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!
Save it in your recipe binder!
Brown the ground beef and add the onions to saute.
Add the tomatoes, green chilies and spices.
Add the kidney beans, chili beans and a can of water.