Ask George: What’s your go-to chili, and do you have any secret ingredients you swear by?

Regarding secret ingredients in my chili, I’m happy to spill a few beans (sorry!): three meats (cubed Prime top sirloin, chili (coarse ground) beef, pork sausage, dried guajillo chilies, a roux (of sorts) made with masa harina…and a few beans, literally—pintos and reds. Garnish with grated sharp cheddar and premium mini saltines.

Local culinarians who are known for their chili also shared some secrets:

Frank Romano, The Parkmoor Drive-In: “My go-to chili is our very own award-winning chili with beans (Webster-Kirkwood Chilifest Champion 2021, 2023, 2024) that we serve at The Parkmoor. When we created this recipe, we wanted to create a chili that wouId not only work for our chili dog but would also be enjoyable by the bowl—a chili that when you think ‘chili,’ this is the flavor that comes to mind. I can’t give away everything, but I’ll share a few ‘secrets.’ We use dried pinto beans, which we soak in a salted water brine overnight. The dried beans hold up better, and the brine adds flavor to the bean itself. Another ingredient that I swear by is dark chili powder. It adds a deep, rich flavor that makes you want to come back for more.”

Tom Schmidt, Salt + Smoke: “Obviously I love Salt + Smoke brisket chili. We even go through the trouble of roasting beef knuckle bones and making our own beef stock as the base for it, as well as starting with dry beans and soaking them in that stock so that the rich flavor permeates every bite. But I digress. At home, I start by browning bacon in the pot and then using that grease to sweat off the veg, which adds a smoky, unctuousness to the chili. I like to also make it a little Latin-inspired, so I use black beans and then always finish with fresh cilantro, lime, and Valentina hot sauce. The citrus and herb help cut through the richness a bit and bring balance to what is otherwise a heavy hitter of a dish.”

John Parker, Jr, O’Connell’s Pub: “My dad came up with our chili recipe decades ago.  I think the key ingredient in any chili is the quality of the meat, and ours is made with our well-known burger blend. I would say that that is our ‘key ingredient.’” 

Joe Edwards, Blueberry Hill: “The chili at Blueberry Hill is very popular… We make five gallons every other day. One secret ingredient is a smidgen of coffee.”

Tony Collida, Grand Pied: “I think Edmonds chili is the gold standard of St. Louis–style chili. I do my best to duplicate it, and for me, it’s more about the technique than the ingredients. We use a little cold brew coffee for some depth, and good dark chili powder is a must.”

The ever-opinionated SLM dining team also chimed in:

Bill Burge: “I love chili, but it’s often a meal of convenience for me, so I eat it from a can. These days, the turkey chili and a Cobb salad at Sportsman’s Park are a go-to, but my favorite chili in St. Louis is the vegetarian chili that Clara Moore used to make at Local Harvest Café. It was packed full of beans, and the best touch was that it included garbanzos. The first time I ever had it, it came with what I thought was two slices of bread, but it was instead a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough with Prairie Breeze cheddar. That’s still the move when I make it—though it’s pretty damn good with a slinger, too.”

Mabel Suen: “J. Kenji López-Alt’s white chili with chicken. I once worked at a café where I was tasked with preparing a white chicken chili that had a healthy serving of hominy in it, which felt like a hearty, necessary ingredient. I like to throw some of that in, too.” 

Amy De La Hunt: “Beef tongue in chili is fantastic. I wrote about a home cook’s recipe a decade ago for another publication. The recipe is still online.”

Pat Eby: “My favorite is one I don’t make very often: Cincinnati Chili. The secret ingredient to this Mediterranean spiced chili is cinnamon. I always go to Skyline Chili with my family in Cincinnati for a chili dog and chili three ways—with spaghetti on the bottom, covered with chili, and topped with a mountain of cheddar cheese. At home, I mostly make vegan and vegetarian chilis, like Caryn Kettler Duggan’s vegan chili chock full of veggies and beans, a sweet potato black bean chili with smoked paprika, and a spicy vegetarian chili from The Golden Hoosier.”

Collin Preciado: “As long as it’s 90 percent noodles, sour cream, and hot sauce, I don’t care what else is in there. I’m a carbs guy. Chili is dangerously close to being a soup and I need some extra density to turn it into a satisfying meal.”

Denise Mueller: “Straight from my chef hubby: ‘While I don’t have a specific go-to recipe, using dried chiles is my favorite way to pack flavor. Open them up and remove the seeds, cut them up, and toast them in a skillet to release the essential oils. Then, put them in a bowl with some hot chicken stock to let them soften. After 15–20 minutes, pour it all in a blender, and purée until smooth. Use that as your base spice-blend, and go from there. I’m also a fan of using boneless short ribs if I’m looking for a slow-braised chili.’”

Lynn Venhaus: “I use my mom’s recipe from the 1960s, including her go-to, Gebhardt’s chili powder. It’s not easy to find but worth it. Supposedly, William Gebhardt concocted it in 1896 in a café that he operated in the back of Miller’s Saloon in New Braunfels, Texas. His blend relied on specific dried peppers for what he called “real Mexican tang.” According to the Texas State Historical Association, it was the catalyst that introduced Mexican-American cuisine to mainstream America through his 1908 “Mexican Cooking” cookbook. Over the years, I’ve made substitutions, and it’s never as good. Mom always used Brooks Chili Hot Beans, but now I use a mix of chili beans—black, red kidney, and pinto. That’s as fancy as I get. Then shredded cheddar and oyster crackers on top.”

Dave Lowry: “Get a bunch of chicken and tomatoes and cinnamon and zucchini and corn and maple syrup and dark chocolate and beans. And then go make something else with them because none of them belong in chili. The secret ingredient: Don’t be an idiot. You want steak. Lean beef chuck’s good; tri-tip sirloin’s even better, about 1 ½ pounds. Cut into bite-size chunks. Dump it into a hot Dutch oven with a drizzle of vegetable oil and a chopped onion just long enough to get a slight crust on the meat. Put it all on a plate. That’s half the job. The roux’s the other half. About 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil, along with a couple of tablespoons of flour, to the oven until the flour’s blended. Then stir in half a cup of chili powder, a couple of cloves of smashed garlic, a teaspoon of oregano, and a half teaspoon of cumin. When it’s all mixed, start adding a couple of cups of beef bouillon, stirring until you have smooth roux. Add the beef and onions, cover, and let it simmer until the meat’s tender, generally about 45 minutes. You might have to deglaze some of the fat or add a little water if needed. Serve it with flour tortillas.”

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