New Year's Eve Chili

We chose to stay in this New Year's Eve instead of battling the crowds.  After all the recent sweet treats and rich dishes during the holidays, we decided a nice pot of chili would be just the thing. 

I love Wendy's chili so I tried my hand at duplicating their version as closely as I could.  A quick visit to Google provided many "copy cat" recipes.  I read over several and then struck out on my own to see if mine would match up!

One unusual (to me) ingredient for chili that Wendy's version includes is celery.  Granted, celery is not my favorite vegetable and I had NEVER thought about it in chili, but into the pot, it went!  The secret for me was to dice that celery finely.

2 pounds ground chuck

2 medium onions, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 stalks celery, FINELY diced

2 small jalapenos, seeded and minced

2 t. minced garlic

2 t. salt

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chili powder

1 1/2 T. ground cumin

28 oz. tomato sauce

28 oz. petite diced tomatoes (undrained)

2 (14.5 oz.) pinto beans (undrained)

2 (14.5 oz.) dark red kidney beans (undrained)

1 1/2 cups water

2 T. butter (optional)

In a large Dutch oven (I used a 7 1/4 qt.), brown ground chuck over medium-high heat.  Drain fat.

Add remaining ingredients (except butter) and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, and then reduce heat so that chili is at a very low simmer. 

Cook uncovered two hours, stirring every now and then so it doesn't stick.

At the end of cooking time, add butter and stir to let it melt and mix into the chili.  Serve with shredded cheese on top!

The addition of the butter was a surprise for me, but it was a listed ingredient on many of the copy cat recipes I reviewed.  I couldn't tell it added that much difference to the consistency, but it certainly added additional flavor.

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