Spicing up Chili?

[SirFozzie]

Hey all, I'm preparing to make a pot of chili to go with homemade cornbread for friends tomorrow night (Our usual sunday night get together). What are some of your ways to spice it up?

Here's the recipe I'll be using:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/my-chili/detail.aspx

We're using diced tomatoes instead of the stewed tomatoes, last time we tried cutting up some dried chiles and that didn't do much (the pot was too big I think).

When I went to the store this morning all they had was a humongous bag of the dried chiles, and that didn't work for me (I make chili every few months so it'd be ridiculous to keep it around that long)

thoughts:

A)Add a bunch more chili powder./oregano/ other spices in?
B) Try another store which might have the dried chiles (unlikely as it seems to be out of season)
C) Add in a bunch of tobasco/Frank's Red Hot Sauce?
D) None of the above?

[MizzouRah]

I prefer fresh chilies.. get some jalapenos and serrano, dice them up and throw them in.. seeds and all.

Few squirts of Frank's Red Hot sauce and some red pepper flakes too.

[SirFozzie]

I did grab crushed red pepper while I was out. I'll have to see if there are any stores in the area that have jalapenos and Serrano

[B & B]

Chop up a handful of fresh jalapenos.


Add 1-2 cans of Rotel HOT, which is diced tomatoes and chilies.


Cayenne pepper


Crushed red pepper


Brown sugar (adds to the heat by offsetting it)

[MizzouRah]

Good call on the Rotel!

[jeff061]

I live and die by my giant jar of dried habanero flakes. Pick them up from Amazon.

[stevew]

Sugar and brown sugar are both good if you need to mitigate heat. That recipe has no cumin in it, and IMO you definitely want some of that. They make canned chili tomatoes, which are already spiced up. I used them in a spicy chicken lasagna dish the other day and they added a nice kick. When you're making chili, it's also a good time to use up any extra salsa you have in the fridge.

Id probably go with diced fresh japs for extra heat. Just don't scratch your balls immediately after cutting them.

[stevew]

Also-

It's usually better to get a great flavor blend which is not prohibitively hot. You can always bring some diced japs with you and some hot sauce. Fresh pablanos give a good flavor, but don't add much heat on their own.

[MacroGuru]

Id probably go with diced fresh japs for extra heat. Just don't scratch your balls immediately after cutting them.

I second this, including the ball scratching...

[hawk4669]

My wife and I are chili heads....and we dice up 2-3 habaneros (depending on size) per batch. It is really, REALLY hot...but we've found we prefer the flavor that the habanero gives. Don't recommend it for everyone, but we've gotten used to it and like it.

[ISiddiqui]

Third it (on the fresh jalapenos - put the entire pepper in, including seeds)!

Also seconded on the Rotel.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I also really enjoy the flavor that habaneros give. Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder and even plain 'ol pepper will help with the heat as well, if you don't want to go straight habaneros. Other options are serrano or anaheim chili peppers, neither are as hot as habaneros.

[bryce]

In addition to everything already mentioned, chipotle chilis in adobo sauce are really spicy (bought in a small can).

[SirFozzie]

Cool. It's on the stove.. I'll see if I can get shots of it when it's done