Hormel Chili Copycat
This is a delicious copycat recipe for Hormel Chili. The secret ingredient is crushed Fritos Corn Chips. They add a unique flavor and texture to the chili. I like to make this in the fall for football games!
This is a delicious copycat recipe for Hormel Chili. The secret ingredient is crushed Fritos Corn Chips. They add a unique flavor and texture to the chili. I like to make this in the fall for football games!
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 6 cups cold water
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease
- 8 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 4 tablespoons mild chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 2 cans red beans
- 1 cup fritos corn chips crushed
- Carbohydrate 24.038744569181 g
- Cholesterol 20.043613225 mg
- Fat 9.74074271445989 g
- Fiber 5.02672528517718 g
- Protein 10.0813529497315 g
- Saturated Fat 2.61186580197628 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (211g)
- Sodium 496.170872404875 mg
- Sugar 19.0120192840039 g
- Trans Fat 1.10995847470065 g
- Calories 219 calories
Step-by-step
- Brown the meat with bacon grease in 4-qt dutch oven. When browned, pour off excess grease except for 2 Tablespoons.
- In a 2-qt mixing bowl, add water. Whisk in cornstarch until fully blended. Whisk in flour until fully blended. Whisk in tomato sauce until fully blended.
- Stir into the water mixture chili powder, paprika, dried onion, cumin, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Mix well.
- Add water mixture to meat in dutch oven.
- Add 2 cans of red beans.
- Stir in the crushed Fritos Corn Chips.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer 45-minutes. Stir well and scrape bottom of pot every 5-minutes to prevent burning.
- Serve as is or blend slightly with hand blender for a smoother chili.
Deep brick-red color, a thick velvety viscosity that coats the back of a spoon, and distinct notes of toasted corn define this preparation. Rendered bacon fat provides a high smoke point and savory baseline for browning ground beef in a heavy four-quart Dutch oven. Cold water must be used when whisking in all-purpose flour and cornstarch; hot liquids cause immediate starch granule swelling, resulting in stubborn lumps rather than a smooth slurry. Combining cornstarch and flour leverages the gelling power of both root and cereal starches, yielding freeze-stable properties that prevent liquid separation during thawing. Crushed corn chips added directly to the pot dissolve slowly during simmering, releasing maize starches that thicken the broth while imparting subtle toasted notes through Maillard reaction compounds formed during the chip's original frying process. Dried onion flakes hydrate gradually in the simmering liquid, distributing sulfurous savory notes evenly without adding unwanted texture. Simmering for forty-five minutes requires frequent stirring and scraping along the bottom of the pot every five minutes because the high starch content makes the mixture prone to scorching. Stored in airtight containers, this chili maintains optimal quality in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for three months. Reheating frozen portions requires gentle thawing followed by medium-low heat on the stovetop, adding a splash of water if the starches tighten excessively during the thaw.
