The SHOCKING SECRET to great chili 

Is there a playlist of Adam's "NOOO!!!" recipes? It's definitely a genre of his at this point and requires its own playlist!

Oh boy I can't wait for Adam to recommend the correct cuts of meat I need to use to produce a great chilli. I'm also looking forward to his authentic spice mix recommendation to make it super authentic!

"I don't even know what this one is, but it's red so I'm putting it in the chili" is the exact reason why Adam is the GOAT of youtube cooking channels.

For a more traditional chili, it’s best to prepare it in a large Dutch oven over a fire next to your horses and fellow cowboys while singing songs about the beautiful lady you’ll marry one day.

I feel a sense of reassurance that I have been following the "just dump stuff in from your spice rack until you like the way it tastes" school of cooking for more than ten years.

Just put it in a pot and BOIL IT!

"I don't even know what this is but it's red so I'm putting it in my chili" is my new favorite quote from Adam and I'll be definitely following his advice

I was a minute in and said to myself "wow, Adam seems really relaxing today, is he always this calming" and then 'it' hit me and I nearly fell out of my chair. Another classic

I made like 20+ meals worth of chili using this recipe so will have to freeze most of it . A lot of the beans/ tomatoes that I used were a few years past their best by date but the USDA website said they should be good as long as there is no damage to the can or bad odors when opening. If you're not already working on it I think a video on the history/shelf life of canned foods and home canned food would be interesting.

I'm 100% onboard with the philosophy of making 1 large meal that will last 3 or so days. It's so much less of a hassle during the week and also saves a ton on electricity costs. Red lentils have become a favorite thing to make - red lentils stewed with spices that smell right and whatever veggies I have on hand and a lemon or some yogurt mixed in. So simple and healthy, and lasts for days.

“You VILL eat ze beans!”

Adam when I made this chili I think I outdid myself. Followed your instructions, used beans leftover from your red beans and rice recipe (they were sitting in the freezer for a month at least) and some additional canned beans from the store, bell peppers, poblano, with onion carrot and celery and any tomato sauce I had in the cabinets. We had some leftover turkey bacon and pepperoni so against your instructions we threw that in as well. After the first taste (when the seasonings were done that is) I think I discovered my new favorite weeknight meal. I can never go back to old chili recipes because of you. God bless you.

He's cooking with the energy of a tired parent on a school night, right down to the yelling at us to just eat the food already.

