Mama's Darn Good Chili

This is the chili Mama made while I was growing up.  There isn't anything fancy about it, but it's nice and thick, hearty, and delicious.  It doesn't have a lot of ingredients or chopping required, which is always nice since my sweet little 2 year old like to do everything I do.  Thank goodness for butter knives! 

This is what my chili brick looked like.  I usually find them in the freezer section or in the meat department.

2 pounds dry red beans
2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, diced
1 (46 ounce) can tomato juice
1 chili brick
2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

Sort through the beans to make sure there are no rocks in them.  Place beans in a large pot and cover with 12 cups of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat and cover with a lid; let sit for 1 hour.  Drain beans and cover with water that goes 1 inch above the beans.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours, or until tender; drain.  Combine ground beef and onion in a large frying pan and cook over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink.  Add cooked beef, tomato juice, chili brick, chili powder, and salt to the drained beans.  Mix well and simmer for 30 minutes.

Mama's Darn Good Chili is great with Sweet Corn Bread!

Recipe from my mama