Roadfooders, what is your favorite canned chili?

I am too old and too fat to do the cancan. I will not buy any of them. My main gripe is that every single one of them is loaded with way too much salt. A proper chili does not need much salt as real chili should have the most flavorful ingredients on earth.

Salt is cheap though and the processed food industry is counting on your addiction to it.

I love chili, but always make my own with real ingredients. I just can't do that cancan dance.

Thanks Score for maybe keeping folks here from thinking I went completly crazy. Neat story! I havn't tried adding tomatoes but I will, Rotell maybe.

Grey, I have not looked at the salt content. What would be a good salt level? I know, none.
Joe

When I want chili, I make it from scratch. For me, canned chili is not worth eating.

My $0.02 worth.

Score, thanks for maybe keeping folks here from thinking I went completly crazzzy. I havent tried the tomatoes but I will, maybe rotell.

Grey, always best to make your own. And those food industry folke ARE sneaky.
Joe

I blow them off. I don't need all the salt I've seen in any of them. While all of us, including me, have had better, this isn't bad for a 20 minute dinner.

• Nuke a pound of ground beef in a 2 quart bowl for one minute.
• Flip the beef over.
• Repeat the above two steps until all the pink's gone.
• Drain the grease off, saving the cooked blood for the family dog.
• Chop the meat into small pieces with the side of a spoon.
• Pour a 14 oz. can of rinsed beans (I can dry beans. That's another recipe. Many of you know it, but E-mail me if you want it.), some chili spices, a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (I've recently been introduced to Ro*tel: http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16025&whichpage=2 , but never used it) and a 6 oz. can of tomato paste. This is a good time for some chopped onions or peppers if you like 'em. I sure do!
• Mix this mess up.
• Nuke for one more minute to warm it up.
• Serves two if it's me and the Mrs. and we save some for lunch the next day.

We share the bowl and all I have to clean up is one bowl and two spoons. Can't beat that for convenience, and NO SALT (assuming you have no salt tomatoes and beans, of course), which even the healthiest prepackaged choices can't avoid!

Life is too short to eat canned chili.

Admittedly, I haven't tried too many, but I sure do like the cans of chili from Tony Packo's.

none, only homemade or from a good restaurant

So, Tony Packo's, Wonder how I can get some?

And yes yall, homeaide is of coarse best but... there are times canned comes in handy.
Joe

PapaJoe8-
If you don't live in or plan on visiting Northwest Ohio soon, you can order cans of chili and other good things off their website.

http://www.tonypackos.com/

Thanks Buffet! I might just do that. If it comes up right and you happen to try some "Campbell's Chunky no beans" let me know how it compares to Tony's.
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by Greyghost

I am too old and too fat to do the cancan. I will not buy any of them. My main gripe is that every single one of them is loaded with way too much salt. A proper chili does not need much salt as real chili should have the most flavorful ingredients on earth.

Salt is cheap though and the processed food industry is counting on your addiction to it.

I love chili, but always make my own with real ingredients. I just can't do that cancan dance.

Canned chili has a lot of salt and fat. I enjoy Hormel and Skyline but I just can't eat it often after reading the label.
I usually buy Hormel turkey chili or vegetarian chili now to cut back on the fat and calories.

PapaJoe8-
You got a deal! I will look for it tomorrow morning when I am at the grocery store. Sounds like just what I need for a cold day inside watching college football.

Thanks sooo much Buffet! I am eagerly awaiting the review.
Joe

Howdy,

I'm required to use pre-prepared Chili (read: canned) on my cart here in NW Louisiana, about 2 hours East of Papajoe8. Since I live across the street from Wal-Mart, I've settled on Hormel (no-Beans) and my customers approve. Funny thing is, we don't sell many Chili Dogs! I should advertize my Nachos better, as they're really profitable with Chili added..
I'd like to try some of these "exotic" Chilis, like Skyline, et al. The Hot Dog "bidness" is exciting.

LarryRickenbacker
PS: Papajoe8, next time I visit Big D, I'll visit your Hot Dog place as a I pass Terrell :)

Larry, I have not been to La. since you opened. I plan to come say hi and have a dog when I do. Glad to hear your busness is exciting!

That is not my hot dog stand in Terrell, I remember it is at the Tanger mall on I-20. Who has that stand??? I made a fast look but could not find his posts. I plan to go say hi to him also.
Joe

There's a health food company called Light Life. They make a product called Smart Chili. I don't know how they do it, but it's really good. They have it in refrigerated packets at Food Lion, Martins, etc...

