer, bolder flavor than beef, without the fat content. In fact, I don’t think there is any fat content.

I’ll try roasting the spices, that sounds good. I didn’t have any coriander or cilantro.

Now to the major disagreement. What you are cooking is chili beans and that’s great dish. Just don’t confuse it with chili, which DOES NOT contain beans! We can add this to the list of thing we agree to disagree about, if you wish. How many pages long is that list now???

I have a bag of masa harina and would have used it to thicken this except it didn’t need it after the tomato paste. Larry likes a very tomatoey chili.

Even if I’ve got plenty of fresh garlic and onion, I almost always sprinkle a bit of garlic powder and onion powder on things. They’ve got a different taste, which I like.

All in all, I wish you were here so we could have a cook-off!

I’ve developed a vegetarian chili over the past several years. I use lots of chopped carrots and kidney beans. (Trust me on this. It’s good.) Sometimes I’ll add in some “veggie meat,” but the way I make my chili, it really doesn’t need it.

What about ground coriander? It rounds off the taste very nicely. And then some fresh cilantro, too? You gotta have cilantro.

And are you roasting your ground spices before adding them? (The cumin, coriander, and chili powder, that is?) Just put ‘em in a saute’ pan over low-ish head, stirring constantly. Only takes a few minutes. You’ll know when they’re ready to use by the incredible aroma.

I also use fresh garlic. At least three cloves per pot of chili; usually five or six, sprinkled with a bit of salt and pulverised with a knife. This part of the process is more enjoyable if each clove is mentally assigned a face beforehand. Sometimes they all get assigned the same face.

And I don’t know if it’s an option in your house, but I always add a tablespoon of brown sugar early in the cooking process, too. And if I can ever get my hands on any, I mix a few tablespoons of masa harina and water in near the end of the cooking process. That’s rare, though. Not a lot of tamales in Scotland for some reason.

I have a feeling our chili-making methods are completely different from each other nowadays. I remember when I used to buy a pack of chili spices & make it with ground beef. Not an option now.