ISO Steak n Shake Chili

At one time I had a recipe for this chili. The diskette (I know its old school) I had it on went belly up and I lost this recipe and everything else I had on that disk.

The recipe I had called for a can of Coke and some chocolate.

If anyone has a recipe like this plese post it or email it to me.

Thank you very much!!!!

I really don't believe that combination would work. They would absolutely have to reveal chocolate on their canned product. This August I brought 12 more cans of the chili home from Illinois, a 2000 mile journey. Write them at their email address, and maybe they will ship you some.

This must be a childhood taste of yours, too, huh?

try this copycat recipe I got from googling....

http://www.recipezaar.com/27171

quote:

Originally posted by stlouisguy

try this copycat recipe I got from googling....

http://www.recipezaar.com/27171

Thank you very much. From what I can remember this seems very close to what I had. I am going to try it this weekend!!!!

Steak and Shake has a very distinctive chili. It tastes just like one of the canned brands but I cannot recall which one. Anyone??

I order it from time to time when we eat there but I find it very bland. I usually end up adding quite a bit of the pepper sauce on the tables and that makes it tolerable.

i remember it more oily and thin than what i have eaten at S&S in recent years. In St. Louis I passed an S&S everyday and ate ther eoften. I think they changed the recipe in the last 7yrs or so.

At the Steak & Shake I go to (usually once a week) the chili can be either very thin like bean soup or thick and everything in between. I'm assuming each store makes its own chili because I've seen more consistancy in the chili at their other stores. If you want the recipe, look up S & S on the web.
I much prefer their canned chili. They usually sell it at their stores and some grocery stores around St, Louis sell it or you can order it from the factory over in Indiana.

exactly. the stuff nowadays is pretty thick, but i grew up on the thinner recipe.

I love their chili. I get a cup everytime we go which is very seldom

I agree. There's no way that I'm going to have my double-steakburger and fries without a cup of that good chili first.

tusti


At the Steak & Shake I go to (usually once a week) the chili can be either very thin like bean soup or thick and everything in between. I'm assuming each store makes its own chili because I've seen more consistancy in the chili at their other stores. If you want the recipe, look up S & S on the web.
I much prefer their canned chili. They usually sell it at their stores and some grocery stores around St, Louis sell it or you can order it from the factory over in Indiana.

Actually, Steak 'n Shake serves the same canned chili they sell for you to take home (but from larger cans).  Each restaurant dilutes it with a considerable amount of water, though, which is why it can be inconsistent from time to time. 

Old thread I know but rather than start a new one... I have questions.

I recently went to SnS and asked my server about the diff ways to order the chili, chili mac, chili sketty. He was new and didn't have a clue. I had a chat w/ the manager and he was a bit more helpful but I still left comfused. I finally just ordered the chili sketty. Hey, not bad I thought but there was not enough chili for me. I was left w/ a bowl of sketty. I think I should have ordered extra chili maybe? Or?

Anyone have tips on all the ways to order chili stuff at SnS?
Joe

PapaJoe8, think of the "chili" at Steak and Shake as a sauce for the spaghetti. When one is able to wrap one's brain around that idea then everything falls into place.

PapaJoe8


Old thread I know but rather than start a new one... I have questions.

I recently went to SnS and asked my server about the diff ways to order the chili, chili mac, chili sketty. He was new and didn't have a clue. I had a chat w/ the manager and he was a bit more helpful but I still left comfused. I finally just ordered the chili sketty. Hey, not bad I thought but there was not enough chili for me. I was left w/ a bowl of sketty. I think I should have ordered extra chili maybe? Or?

Anyone have tips on all the ways to order chili stuff at SnS?
Joe

Here are their "definitions" of chili on their website (just click on the various pictures):
http://www.steaknshake.com/menu/genuine-chili  Note on their descriptions of the "3-Way" and "5-Way" they say, "Double the chili beef on Chili 3(5)-Way for an additional cost."
 
Of course, living in central Illinois, the original home of Steak 'n Shake, I have no idea what Steak n' Shakes in Texas might be doing to their chili!  (Are they leaving out the beans?)

Michael, I approached it as a whole new kinda food. That did not help me end up w/ a bowl of noodles.  But, tha part I ate... I liked. I just felt like I did not order smartly.

6star, being in Texas did not stop them from using beans. Hey... it's not Texas Chili... it's SnS chili.

Wendy's does tha same thing. Try ordering Windy's Chili w/ no beans. Not even in Texas will that work.
Joe

Edit; 6star, thanks for that link! But, it's still comfusin to a Texas boy. I guess what I am asking is how yall think is the best way to order SnS chili.

Since I am not a raw onion person and can only handle a minimal amount of grease*, but like the shredded cheese, I usually order it "5-Way, double the meat, hold the onions, hold the grease".

*Note: Since their "special sauce" they list in the description is actually the grease from frying the chili meat (which is then very generously ladled back on to each order unless you tell them not to), I call it like it is, and never have a problem.  If you have no problem with grease, then ignore this part.

6star, so they don't just open up large cans of the same canned chili they sell... and there is grease from the meat they cook?

And, I swear there was something called "chili mac" on the menu when I went.

Sauce, chili, meat,... I'm still comfused.
Joe

On one of his visits to KY RF member BUSHIE had me stop at a SnS near Frankfort KY to let him purchase a case of the chili 'over-the-counter' at the restaurant. He raved about the stuff until I gave in and  tried it. I found it to be quite good....but fairly expensive purchased that way.

