9 Prizewinning Reader Chili Recipes
Three-Bean Beauty Chili [1]

Erica Whitson, Maplewood, Minnesota, mixes black, kidney and garbanzo beans that bubble away in tomatoey brown sugar sauce with ground beef or turkey. Our heat rating: ! (Mild, Not Wild)
White Meat, No Heat Chili [5]

Betsy Repine of Leawood, Kansas, uses ground turkey to put a slight twist on a traditional approach. Our heat rating: ! (Mild, Not Wild)
Go Whole Hog Chili [9]

This pork-hominy dish from Jerry McDonald of Overland Park, Kansas, draws its smoky, roasted flavor from two of its four kinds of chile peppers. Our heat rating: !! (Touch o' Heat).
Go Whole Hog Chili [10]
Potluck Pleaser Chili [13]

Beverly Gardner or Franklin, Illinois, lets her Bavarian-Austrian heritage show with added vinegar, sour cream and lots of sugar. Our heat rating: ! (Mild, Not Wild)
Bring the Heat, Skip the Meat Chili [17]

Audrey Anderson of Deadwood, South Dakota, replaces meat with bulgur in her vegan chili and heats it up with cayenne. Our heat rating: !! (Touch o' Heat).
Red Hot Whiskey Chili [21]

Karmen Reid of Rochester, Minnesota, lets her version--submitted by daughter Meredith--simmer three hours to mellow the whiskey and beer. Chipotle adds kick. Our heat rating: !!! (It's Blazin'!).
Artful Compromise Chili [25]

Karen and John Zink from Park Forest, Illinois, prove that too many cooks don't spoil the chili with this recipe that blends both their favorites. Our heat rating: ! (Mild, Not Wild)
What's the Secret? Chili [29]

Intriguing Italian-style flavors lurk in this medium-spicy bowl of chili from David Prosser of Fargo, North Dakota. The cayenne heats it up without too much punch. Our heat rating: !! (Touch o' Heat).
Texas Heat Chili [33]

Beef tri-tip simmers to a tender finish. John Augustin of Cincinnati uses Texas-made Gebhardt's chili powder in his bowl of red. Our heat rating: !! (Touch o' Heat).
Texas Heat Chili [34]