Most Americans warm up to a zesty crock of 'red' made with a similar ingredient-meat.
By Larry Aylward, Managing Editor
Personal preferences abound when it comes to cooking up a batch of chili con carne. A read through "The All-American Chili Cookbook" (Hearst Books, 1995) reveals chili recipes as variant as green and red peppers. The Undertaker, the 328-pound World Wrestling Federation grappler, serves up chili made with Black Angus steak and Black Angus ground beef mixed with seeded and stemmed chiles and a dash of dark beer.
The svelte Vanna White of "Wheel of Fortune" fame opts for chili made with lean ground turkey.
The Undertaker and Vanna White hail from two contrasting walks of life. But the two, like most Americans, enjoy a zesty crock of "red" made with a similar ingredient-meat.
"When you talk about meat in chili, you are talking about the mainstay of the dish," says Peter D. Burke, director of marketing for Cerritos, Calif.-based Stagg Foods, a canned chili supplier. "Without meat, you don't have what most people consider real chili."
Ground beef is the primary ingredient of chili, notes Jim West, executive director of the Newport Beach, Calif.-based International Chili Society, which sanctions more than 400 worldwide chili cookoffs annually. "Most people who make chili from scratch use a grind from supermarket or hamburger meat," West says. "Turkey doesn't work as well. Beef is the best."
Hut Brown, executive director of the El Paso, Texas-based Chili Appreciation Society International, seconds the notion that beef is integral to chili. "Some people use London broil, chuck tender and sirloin. I have even used rump roast. Good meat is the key and the meat has to be tender."
Preferences for chili vary according to region. "Chili's popularity is greatest in the West, considerably greater than in the East," Burke says. "The South is big on chili, as is Texas, which is a state of chili unto itself. In the South, including Texas, the preference is no-bean chili. Throughout the West, bean chili is dominant, from navy beans to pinto beans to kidney beans."
Most chili is consumed in the north-central United States, West says. "That makes sense; it's cold up there."
Consumption has remained relatively stable for more than 10 years. Chicago-based NPD Group estimates that per capita eatings of chili in homes was 5.8 in 1995, compared with six per capita eatings in 1984. Most chili eaters prefer the dish at lunch (55 percent), and 41 percent prefer it for dinner. The bravest of the chili-heads, less than 1 percent, desire the dish at breakfast.
"In terms of foodservice, chili can be positioned as a snack, an appetizer or as the center of the meal, combined with cornbread and salad," Burke says.
Canned heat
Stagg Foods' Burke says that canned chili is the largest segment comprising the canned meat industry. Canned chili is about a $300 million industry, Burke adds.
"There are about 300 million pounds of canned chili sold each year in the United States," he says.
There are plenty of players in the industry, including Campbell Soup Co., Hormel Foods Corp., American Home Food Products, Milnot Co. and Wolf Brand Products.
Hormel Foods is big on chili, offering versions made with beef and turkey. Hormel claims in its 1995 annual report that its chili line experienced record tonnage for the sixth consecutive year (no numbers were available).
Products labeled chili con carne must contain at least 40 percent meat, according to USDA. Products labeled chili con carne with beans must contain at least 25 percent meat.
"There are more varieties of chili that are coming to the market capitalizing on spicier and hotter recipes," Burke says. "The hot segment represents about 20 percent of all canned chili sales and is the fastest growing area."
Stagg Foods has 10 brands in its line. "We have chili for those who like it dynamite hot," Burke says. "Our Tex-Mex variety is called Laredo. We have a mild New England kidney bean called Country, and we have classic chili rich in all of the basic ingredients."
Stagg also has a no bean chili called Straight Chili. It contains 60 percent more meat than other brands in the line.
"The popularity of chili has increased and expanded the meat industry," Burke says. "Approximately 90 percent of all chili sold is beef chili. Most of that is ground beef, although there is steak meat in canned chili as well."
Stagg Foods has developed a close relationship with its meat suppliers in an effort to improve its product. "We have done a lot of work with processors in our on-going efforts regarding flavor enhancement, tenderness and fat reduction," Burke says.
Quick chili
Columbus, Ohio-based Wendy's International has a firm grasp on national chili sales in the fast-food industry. Chili was one of the original items on Wendy's menu when the chain debuted in 1969.
"We serve about 9 million gallons of chili a year," says Denny Lynch, Wendy's vice president of communications.
Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder and senior chairman, his wife Lorraine and a neighbor created the recipe for the chain's chili. Wendy's lore has it that Thomas samples the chili when he visits any Wendy's establishment.
Chili, however, is not one of Wendy's top-selling items. It can be found on the chain's super value menu for 99 cents. "It's a steady performer," Lynch says.
Wendy's uses leftover hamburger meat in its chili, which is made from scratch daily. Instead of throwing out unused cooked hamburgers, the meat is boiled and used in chili.
Lynch admits that Wendy's could probably market its chili as a healthy fast-food alternative. A small bowl of chili has only 6 grams of fat.
"We boil almost all of the fat out of the meat," Lynch says. "It is high in fiber and low in fat."
It's also tasty, and Lynch says Wendy's would rather promote the product in that regard. "If it's good for you, the perception is it must not taste good," Lynch adds.
Wendy's has toyed with the idea of selling chili at the supermarket level, or at its outlets as a six-pack of chili to go, Lynch notes. Considering the product was an alternative to wasting product, chili has a been a marketing coup for Wendy's-one that no other major fast-food chain has topped.
"The chili was created to make the hamburger business work efficiently," Lynch says. "But it has developed its own core customer over the years.
"I don't know how much percentage of the market we own, but the chili industry would be much smaller without our chili."