PapaJoe8


6star, so they don't just open up large cans of the same canned chili they sell... and there is grease from the meat they cook?

And, I swear there was something called "chili mac" on the menu when I went.

Sauce, chili, meat,... I'm still comfused.
Joe

> As far as I know, there is no such thing as a "large can" of Steak 'n Shake chili (at least not around here).  Steak 'n Shake has been around since 1934, and their small (10 oz.) cans of chili have only been around in grocery stores for maybe 10 years or so.
 
> Of course there is grease.  They fry their "Steakburgers" from ground steak meat (I have no idea on the percent of fat in it, but it is supposed to be from T-bone, sirloin and strip steak) and their chili meat, as far as I know, is made from this same ground steak meat.  That is why the name is Steak 'n Shake, and their slogan is "In Sight It Must Be Right", since originally all their meat was ground out front, where the customers could watch them grind it.
 
> I have never seen "chili mac" on a menu or in an ad around here, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be on a menu in Texas.  I do know there are corporate restaurants and franchised restaurants, so it is possible you went to a franchised restaurant that had added chili mac to its menu for whatever reason (franchise owner personally likes chili mac, they got a good buy on macaroni, etc.). 
 
From your experience, it sounds like either your location is rather new (or under new management) or they haven't done a very good job of training their help.  Could the manager you talked to have been a "night manager"?  Sometimes "night managers" are nothing more than trustworthy regular help, and not really very well versed in the whole operation. 
 
I am sorry you had the confusion, but perhaps when you go back (and if chili mac is still on their menu) you could try it and let us know just what you get served.

The Chili Mac was just the spaghetti w/ a different sauce. There was no macaroni. This just added to my confusion.

I thought maybe my memory was playing tricks again but... I googled it, and SnS, and there is, or was, such a thing.
Joe

Ok, after a bit of searching around on the net this is getting weird.

The SnS web site has no mention of "chili mac"

Other sites w/ posted menus have chili mac, chili mac supreme, and jr. chili mac plates. There is also the "chili beef" and "special sauce". Then there are the 3 and 5 ways.

You can add chili meat to some things. Oh, and you can get a  a chili bowl or cup, and a chili deluxe.

Some things have onions, ceeese, and extra chilli meat. And... you can also get a chili deluxe w/ corn chips.

This is so confusing that the servers don't have a clue what the difference is between a chili mac and the other chili stuff.
Joe

If you do this google;

allmenus.com mchenry steak-n-shake

There is a menu that is like the one I remember from my Texas SnS visit. It has the "chili mac" listed in the section about chili, and w/ an earlier mention in the "kids menu" of a "jr. chili mac plate $1.99".
Joe

PapaJoe8


The Chili Mac was just the spaghetti w/ a different sauce. There was no macaroni. This just added to my confusion.

Joe

Spaghetti is macaroni.

Michael, I'm sure you are right. I just think of macaroni as those noodles w/ a hole in tha middle. Like the kind that come w/ mac n cheese. Ok, maybe those are not noodles.

Anyway, SnS has chili, chili meat, sauce, 3 way, 5 way, and Chili Mac. Or, they once did. But, do not ask your server what the difference is between 3 way and chili mac!
Joe

I was kinda hoping someone who has worked at SnS would help clear this up. I am supprised that I could not find the detailes about the chili/pasta issue one the net. Maybe it's there and I couldnt find it?
Joe

Good News - I used to work at Steak n Shake and I have answers for you.
There IS a chili mac at SNS.  It is spaghetti with meat and sauce.  I'll break down the "chili's" for you...
Chili Mac - spaghetti, chili meat (doesn't have beans), and special sauce (similar to ketchup)
Chili 3-Way - spaghetti, chili (with beans), and special sauce
Chili 5-Way - Spaghetti, chili (with beans), special sauce, shredded cheese, and diced onions
Chili Mac Supreme - chili mac (as described above) with cheese and onion
Of course, you can also get just a cup or bowl of chili (this has beans)... you can get it topped with shredded cheese, onions, or corn chips.
I personally love just a bowl of chili - the regular ol' chili.  I think they have the best chili ever.  I've searched for recipes and haven't found one even close, but you cannot go wrong with just a bowl of their chili.  Feel free to try some of the "pasta" dishes too.  They're very popular, but I'm not a fan of the special sauce.

Their special sauce recipe is no secret, by the way.  According to the label on the can, Steak ‘n Shake’s Chili Sauce is a 4:1 ratio of ketchup to Worcestershire sauce. Example: 

4 teaspoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

And I am a fan of the sauce!

I remember eating Chili Mac Supreme at s & s in Illinois probably Peoria,  in the distant past.
I remember because  that is the only time I've ever seen it on a menu and ordered it.

Amy, thanks so much! And welcome to Roadfood. You might as well hang around and join in the fun. I bet some of us around here could come up w/a REAL close SnS Chili recipe.
 
I still have a few questions;
 
!. What is in a "bowl" of chili? Does it have the "sauce"? Is it just "chili meat" and "sauce"?
 
2. How are the portions of pasta, "chili meat", and "sauce" different in a "chili mac", "chili mac supreme", and a "chili 3 or 5 way".
 
3. Does SnS make the "chili" or Chili meat" or "sauce fresh or do the start w/ a can and add to it?
 
What I think is strange is that I could not find these answers by looking around on the net. It's kinda like a secret thing. By reading between the lines I do think that a "chili mac" comes w/ more pasta than a "chili way".
 
The "chili mac" appears not to be available everywhere. From looking at some old menus on the net I think it was served at many SnS locations in the past.
Joe