Adam falling for Big Bean propoganda

To the naysayers, Beans can go in Chili Im a Texan born and raised. And even was raised with a no beans chili and in college I took a required writing class that was centered around gobs of research. The type of research real journalists do. So not just the library (still a lot of library), but investigative research. Finding information yourself in the real world cataloging it publishing it online as a source of information to site and pull from. We had all semester to pull this off and was one of the most biggest efforts in college for a single outcome, minus maybe orchestra rehearsals, I ever had to see through. Because I went to a Texas university the professor had us pick something easily associated with our state. Would have been hard for me to research the tower of London and investigate and catalogue stuff not simply found in a textbook all the way in Texas. So I picked Texas Chili. I went to the university library to get a few books that talk about the history of Chili. Surprisingly there were plenty. But one of my ways I expanded my search was church. Old texas churches to be exact. Often times church women groups in the 1800s and 1900s would compile recipes from the congregation. And then sell them as ways to raise money. My church growing up seemed to have one almost every few years or so. Almost every single one would have a chili recipe. And to my surprise the older those books got, usually WW2 and back they usually had beans in the recipe. But didn’t they know Texas Chili doesn’t have beans in it? Did these small country churches all get it wrong for decades. No they didn’t, what I found was a rabbit hole conspiracy by the beef industry that changed how Texans thought about Chili forever. The cliff notes is. There were two popular types of chili in Texas trail chili and the chili queens of san Antonio’s chili con carne. Like all popular things people started to copy the Chili queens. Mind you not every Chili Queen vendor had exactly the same recipe. Most was all meat but there were variations that included beans as well. Just as today not every food truck selling al pastor tacos are exactly the same. But regardless many had family recipes of cattlemen trail Chili that was popularized by chuck wagons. Chuck wagons were hugely influential to modern day chili. Being one of the first places instant chili mixes were used. And on the trail the had at hand only dry ingredients most the time. Dry was lighter to transport, stayed fresh for long periods of time, and with just adding water and heat could be turned into a feast for the men wow worked all day moving cows up Texas. And although dried beef and rendered beef fat was important part of it, it was dried beans they used to make the Chili be the protein rich meal it was. So what happened. WW2 did, and the beef production is increased for canning rations for our military. Texas beef sellers don’t have to out in any heavy lifting finding mouths to buy up their beef during wartime. The US government is buying up so much that people back home have to ration foods at home, something they were already use to with the great depression previously. So war time ends beef production still at an all time high and the 1950s start and they for the first time in a decade have way more beef than they can sell. So what do they do?. They go to Texas Newpapers, Texas magazines, and Texas radio and do stories on Texas Chili. They highlight a prominent Dallas figures Chili recipe as the “Best Chili in Texas” Set up Chili cook offs centered around an all beef chili. You back from the war, new job new family, you open Texas Monthly and you see an ad that looks like an article. And it pretty much says a successful man that provides for his family has an all beef chili. You’re not a failure are you? Putting beans in your chili thats a sign of struggling. Thats what your parents went through because of the Great Depression, but your a success now in a promising new post war America. You don’t need to eat lean. They discreetly paid to get people to think Texas Chili doesn’t have beans. And if you’re putting beans in it you’re just being cheap. So it’s no surprise church cook books in the 50s and 60s and on started to have less and less recipes with beans in it. Suddenly the chili recipes that would get passed down, just didn’t have them. But yes Chili can have beans in it, and I as a Texan put beans in mine.

These 'shocking secret' videos have to be some of the best on your channel. It's really refreshing to see a FoodTuber actually make _food_ , not some ridiculous extravaganza. Don't get me wrong, it's entertaining to watch someone make a really impressive dish, but I think it's equally as important to dial things back and remind people what cooking is really about.

One thing I love about chilli as a weeknight meal is that you can vary what you serve with it and get a range of different meals. 1. chilli nachos 2. Chilli writh rice 3. Chilli burrito etc.

I think I really needed to hear that part about "not every meal needs to be a trip to the amusement park." I don't eat some days because I just can't be bothered to cook something nice and I just never questioned it. Thank you. This has meant a lot to me.

I've never made a single Binging With Babish recipe, but I've made this chili 3 times since you've put out the video (although I do replace one of the cans of beans with a pound of ground beef, please don't yell at me Adam). Absolutely saved my grocery budget, and it's absolutely amazing

I will say using whole dried chilies results in a massively different flavor, but I completely appreciate how Adam is one of the few RU-vidrs who is actually looking out for the "lazy" cook in all of us . I feel like with every step, ingredient, extra pot, etc. he makes a conscious assessment if the return on effort is worth it.

Adam you've really released this just as I have chili simmering on the stove, no joke!!

Of all of your videos, this one has stuck with me the most. You're absolutely right that we expect too much from our food. In my opinion, there are four main pillars of cooking: cost, effort, nutrition, and taste. The first three are easily the most important, yet taste is the one we are least willing to compromise on. I make this recipe all the time. It's never exciting, but it's always comfort food. I always add a bit of frozen corn at the end, and to liven it up, I usually eat it with bread or hash browns.

“Now that I’ve been yelling at you for a while, let me sell you something” got a giant belly laugh out of me. Maybe the most perfect segue ever conceived.

