Everyone on #TeamEpi agrees on one play: The Super Bowl was meant for chili. It's the ultimate food for watching football: it feeds a crowd, goes well with beer, and let's not forget the mountains of cheese that take it to the big leagues. So it's pretty much the best.
Around here, chili loyalty runs deeper than any kind of team allegiance, so it's not surprise that we all have opinions and are pretty set on them. While we can't agree on the ultimate chili for Super Bowl Sunday, here are five "teams" that we pull for.
Team Texas Red
"Don't even think about putting beans or tomatoes in my chili.I prefer a Texas-style bowl of red, with chunks of slow-simmered chuck (not ground beef) flavored only by earthy, spicy, smoky chiles. Bonus points if you make your own home-made chile purée instead of using a store-bought chili powder."—Rhoda Boone, Food Editor
Team White Bean
“红豆辣椒好辣。和肉chili is nice if it's chunky. Veggie chili? It eats like homework. But white bean chili is where it's at for three reasons: One, it looks a lot more palatable than other chilis. You can actually see what you're eating. Two, it's a little less robust and more refreshing than those redder counterparts. When I make it, I always toss in a lot of fresh herbs and spicy meats. Three, it's more flexible. You can go Italian with oregano and tiny meatballs. Moroccan with lamb and coriander. Heck, I've even done big hunks of smoked bacon, added syrup and and a runny egg and called it breakfast. Let's see a bowl of red do that."—Eric Gillin, Executive Director
Team Black Bean
"I like things fairly simple and traditional when it comes to chili, but there are a few non-negotiables for me: There's got to be tomato (hand-crushed whole canned ones and paste), black beans, some sort of shredded meat, and a mess of spicy spices (cayenne and slices of jalapeños, please). Oh, and there's got to beskillet corn bread."—Matt Duckor, Senior Editor
Team Cincinnati
"In Cincinnati, we know what the rest of the world doesn't: That chili isn't a meal so much as it is a sauce—a cinnamon-spiked, beanless meat sauce that goes on spaghetti and gets topped with bright orange cheese and raw onion. If that sounds weird to you, imagine how I feel when I see you digging into bowls of what's the equivalent of marinara."—David Tamarkin, Editor
Team Turkey
"Sometimes, you need a break from that bowl of beefy red. Like white pizza, turkey chili doesn't replace the regular beef-based version—it just offers an equally delicious alternative. Just don't forget the toppings. Since turkey chili is more subtle, the contrast is key: Cilantro, crunchy red onion, sliced avocado, and a splash of hot sauce are non-negotiable."—Adina Steiman, Special Projects Editor
