The Chili Cookbook: A History of the One-Pot Classic, with Cook-off Worthy Recipes from Three-Bean to Four-Alarm and Con Carne to Vegetarian Hardcover – September 29, 2015

Have made 3 of the recipes so far and enjoyed them all. The "Coney Island" chili recipe is good, but not as good as the coney sauce some relatives occasionally bring us from Michigan. The author mentions "the truth is, you wouldn't want to know the secret recipe. Some include beef hearts [...]". Well what's wrong with that? The stuff we get from Michigan does indeed include beef heart, and other organs. And it's delicious. Nothing wrong with offal.I made "A. J. Foyt's Supertex-Mex Chorizo Chili" over Labor Day weekend, and it was first rate. The recipe says "serves 8" but we got at least 10 servings out of it, maybe more. (Some of it we put in containers and gave to the in-laws — who also loved it — but they may've made more than 2 servings out of it.) My mother-in-law now says I'm her go-to guy for good chili. (A mixed blessing. Prep time was ~2 hours. But I'm not a very experienced cook, so YMMV. Also part of that was making a pound of home-made chorizo (recipe included). Did you know chorizo was just ground pork with some spices? I didn't.)The pictures and other explanatory text are also good and reasonably entertaining and informative. This book is half cookbook and half history book. I only wish that the Kindle edition had a better table of contents with links to specific recipes.Anyway. If you like chili, this is a great book. I look forward to exploring more recipes.

I picked this up because my youngest things chili is a food group. Or at least ought to be. The book’s fantastic! There’s a huge range from traditional Texas chuck roast in a red velvety sauce with no beans to poblano chicken, tofu, and global chilis. If you’re not familiar with the author, he wrote “Legends of Texas barbecue cookbook : recipes and recollections from the pit bosses”. I still need a copy of that one. There’s enough here to make that kiddo a new chili every week, and never get bored.My pics and thoughts on the bowls we’ve tried….1-2) El Real’s Chili Con Carne – p 87. Perfect bowl of Texas red. Not too spicy, just really flavorful. The bacon and its velvety grease give it great texture.3) Obama Family’s Chili – p 144. Obama makes chili?! Okay, I had to try it. Delicious chili, without any heat. The turmeric’s a nice touch. Great crowd pleasing taste. I’d put a little Cholula or Tabasco on the table for those that like a little heat.4-5) Old Fashioned Tex-Mex Enchiladas – p 90. This uses up 2 cups of leftover El Real’s, so save a little when you make that! Great, easy enchiladas. The kids loved these, so I’m glad it serves 12. They packed up extras for their lunchboxes.6) Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s Congressional Cook-Off Championship Chili – p 100. I made this for the Super Bowl, and it’s fantastic chili. I adore the addition of mole. Gorgeous flavor!Some others I have flagged to try: Red Chile with Beef – p 35 * Green Chile with Pork and Potatoes – p 41 * Spicy Hungarian Goulash – p 51 * Greek Makaronia Me Kima – p 57 * Indian/Pakistani Keema – p 62 * Richard Bolt’s Deviled Beef – p 74 * Pendergrast’s Grass-Fed Beef Chili – p 76 * Chili Queen Chili – p 79 * A.J. Foyt’s SuperTex-Mex Chorizo Chili – p 89 * Frito Pie – p 93 * Wick Fowler’s Original Four Alarm Chili – p 96 * Rob Plager’s $25,000 Chili – p 98 * Polly Bergen’s Chili – p 113 * Branson Chili Cheese Fries – p 114 * Just Like Ben’s Chili – p 141 * James Beard’s Pot Roast Chili – p 151 * Tyler Florence’s Short Rib Chili – p 153 * Pork and Whiskey Chili – p 159 * Cocoa Bird Chili – p 160 * White Chicken Poblano Chili – p 162 * Five-Chile Tempeh Chili – p 168 * Texas Tofu Chile Without Beans – p 187I’ll update this as I play in the book more.

You had other illustration pics of chiles and old west pics but very few pics of the actual chili recipes. That being said it provides a nice assortment of different chili recipes. I think that I would have paid more for the hardback version if it had more pics of the recipes but that was not a buying option here.The reviewer is the author of the Kindle book entitled:Sex Education for Adults Secrets To Amazing Sexand Happily Ever After TooThe best review on the book is by a licensed marriage counselorwho credits the book for saving his marriageIt is on the AASECT recommended reading listand I was recently offered a TED talk on the Book

This is a really fun book. And it is beautifully produced and bound. The printing and production is Chinese. This is a fairly thin, square hardback book that is easy to hold and read. The photos and layout are top quality. And the content is even better. Robb Walsh is a bona fide chili expert and aficionado.. He provides a good amount of history about the various origins of American chilis, chillis, and chiles. He also connects the dots with similar dishes from other parts of the world, such as goulash/gulyas that was developed on the range by cowboys in Czechoslovakia, Berber dishes in Morocco, Indian stews, etc. He also discusses the Greek (Montenegrin) origin of Cincinnati chili as a completel different dish from American southwest chili. He also discusses the various theories of southwest chili and the argument of the origins -- Tex-Mex, Mexican, Canary Islands, and other influences from immigrants to parts of Texas. There are great recipes with a lot of variety. This is a fun book just to pick up and read, then give the recipes a try and mark the differences and your preferences. If you like chili/chile/chilli and like to make it, get and enjoy this book.

Bought this as a prize for a recent chili cook-off event…and ordered one for myself! The recipes range from simple, quick weeknight chilis to simmer-all-day versions. The stories and pictures really add a special element and I can’t wait to dig in!