Steak and Shake was one of my favorite places to go when I was a kid.  Mostly because if we were going to Steak and Shake, I knew I would be getting a shake.  It wasn't until I stopped existing on chicken tenders and fries, and worked in a few restaurants in my late teens, that I started enjoying food that wasn't white.  One of those foods was chili.  

Beef chili, turkey chili, white chicken chili, every restaurant I've worked at has had a different variation of chili, but Steak and Shake was always my favorite. Steak and Shake was open 24 hours, so in high school that was a popular hang out and Chili 5 Way was my go to.  After moving to Colorado when I was 20, there were so many foods and restaurants I missed.  Steak and Shake was one of them.  Chili may not be a hard recipe to make, but to find that same Steak and Shake flavor took me over ten years.  It wasn't until I tried my mother-in-laws chili that I had to recreate her recipe and get as close as I could to that Chili 5 Way flavor.  And it does NOT involve one of those chili spice packets you find in the grocery store!