Economy got you down? Chili is a great depression food, as you can generally make a ton of it very affordably. I make it every week just for promotions alone, but I thought I'd throw some numbers at you if you're looking to save a little green on your next family meal.
Of course, you'd start by purchasing a bottle of T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili Spice Mix, right? Right?!? This will run you roughly $6.49 -- some stores sell it for less and others a little more, and you may have to factor in tax and/or shipping, depending on how you buy -- but this is a pretty decent price considering my spice mix is made only with premium, all-natural peppers and you need only half a bottle per batch. So, let's just say you're paying about $3.50 per batch.
Here's the breadkdown per the recipe right off the back of the bottle:
1½ lbs. ground chuck (assuming about 3 bucks a pound): $4.50
1 yellow onion: $1
1 green bell pepper: $1
14½ oz. can diced tomatoes: $1
29 oz. can crushed tomatoes: $2
2 cloves garlic: the entire head will cost about $0.50
I can pinto beans: $1 or less
1 can black beans: $1 or less
Half-bottle of spice mix: $3.50
Now, the recipe calls for some Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste, but these are negligible costs. So you're looking at about $16.50 for one batch of chili. A single batch makes about three-quarters of a gallon, which comes out to about 12 solid servings. If you do the math, that's a whopping $1.38 per serving -- and if you've got a big appetite you can double it for less than $4 per meal.
On a side note:
T-Rev's Stiff Willi Chili Spice Mix is well-suited for novelty shops, but that doesn't mean I'm not shooting to get it stocked on the shelves of your local big box supermarket. If you think they'll like it, wherever you live, feel free to tell them all about it! (And, of course, let me know about any gourmet shops in your area that you think might be a good fit.)
I think my spice mix is priced just about right, though my production costs are on the higher end of things because of the premium ingredients, and I don't cheapen it with fillers like salt (so it's healthy too!). But I set out from the beginning to create the best product possible that I could sell at the lowest price possible.
You'll definitely find chili powders on the market that come in around $2.75 for a 2 oz. bottle -- but keep in mind you'd be using nearly the entire thing for a batch this size, as that's just about the size of a half-bottle of my spice mix. Not to mention, that's just the chili powder -- and plain old chili powder at that -- it doesn't include the cumin, garlic and onion powder, sugar, or cayenne you'd have to buy in addition to it in order to get the flavor you do out of a complete spice mix like mine.
So, while it's hard to compete with the Paul Prudhommes and Emerils of the world, whose products can usually hit the shelves at less than 4 bucks a unit, be sure to take a look at their labels before you choose theirs over mine. The big guys put out a good product too, but if true quality is your goal -- both in terms of flavor and healthiness -- spend at least one night in the kitchen with the Stiff Willi and I promise you won't be disappointed. No matter what the state of the economy, we'll cheer you right up!
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