Adam PLEASE do more of these "SHOCKING SECRET" videos. Your penultimate one was 2 years ago. And only 2 prior! "And NOOOO!!" I LOVE those videos.

so gratifying that you mentioned chocolate. a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder is a good substitute for chocolate chips of you have one and not the other. another similar addition borrowed from curry is a medium pinch/half a tablespoon of instant coffee if you've got it around, a really good and easy way to make the chili taste way more effortful than it actually is.

This is now my favorite cooking video. It encouraged me to simplify and be creative. I made a delicious chili that also happened to be healthy, convenient, and economical. These are all excellent motivators for cooking good food at home. Thanks Adam!

adam really is the everyman of cooking channels. no need to get expensive, no need to overcomplicate. Just simple hearty homecooked meals for an individual or a family. best cooking channel.

What I love in chili con carne is that it goes well with rice, tortillas, taco, white bread, pasta, as itself, you name it. It's so simple, yet full of flavor and it's multipurpose food. Edit: I also like beans.

Pro-tip: BLACK COFFEE is also amazing in Chili - serves roughly the same purpose as the dark chocolate just without the sugar

This is really excellent. Adam acknowledging the notion that food has to be 'impressive' is something I didn't expect, but that liberation really is wonderful.

I actually add siracha to my chili to give it a little extra spice. I find that it actually works shockingly well as it also adds a touch of sweetness as well.

Adam, Ive watched quite a few of your videoes and this is easily one of my favorites. Between the jokes, the solid/simple recipe with ingredients below, and the transparent/honest ad for a solid product at the time. Its just great. Thanks for making this.

Nothing wrong with beef in the chili dude

The “but first we must” …. “NOOOOOO!” series of Adam Ragusea videos is by far my most favorite form of Adam’s pragmatic cooking. I’m here for it 🎉

This is what got me to realize that I don't dislike chili, I just dislike a specific chili I ate as a kid... I made beans in a spicy tomato/pepper sauce for my own family today (to my taste) and it was a huge hit. Especially paired with your cornbread recipe from a few years ago... Thanks, Adam, for giving us regular home cooks the confidence to try things we never thought we'd try otherwise.

Adam yelling at me was surprisingly cathartic. "Not every meal has to be a trip to the amusement park" is going on my fridge. Sometimes I forget that while it's fun to cook, it's overwhelming on weeknights and I have my expectations way too high.

4:04 this is exactly how most Indian households function when it comes to weekday meals. Usually a pot of dhal (lentil curry) with a starch like rice or roti can last a few days. Honestly it saves so much time and effort, and usually if you want to spice it up on the second or third day, make a portion of veg or another starch to go along with it, but honestly, the food is dense and filling enough on its own. Glad to see more people adopting this mindset.

I would like to thank these SHOCKING SECRETS "recipes" for helping me gain my confidence in low-waste cooking. Realizing that, as long as I get the timing reasonably right, I can throw basically any cookable vegetable in a pot with canned or dried legumes (maybe a handful of dried whole grain like brown rice if I'm feeling extra adventurous) and get a pretty tasty meal at the end of it has meant we've thrown out a lot less food and had a lot more homemade meals in the last few years.

Just jogging around the internet today and following "Adam" as most of us do, this popped up. This is what I am talking about. Simplicity at its finest. No pretentious crap here. Just dump some good-tasting stuff in and go enjoy life. Devour for a coupla of days. Now, we're talking.

Based on why you cook this chili and your philosophy behind it I'd wager you have a killer split pea soup recipe somewhere

I love the sentiment that not every meal needs to be a trip to the amusement park. For anyone out there struggling right now, and I know there are a lot, I take a can of store-brand chili with no beans, store-brand pinto beans, and a can of Rotel and mix it in a pot. It costs about $4, and it's a solid dinner for three days for one person, and it's actually really good. I sometimes put cumin and oregano in as well, but it's not necessary. It's also something you could make a bunch of and freeze, if you wanted.

Love the straightforward and unabashedly honest explanation about the price of the knife and the quality compared to other knives 😂😂😂😂 Stay true and entertaining Adam!

