Why don't you start with either 2 teaspoons, or even a tablespoon if you don't think it's too much, and then let the flavors meld and see how it tastes. You can always add chili powder, but it would be difficult to remove it once it's in the chili!

Most of the dozens of copycat recipes list 3 Tbsp of chili powder but 1/4 cup is the equivalent of 4 Tbsp so not that much more. And it depends on what sort of chili powder you are using........they come in various intensities :-) If you have concerns about it being too spicy for your tastes, start with half of what's called for, taste, then adjust. You can always add more but you can't take it away :-))

Thanks Arkansas and Sooz. I tried googling but this exact recipe did not come up. However, a recipe under the copycat name did call for 1/4 cup.

I think I will add and taste. I just don't recall ever using my measuring cups for a spice!

I use Tone's Chili powder bought in the large container from Sam's Club. To me, it isn't hot only spicy. We add lots of heat to our chili! :)

1/4 cup doesn't sound like too much to me......it's called chili for a reason.

Another vote for spicy but not hot as let's say cayenne pepper

Chili powder is very mild in terms of heat, but not flavor. 1/4 cup is very little. I would normally use at least 1/2 a cup for that amount of meat, plus some cayenne.

The typical, store-bought, chili powder will only lend a spicy, smoky flavor to chili. So, to echo Chase, ¼ cup may not be enough. I sometimes add more.

Sol

Instead of buy chili powder, I recommend that you buy dried chilies (such as Ancho, Guajillo, or Pasilla, or a combination thereof), toast them in a skillet to bring out their flavor, and then remove the stems and seeds and grind them in a blender or spice grinder to make your own chili powder. It will have better flavor. If you do buy chili powder, it is better to buy Ancho chili powder, and make sure that it does not have any other ingredients than chili. Ancho chilies are very mild and will add almost no heat to a dish. Paprika is also chili powder, and it has about the same amount of heat. However, I generally use Habanero chilies, and so I may not be a good judge of how mild something is, but you can safely taste Ancho chili powder (unlike Habanero).

When I make chili, I do not bother to grind up the chilies, but I do remove the seeds and stems.

I also use a lot of chili powder, probably that much. I just keep adding it until I get the right color. To me chili powder isn't that spicy so I add more chili pepper to it. I want it to taste like chili.

1/4 cup chili powder is definitely right! When I make chili I add at least 3 tablespoons.

I agree that I'd use *at least* 1/4 cup chili powder in a recipe with 2 lbs meat... unless your chili powder is HOT, like a fresh chipotle chili powder, then you should start with less and taste for the heat level you want.

How the chili tastes right when it finishes cooking isn't a good measure of how hot it will be. Nearly everyone says chili tastes better the next day, so one step in my award winning recipe is to place the chili in the refrigerator overnight, and reheat it the next day before serving any of it.

My recipe uses two different chili powders, fresh serrano chile peppers, pickled jalapeno chile peppers, canned chipotle peppers, and as a finishing touch a couple of squares of chili-flavored dark chocolate. When it first comes off the stove, the chili is way too spicy-hot to eat, even for me. However after sitting in the fridge overnight, the taste has mellowed and broadened enough so that even my wife can eat it.

I got a slight chuckle out of the notion of a "Wendy's copycat chili recipe". Long ago a friend who worked there said he'd never eat their chili since they start with hamburgers that have sat under the heat lamp long enough that even customers at the drive-through would turn around and come back to the restaurant to complain. So basically: "too gross to eat? put it in the chili."

Another vote for it's probably about right for chili powder. But rather than going with specialty chili powders imported from the backroads of an obscure plantation in the remote jungles of the world, isn't the point to "copy" Wendy's chili? If so, they do not grind their own peppers, add chocolate or anything like that. It's a basic chili recipe and intentionally non-spicy. Conventional chili powder is not hot. Cumin is in there too. And there's a bunch of supposed "copycat" recipes and some who claim to know the secret, not unlike KFC's spices.

And yes, it's no secret at all that Wendy's puts their extra burgers into the chili. They advertise that. And you'll see the chunks of burger in there. I've read some copiers who try to truly copy Wendy's chili who cook burgers and chops them up to put in there. And I'm sure there's some places that don't follow company policy and let the burgers go until they're refused by customers but those are incompetent employees who should be fired. Wendy's speed comes partially from having burgers on the griddle all day long. And before someone exaggerates again, it's not the same burgers all day long! They keep some on there so when you order a burger it won't take as long to get it. (BTW, remember how McDonalds used to stack those things up in a warmer and leave there until they sold?) Anyway, they put them on there for a specified period of time and then they go into the cooler and are chopped up for chili meat. FWIW, they also boil them to get rid of excess grease. Although it may sound unappetizing, it's a common practice to boil burger to get rid of grease. The chili is simmered for something like 8 hours. I could go into more detail but won't except to say this comes from several different store managers. I've added leftovers to my chili for decades. Leftover burgers, meatloaf, meat sauce, beef roast, sausage, pulled pork, etc, of course it goes in there and I always receive raves about how good it is.

Is Wendy's chili as good as my own? No. Is it good enough for an occasional chili fix? For me, yes. It does vary from location to location though.

Bob, the chili wasn't always like that! Haven't had it in years so I don't know what they do now. DH like it, so ......

I wound up using 4 TBS like suggested which is roughly 1/4 cup. We liked it and I froze the leftovers. Wouldn't you know, DH wanted it again the next night!

I remember when Wendy's chili was good...30+ years ago. Somewhere along the line, they started putting 'used' meat (pulled burgers) in it and after that, it wasn't fit to eat. Don't know what it tastes like now...only took a couple of bowls of that awful chili (the only thing I would eat there because I do not like their burgers) to lose me as a customer for life. I know that they've expanded their menu in more recent times but I refuse to set foot in the place.

It may well be that my friend worked there during the time when they were transitioning from making "good" chili to using 'used meat'. It was likely 1982 or 1983 that he worked there. I have no doubt that their chili recipe has changed since then, but his description of their chili and his disgust of it was convincing enough that I haven't had it since.

IIRC their chili also includes green peppers and kidney beans both of which are enough by themselves to convince my not to eat it, irrespective of the source or age of the meat they use.

Well, I would have also voted that 1/4 cup chili powder was right, but it seems the OP has already made the chili and it's good. As mentioned, chili powders are all different and some are a lot more spicy than others.

My chili is never the same twice, it contains whatever I have on hand, from beef to pork sausage to leftover chicken or pulled pork, bits of steak or smoked brisket, you name it. Same with vegetables, anything from corn to sweet potatoes or butternut squash, toss it in the pot. The only "constant" is onions, tomatoes and chili powder! Oh, and beans, it's gotta have beans. Sorry Bob, I'm a Midwestern girl and chili just doesn't seem "right" without the beans....

I taste as I go along, and I'm a wuss, so I want it flavorful but definitely not hot. Just the chili powder makes me sweat. My venison steak chili in cheesebread bowls did win a local cookoff, but all the tasters were Midwestern too. (grin)

Annie

I didn't mean no beans, simply not kidney beans, which I find can often be tough, and don't really add much to the flavor of the chili. I will usually use black beans, pinto beans (in chili sauce), and/or little red beans. Likewise with peppers, rather than using green peppers, I much prefer to use red or orange bell peppers.

I'm from the midwest as well, and I'd probably really like your venison steak chili, although I might add some tobasco sauce at the table to kick it up a notch.

When I make chili I let it lightly boil (but heavier then a simmer) for about thirty minutes so the beans can cook.