J. Kenji López-Alt's The Best Chili
This is the chili that made a lot of people rethink what chili could be — a from-scratch, no-chili-powder build that treats the pot like a serious cooking project. Instead of a spice jar, the base comes from three kinds of dried chiles toasted and blended into a paste, then deepened with genuine umami bombs: soy sauce and anchovies, which don't announce themselves but make the whole thing taste impossibly savory. Bone-in short ribs braise until they surrender off the bone, enriching everything around them. It's ambitious, a little nerdy, and worth every step — the chili you make when you want to show off what the dish is capable of.
per serving
It's rich and deeply savory — keep the toppings simple (raw onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime) so they don't fight the layered base.
Don't skip the anchovies; they melt away completely and leave only savoriness behind. Boneless short ribs or chuck work if bone-in aren't available, though you lose a little richness. This is a weekend project — plan for it.