How dare you suggest that we change an arbitrarily defined dish to better suit our needs!!! I and I alone get to decide what is chilli and what isn't!!!

I absolutley love this "shocking secret" format XD The vegitable soup video is what started my journey into "intuitive cooking" as i like to call it. I just throw stuff together, sometimes loosly inspired by a recipe and it always turns out fine as long as i stick to a few basic principles. Cooking can be surprisingly simple if you want it to be simple.

I like how all the NO!'s are stuff that I've come to realize myself when making chili. My own variations on the recipe involve: - Adding about a thumb sized piece of ginger and celery, finely diced and mashed - Using a little black pepper as part of the spice mix - Mashing all the spices with the celery and ginger and frying it a little before adding the tomato (or meat) - Using strong black coffee if you don't have dark chocolate available - Adding a little bit of pickle spirit from a jar of jalapeños

Sub your fresh peppers for dried anchos, sub your chocolate for cocoa powder, use mustard instead of mustard powder, use ketchup to provide some of the tomato sweetness (I use spicy, not very sweet canned tomatoes), and add ground beef (with ALL of the rendered fat mixed into the chili) and you've got my standard chili.

People who say chili cant have beans are just being little whiny baby people, also known as "texans"

blocked and reported

So glad the chocolate was part of your recipe outline - it's such a great 'secret ingredient' for chili that adds huge depth 👍

1:39 WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY

I super appreciate the, 'This knife isn't necessarily better even though it's more expensive, it's just custom and doesn't have economy of scale.' Salespeople use sales pitches for a reason, they work quite often. but I can smell a pitch from a mile away and it will turn me off of a purchase even if I already planned on buying it. I would rather give my money to someone who explains the reason for the cost rather than someone who claims they are doing me a favor by selling me their product.

Made this last night... all of the above plus a can of chipotles in adobo. The perfect combo and no effort required for enough great chili to feed us for several busy holiday cooking days 😁 Have a great one!

Watching this while eating a bowl of chili I made last week! Got more than 10 meals out of just over a pound of beef, and it's delicious! I really like adding just a little lime juice and/or vinegar hot sauce after I heat up a bowl to keep it bright and fresh. I like to mix up crackers, corn chips, mini quesadillas, cheese, sour cream, etc as accompaniment so I'm not eating exactly the same thing every day.

After THE vegetable soup video I was expecting him to yell "NO!". But a minute of regular toned voice made me drop my guard, only to hit me with a can of beans like a truck.

The older I get the more I enjoy Adam's content

I've been living on some variation of bean-heavy chili (sometimes with a bit of ground beef/lamb or smoked sausage for variety, or white bean chicken chili) since April. It's filling, cheap, keeps you regular, and it has helped me lose about 80lbs by not eating random crap or the usual pizza and taco bell. Sometimes I'll even just throw together drained chickpeas, smoked kielbasa, spices, and a couple cans of spicy marinara for a quick and simple chili that cooks quickly and tastes spectacular. Happy to see someone else on the chili wagon. EDIT: I nearly forgot my favorite, super-secret ingredient--Taco Bell Diablo sauce! Really though, any smoky chipotle hot sauce will do, and I'll even dice up some chipotles in adobo as well for that flavor. I just have a million packets in a jar on the counter from the occasional "treat yoself!" moments.

Chilli is the one meal I've literally never made the same way twice - and every iteration is better than the last! The last couple times I've made it, I've played with tossing in a whole pint of Guinness as the liquid (topping up with veggie broth as it simmers out), as well as a can of maple baked beans for sweetness (and more beans) :D

I JUST made improvised chilli last week (for the first time ever) and it was almost beat for beat EXACTLY this, I feel kinda proud now, and you should too Adam, because you definitely rubbed off on me - I wouldn’t have done this before your videos. Biggest difference is I had a couple of left over carrots and celery stalks, and a random “fajita spice mix” that needed to go, so they all went in there as well, and now I have frozen chilli for a week, for lazy days over the next month 😊

God I love this video so much, Adam just being unhinged and so real is why I love him

I started adding dark chocolate to chili about 18 years ago after watching Rick Bayless make Chicken Mole. I usually add a couple dashes of cinnamon as well.