It's really good with some cheese and chips. And by doing that you blow all pretenses of it being health food right out the window, but hey, what are friends for.

Route, LOL and thanks for the tip. Some folks do need a healthy chili, probably me included but.....

While we are waiting for Buffet's review on Campbell's chunky no beans... has anyone had Wolf Brand and Campbell's that would like to compare them? I like them both. I like Wolf for Frito pie and Campbell's better to eat plain w/ pickled jalapenos added. Anyone else tried both?
Joe

There is no good canned chili available in my area- I have tried a couple that have been absolutely disgusting-pastey texture. So, I vowed not to waste money on canned chili when too tired to cook- just go to Wendy's and pick up a large chili. It is almost cheaper to purchase than the canned variety too.

There are a lot of canned chillis out there. The best of these are Rays' Brand (www.rayschilli.com) originated six blocks from my home - but, long before I was born. Owned by my friend and fellow chilli cook, Jay Nichole; Chilli Man, originated by my friend Joe DeFrates and now owned by Faribault Foods - who have been mucking about with Joe's recipe ... which is why they are demoted to my personal second place (www.chilliman.com) and Bush's No Beans in the glass jar with a pinch of cumin added (www.bushbeans.com/products/homestylechili).

Wolf Brand taste like it has been through the wolf at least once. Hormel is barely a cut above Armour and my thoughts on Stagg are not for a family style forum.

Cactus Annie's and Aldi's Rangemaster are pretty good - or were when they were being contract canned at the Milnot plant in Litchfield, IL. Haven't tried them lately. Perhaps someone else on here has and can report.

Howdy, thanks for the reviews. Chiliman was mentioned on page 1. I think? Your fav, rays is a new tip for this thread, I think. Have you treid Campbell's Chunky no beans? Hmmm, what was that "stand up chili" that I liked? It's on page 1. I think?

Most Texas kids grew up on Wolf so it my be an aquired taste for us.
Joe

I tried Wolfs chili finally and thought it was fine for the use intended-chili dogs.While I wouldnt go out of my way just to buy it,we had no complaints..

Ann, I agree. I like Wolf for dogs and Frito pie, that about it. Oh, over some canned tamales works also. Bryan makes a good tamales, as does Hormell, the hot ones, and Austex. Yall can disagree on the tamaly thread, hmmm where is that thread? Ok, here if you like then,
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by PapaJoe8

Have you treid Campbell's Chunky no beans?

Yeah, I've tried it. It's sort of a mildly spicy mystery meat stew with little to no chilli flavour. It can be rescued with the addition of garlic, cumin, some ground ancho and a bit of cayenne. But, hell, if I'm going to go to that much trouble I might as well make a pot of my own red.

Canned/jarred/boxed (Slagg) chilli should be at least tolerable and able to be told as chilli right from the container.

Most canned ones I've eaten are poor substitutes for the real thing, but one that is a little bit better than others is the beef chili sold at Trader Joes. I think its made in Canada. Has lots of beef and good flavor

For an acceptable lower-fat canned chili, I'm partial to Trader Joe's turkey chili w/beans. It's very meaty and flavorful, although you'll need to add your own heat. I sometimes add corn kernels and/or serve over pasta.

quote:

Originally posted by xannie_01

hubster likes whatever has a pop top.

He probably likes the easy opening screw cap wines as well????

quote:

Originally posted by Foodbme

quote:

Originally posted by xannie_01

hubster likes whatever has a pop top.

He probably likes the easy opening screw cap wines as well????

You say that like screw cap wines are a bad thing.

BTW - Ray's Chilli is available in a pop-top, peel & heat can. It be good stuff, Maynard!

I usually make my own but if I have to use a canned Chili then it would have to be Hormel. Is anyone out there interested in starting an EBay Chili Auction?

I had a can of chili last night that was surprisingly good, mainly because it had the V word in the product description. I was hard up for a quick meal of something, so I opened a can of Safeway Select Vegetarian Chili, provided by my sister in her yearly sack of healthy food wherein she tries to change my evil ways and usually never succeeds because I end up ignoring most of the no fat this and vege that.

I'll be making this stuff a habit. Score one for mi hermanita!

The low fat "saltines" she sent along went in the bird food bowl I'm happy to admit. Let them peck those tasteless, saltless, cardboardy nasty things to death.