Some time ago, I got a coupon for a can of Stagg Chili. Can’t remember how I got it, but I did buy a can, and it’s been sitting in my cupboard for a while. But no longer.
Stagg Foods was established in 1956 as Rocking K Foods. The company first manufactured its products in Sante Fe Springs, California, but then moved production to Hillsboro, Oregon. In 1980, the company’s name was changed to Stagg Foods. In October of 1996, Stagg Foods was acquired by Hormel, the creator of the real Spam – the luncheon meat that is.
I never had a can of Stagg chili before. They have 12 varieties, from vegetarian (which I’m told is quite good) to beef, chicken or turkey. But the one I had to try was their Dynamite Hot. Beef, tomatoes and pink beans are the main ingredients, and the spices include chili seasoning, jalapeno peppers and dehydrated habanero peppers. Apparently, this variety is cathing fire with chili lovers everywhere!
I was actually pleasantly surprised with the heat. This was quite hot. I wouldn’t quite call it dynamite, but the heat was definetely much higher then I was expecting. It is a fact that most corporations and restaurants are shy on the heat, in order not to offend anyone. But with 12 varieties, I guess they could afford to ignite this version a little, and it made for a pretty good chili, all considering. At first, you open the can and it kinds of smell like Chef Boy-ar-dee. The chili flavour and aroma are released when you heat your meal. It is a fairly thick chili, beef-generous, but with no real veggetables in it. Ther level of bean is not bad either.
Most of Stagg’s Chili are low in fat, but a can of Dynamite will add 29g of fat to your intake, or 44% of the recommended daily intake. Only one other variety, the Steak House, has more fat then the Dynamite.