Hey Adam! I can't remember if you've talked about this before, but could you do a history-like lesson on the various types of flat breads? Like how come pita bread isn't considered naan, or both pita and naan "can't" be used as pizza dough. 🤔 or where some flat breads originated. Wouldn't mind a recipe on the easiest to make, or the cheapest lol

"NOOOO!" - so happy you brought this back, Adam.

I agree, this is how i cook most things. I am not trying to represent a particular culture when im making dinner, i just want good delicious food which is fun to make.

Adam yelling at me and telling me to eat beans has been the highlight of my day. Thank you Adam!

You are absolutely correct. Might I make a suggestion? Mexican Oregano, which is not oregano, gives it a wonderful flavor. We use it a lot here in Texas. My best recipe for chili is based on Lady Bird Johnson's Pedernales River Chili that can be googled. I use the ingredients but not her measurements of the ingredients. It's a taste it as you go. If I'm missing one ingredient, no big deal. Except Mexican Oregano. That's a must for my taste buds.

Ok so this is 100% my favorite video youve made so far. The others may reveal some lost culinary technique or educate me on the nuances of proteins, but this video was the one we all needed to hear. Love it

0:35 AYO YOU STILL GOT THE STICKER IN THERE!!!

This is the video that I wish existed a year ago when I first made chili. I was so confused how every recipe for a supposedly simple stew was complicated. It took me took long to realize that all I needed was ground beef, onion, beans, diced/crushed tomatoes, and spices. Good video.

This kind of honesty (both in the plug and the recipe) is such a rare thing in today's world. Please keep being yourself! Wish a great holidays for the whole of the Raguseas!

My brother does his half bean half ground turkey. It's certainly non traditional, but I could eat it 4-5 times in a week and not get too bothered. Once you get all the other components like the vegetables and spices right then you can throw anything in there.

I made chili for the first time following the instructions in this video and it came out great. Thanks!

Adam throwing a tantrum always drags the enjoyment of the video down

Heartily disagree about the meatless take, but otherwise this is my go to recipe for home chili, I do drain the beans to save on sugar and gas, and add beef broth and pork sausage

Still would have stewed the meat in there. I love beans in my chili but I also love meat in there as well. Gives it that extra depth of flavor

I got your knife last year, and a month later, my husband got me a much more expensive Wusthof knife for Christmas. I love and use them both interchangeably. It's a great knife.

2:00 but the bean goo is also much richer in indegistible carbohydrates, which lead to your whole dinner party devolving into a GI-powered brass band

I will start eating less meat when then billionaires and celebrities stop using their private air jets for going to their bathroom, at their 15th summer house at the Bahamas.

greatest chili hack i tried thats not traditional is using a can or 2 of canned chipotles in adobo sauce. it feels like cheating but it totally makes the chili so much better imo

My favorite secret ingredient for chili is some Korean gochujang in with the onions and veg when they're sauteeing, sort of like how you'd use tomato paste if you were making an Italian red sauce. It's spicy, has a lot of depth of flavor, and the fermented funk of the chili paste does soooo much to give the chili richness and body. Just let it fry with the vegetables and chili powders until a fond starts to form and deglaze with a bottle of beer. Then, proceed as normal.

This chili recipe changed my whole outlook on home cooking. I cook this pretty much exactly as you do here. The only real difference is I add a sizable glug of a vinegar-based hot sauce (I prefer Cholula) and some worcestershire sauce. I make enough for 4-5 servings for myself. This stuff, like many stews and soups, only gets better over the course of a few days in the fridge. Literally zero meat, and as an avid meat enjoyer I don't miss it one bit in this dish. It tastes extremely meaty already.

