The Super Bowl (Of Chili): We Asked For Your Best Tricks And You Gave Us Your Spiciest Secrets

It’s Super Bowl weekend and we’ve got chili on the brain! But it’s easy to get lost in the sauce when trying to make a memorable bowl.

We asked you (our readers), LAist staff, and professional chefs for their best hacks to make the hefty crowd-pleaser.

Ranging from beans to no beans (shout out to Texas), ground beef to prime cuts, and wild card ingredients such as chocolate, beer, and miso, it seems anything goes when it comes to flavor.

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PressPat Nunnari
The Best Charcoal Grills for Your Next Cookout

remember it like it was yesterday: My fiancé (then boyfriend) and I went to the Poconos with some friends a few years ago. Since our rental house had a charcoal grill, someone started to barbecue some steaks—and they were delicious. Charred on the outside, but juicy inside? Yes, please. “Charcoal grills make everything better,” my fiancé said as the group scrounged for seconds. Turns out, he’s not the only one who recognizes the power of the charcoal grill; this option is a must-have among grilling enthusiasts and pitmasters alike.

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PressPat Nunnari
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Trout

If you have trepidation about grilling whole fish, try this recipe from grilling expert and cookbook author Elizabeth A. Karmel. The fish is seasoned simply with olive oil, salt and pepper, and stuffed with fresh herbs. It is then wrapped in center-cut, hickory-smoked bacon. The bacon serves two purposes: It adds flavor, but it also prevents the fish from sticking to the grates. Keeping the head and tail on the fish while it grills results in more flavor and helps keep the fish intact during the cooking time, Karmel says. Karmel likes to make this dish with trout, but other small, white-fleshed fish, such as snapper or branzino work well, too.

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Elizabeth Karmel

The upcoming Barbecue, Steak, and Bourbon weekend (from March 10-13) at Primland, Auberge Resorts Collection is excited to welcome renowned Pitmaster, Elizabeth Karmel. The weekend-long experience will feature two hands-on culinary classes, two intimate dinners–one pig pickin’ and one prime steak dinner–with bourbon pairings and daily breakfast, alongside special amenities to complement the picturesque setting of Primland.

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Elizabeth Karmel
The 8 Best Smokers for True Grilling Enthusiasts

Cuts of meat and marinades aside, it’s the smoke that makes barbecue taste—and smell—so irresistible. But having a smoker in your home cooking arsenal is useful for a whole lot more than fall-off-the-bone ribs and flawless brisket. You can upgrade deviled eggs, create unique sandwich-elevating condiments, DIY your own smoked salmon, and so much more.

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PressElizabeth Karmel
Holiday Gifts, By Hand

No one ever asked if a bottle of tequila hot sauce came with a gift receipt. Same goes for an onion confit so damningly savory, it all but pounds the table and demands to be stuffed inside a turkey sandwich. This year, consider using all that quality time at home to perfect a loaf milk bread. Make a couple, wrap them with bows, and gift one to each of your next-door neighbors. Learn to pronounce “kugelhopf,” then bake several of the fluted Alsatian cakes to say “thank you” to your kids’ teachers. Use sassafras and birch bark to brew root beer, then toast to never again exchanging ill-fitting holiday sweaters. They do say, after all, that the greatest gifts are not wrapped in paper, but in packages marked “Best reheated at 325°F for 20 minutes.” (Fine, that’s not exactly what they say—but it certainly will be after this year.)

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PressElizabeth Karmel
Fried Chicken Recipes

Crispy, juicy, and robustly flavored, fried chicken is the ultimate comfort food. A perfect piece of fried chicken is one of the greatest foods in the world. There are tons of different ways to make fried chicken. From classic soul food style to Asian variations to Buffalo wings, we’ve rounded up our favorite fried chicken recipes.

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PressElizabeth Karmel