# Turkey Chili for my hot dog ?? What should I do.



## joeybsmooth (Jul 6, 2011)

I don't eat beef /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif 4 Health reason. However I wanted the taste of a real hot dog . I am using some turkey franks made by Butterball and they are pretty good . However I really need some Chili. How would I go about cooking my ground turkey to make Chili. I looked for this online and on the site but the only chili I can find is like the stand alone meal type of chili not the kind that goes on hot dogs .


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Easy, take any online recipe you think sounds good to you ,the same way only sub your turkey for the meat they use.


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## zoebisch (Apr 9, 2012)

Exactly what chefedb says.  I'll add one thing I like to do is chop up your ground meat even finer with a spatula/whatever in the pan when you are cooking it.  I find the finer texture much easier to eat on top of a hotdog as opposed to large clumps.  Just a preference thing, but I thought I'd share.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Obviously you don't feel confident enough to make up your own recipe, but there are TONS of turkey chili recipes online and you shouldn't have any problems finding something you like. 

For instance, the Food Network has quite a few on their site.  I think it's a good idea to keep your chili for hotdogs as simple as possible.  The principles of making good chili are very simple and relatively constant from cook to cook. If you can't find a recipe you like, I'll be happy to explain how to make a very basic chili.  But honestly I don't think I have anything to add to the tens of thousands of recipes already posted.

Finding something "turkey" and "hotdog" specific which also looks good to you might be a bit more challenge. Other than "looks good," don't let that be a problem.  You can easily make a few changes to otherwise interesting recipes; and should have the confidence to go ahead with them. 

You absolutely can substitute chicken for beef stock, without losing any depth of taste.  You will lose some color -- but so what.  And, since you're making a condiment for hot dogs rather than a standalone chili, you can feel free -- if you like -- to omit the beans.  

Turkey is VERY lean and you'll want to put a couple of tbs olive oil or a neutral vegetable oil in the preheated pan before browning the turkey.  After the turkey is browned, remove it from the pan, add a little more oil and brown (or at least cook until they're transparent) your onions.  Then add your dry spices to the pan and cook them until they're aromatic. Do NOT add fresh garlic until the spices are already cooked -- if fresh garlic is cooked too hot and too long it becomes bitter.  Finally, if you're going to use tomato paste, brown it with the onions and spices before adding any more liquid. 

After the onion, spices and tomato paste are browned, you can deglaze with a little liquid, then return the turkey to the pan and the remaining liquid.   

Because you're making a condiment/sauce rather than straight chili, think about how much or how little liquid you want; and whether you want to thicken it at all with a slurry. 

If you like chili dogs a lot, make a healthy amount of your turkey chili, portion what you don't use immediately into small plastic containers, then freeze so you have plenty in your pantry.  It keeps frozen quite awhile.

BDL


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## joeybsmooth (Jul 6, 2011)

Thanks for the tips .. I just cooked it like I would beef and it did not taste that different at all . YUM !!!


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## drago (Jun 22, 2012)

I think I'll remember this for when I make chili of my own!


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