Wasted $60 on a fancy spice blend that ruined my chili

I saw this gourmet chili seasoning at a farmer's market in Portland and bought it for $12... turns out it was mostly sugar and salt, and it made my whole pot taste like candy. I had to toss the whole batch, wasted about $8 worth of ground beef and beans. Has anyone else fallen for overpriced spice mixes that just don't work?

3 comments

3 Comments

ramirez.vera16d agoMost Upvoted

Last month I dropped $15 on a "smoked chipotle and honey" rub that turned my pork chops into what I can only describe as spicy candy bacon. I honestly think these farmers market spice people just grind up whatever's cheapest and charge premium prices for the packaging. Have you ever tried making your own chili seasoning from basic grocery store spices?

stella2216d ago

Wait wait wait, you're telling me you turned pork chops into something that tasted like CANDY BACON? Thats wild, I can't even wrap my head around that combination. I've never made my own chili seasoning from scratch, but now I'm thinking maybe those farmers market folks really are just tossing paprika and sugar in a bag and calling it gourmet.

kellygrant16d ago

My buddy Marcus tried that same thing last summer with some fancy "artisan" coffee rub he grabbed at a market. Cost him like 12 bucks for a little jar, said it smelled amazing. He rubbed it all over some cheap pork shoulder, threw it on the grill, and the whole thing came out tasting like burnt sugar and dirt. We ended up ordering pizza. Meanwhile, I just mix my own chili powder from the stuff in my cabinet - a little cumin, some oregano, garlic powder, and cayenne - costs me pennies and never ruins dinner. That farmers market stuff is mostly marketing and pretty jars.