gringo chili

This is somewhat similar to how my mom would make it when I was a kid. It isn't trying to be "authentic" to any style of chili it's just a bunch of good tasting things thrown into a pot. All of the ingredients are things you would be able to find in a midwestern grocery store. It can be made in one pot and has about 20 minutes of active cooking time and makes a shitload of servings, like 8-10.

1 onion (yellow or white it doesn't matter)

pepper(s) of choice - This is an open ended recipe, there's a lot of room for changes based on your tastes. I personally do 1 green pepper and 1 jalapeno but you can use whatever you want at whatever spice level

1 lb ground beef - replace with 1-2 additional cans of beans to make it vegetarian (85/15 or 90/10, 80/20 is too fatty imo)

2 28 oz cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes (get something of decent quality, Muir Glen is widely available and decent, stay away from like Hunts or store brand they're noticeably lower quality)

2 cans of beans, undrained (whatever you like, I do kidney and black, you can also leave the beans out entirely if you want to and replace them with another pound of beef)

1 can beer, porter or stout - optional (Guinness is my default choice)

chicken stock - replace with vegetable stock or even just water to make it vegetarian (if I use beer I find the liquid level is adequate, if I don't I add a bit of chicken stock to thin it out a bit)

4 cloves chopped garlic (adjust to your tastes)

tomato paste

a few squares of dark chocolate - optional

spices - imo the only "essential" spices are chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. I also add cayenne, oregano, and garlic powder. Use whatever you want. I add an absolute shitload of chili powder, I make this a lot and I have never thought at the end "I used too much chili powder."

toppings - I like fritos, cheese, sour cream, and pickled onions. Sometimes I eat it over cornbread

Brown the beef with some olive oil. I add some chili powder and cumin near the end. I have no idea if this does anything but it makes me feel better.

Set the beef aside, add more oil if necessary, and fry the onions and peppers for 5-7ish minutes. Add some salt to get them to release their moisture faster.

Near the end of frying the vegetables add the garlic and tomato paste and fry another minute or so.

Add the beef back in with all of the other ingredients and bring it up to a boil. This is where you can take a first pass at seasoning. Once it's boiling reduce the heat and let it simmer for at least half an hour (more is better).

When you're about ready to eat it give it a taste and add salt or other seasonings as needed (I always add more chili powder).