Why is Adam acting like he invented vegetarian Chili, like Christ man I think in my entire life I’ve only really had veggie chili

I downvote very few videos and I didn't think I'd ever downvote one of Adam's videos but here we are.

"mostly meatless" "should be" "sustainable" "you don't have to love it, it's fuel for your body" yeah I'm out.

Lifetime member of the International Chili Society here. You are absolutely right. You won't win any competitions with a really good dinner chili but it tastes better and a couple of bowls with a bunch of saltines won't give you a bellyache either. Wendy's makes a nice dinner chili.

Adam must be the funniest and most educational "home cook" youtube channel. Truly a gem.

Me: Ah, a nice relaxing cooking video from Adam. Adam: No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Totally respect adams honesty about the knife price and quality, mentioning that no theres nothing special about it other than it is specially branded and cuts just as good as any knife of smilar quality where other people would tout their specially branded product as their own "purple cow" better than anything you can get for a cheaper price because it has their name on it. Much love and respect to you Adam

I made it just like this over the weekend, except I added a can of southwest corn. Turned out really well. For the peppers I used 5 finely chopped fresh jalapeños, left the seeds and ribs in for 2, and red bell peppers.

It was completely possible to make this video with this information and the majority of these sentiments without drenching it in smugness and condescension, but you felt the desire to do it anyway.

I have been putting chocolate (or cocoa) in my chili for about 3 decades. I also never drain the beans (what a waste!), and always check before adding more salt. However, I usually have to add more but it's always good to taste often to make sure. Chocolate deepens the flavour tremendously. It brings out the spices and the flavour of the tomatoes. You can't taste the chocolate itself (but tbh, that wouldn't bother me lol). I've always had rave reviews and rarely had leftover chili.

Found this gem so late. LOVE the video and recipe as a vegetarian, thanks!

I'll be sure to make an all bean chili the next time the opportunity arises. But usually my chili is mostly meat because chili is what I make when I have some cheap (often ground) meat in my fridge and don't have the time, ingredients, or brain capacity to make anything fancier with it. It's easy and reliable since I basically always have the ingredients necessary for it. I don't always have cooked or canned beans though. Which is why I might also make chili without beans sometimes.

Love how you came out and said that the reason the chef's knife costs more isn't because its better.

You know what Adam? In my chili I put both beans AND meat, minced meat to be precise. Why take one when you can have both? I also eat it with rice and some kind of baguette-like white bread. Just amazing. Also here in Sweden we only call it Chili Con Carne and I could eat it everyday if my digestive system agreed with me. But it doesn't. So I don't. But I wish I could.

1st time visitor, and a new subscriber. Got here via a link posted on reddit. The person posting had actually cooked her own beans, prior to making the rest of this recipe. All the positive comments, from others who are familiar with your channel, are what influenced my decision to subscribe.

Just made the chili. It was totally easy and it could simmer while I was working. Really delicious! I always hated beans in Chili, but this is so yummy and I have no Idea why. Also just throwing any root vegetable in seems like a good idea.

I usually chop up leftovers and throw it in my chili, a lot less likely to get wasted. Extra taco meat, fajitas, roasted chicken, even hamburger patties all work really well.

One counter to the bean sauce thing: I have had lifelong bowel issues and I find leaving the “bean juice” in makes them act up. Rinsing the beans makes my stomach less loopy in the morning.

You can find "chili con carne" (chili with meat) in the store, but I've never heard of "chili con frijoles" (chili with beans). That means that chili comes with the beans, the meat is extra. Checkmate.

Hay Adam if you swop out oil for left over bacon grease it will widen the flavor profile just a bit and it's a good use of extra grease laying around meat flavor with out using more meat. That's the only thing I have to add. I had never heard of chocolate in chilly, but I'm just a hick from the sticks way up north in the frozen waist lands. Good luck all. Happy holidays 😊