# Chili and jelly really aren't bad together **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257 "2019-10-24T22:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/21 "2019-10-25T14:22:40Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > What > [@Gatopescado](#): > > The > [@Gatopescado](#): > > Fuck? Ditto! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/22 "2019-10-25T15:12:00Z")
It’s really not as strange as it sounds. They’re basically just normal meatballs that are a little bit sweet. It makes a BBQ-like sauce. If you didn’t know about the jelly, you probably wouldn’t even notice. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/23 "2019-10-25T15:15:31Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > But mixed with jelly its pretty good. This doesn’t really seem like high praise. To me, it reads like ‘not as bad as I would have thought’. And jalapeno jelly is delicious. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/24 "2019-10-25T15:40:12Z")
Heinz chili sauce is sold in smallish glass bottles near the ketchup. My mother used it as part of the marinade for sauerbraten. It’s nothing like the other kind of chili (Hormel in cans, Taco Bell flavor, the seasoning packet used when making a pot of chili). Mixed with jelly, yes, this is a tasty sauce for little meatballs or cocktail franks. It was popular in the '50s and '60’s, served in chafing dishes at cocktail parties… (I can’t imagine mixing jelly with the kind you use to make spicy meat in a tortilla.)…I wonder if jelly and salsa would make a good sauce? they do sell sweetish pineapple or peach salsa… ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/25 "2019-10-25T16:01:02Z")
[Mustard & Jelly Meatballs](https://www.readyseteat.com/recipes-Mustard-Glazed-Meatballs-7698) are also a thing. No chili sauce necessary. I find the mustard + jelly combo also much like barbecue sauce – especially the more ‘vinegary’ types of BBQ sauce. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/26 "2019-10-25T16:42:18Z")
OK, **Gato** , you actually made me LOL at work! Best laugh I’ll have all day I suspect. Sweet hot isn’t that weird a combination. Thai cooking is all about trying to balance profiles and grape jelly meatballs would fall into that category. I’d probably be tempted to hot rod it with some Pasilla or ancho chile peppers, though and add a dash of sourness. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/27 "2019-10-25T16:45:18Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > I’d probably be tempted to hot rod it with some Pasilla or ancho chile peppers, though **and add a dash of sourness**. Yep. There are many “Chili & Grape Jelly Meatballs” recipes that call for the addition of mustard. Basically, a three-way balancing act of spicy-hot, sweet, and sour. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/28 "2019-10-25T17:03:42Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I don’t know about chili and jelly but chili and cinnamon rolls are a classic and wonderfully tasty combo out here in the land of the thick thighs. Amen to that. Inextricably linked in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/29 "2019-10-25T23:28:25Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > And has been for at least 40 years. Closer to 60 years. The Alice’s Restaurant version is from the late 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/30 "2019-10-26T00:07:12Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > [Mustard & Jelly Meatballs](https://www.readyseteat.com/recipes-Mustard-Glazed-Meatballs-7698) are also a thing. No chili sauce necessary. So are [Sweet & Sour Meatballs](https://www.reynoldskitchens.com/recipes/slow-cooker-sweet-and-sour-meatballs/). ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/31 "2019-10-26T03:50:26Z")
You people are all obviously crazy, but your ideas are intriguing to me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Sweet and hot are always a good combo, but neither Wolf brand chili or Heinz’s chili sauce seem likely to rate as spicy, much less hot, but I can dress up recipes that include them with appropriate chilies. I’m gonna have to sweeten and spice up my next batch of chili. Maybe apricot jam… ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/32 "2019-10-26T04:27:06Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Heinz chili sauce is sold in smallish glass bottles near the ketchup. My mother used it as part of the marinade for sauerbraten. It’s nothing like the other kind of chili (Hormel in cans, Taco Bell flavor, the seasoning packet used when making a pot of chili). Mixed with jelly, yes, this is a tasty sauce for little meatballs or cocktail franks. It was popular in the '50s and '60’s, served in chafing dishes at cocktail parties… (I can’t imagine mixing jelly with the kind you use to make spicy meat in a tortilla.)…I wonder if jelly and salsa would make a good sauce? they do sell sweetish pineapple or peach salsa… Yes! I mix chunky medium salsa with raspberry preserves and sweet Thai chili sauce. I love it on taco salad or just mixed with black beans. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/33 "2019-10-26T15:31:37Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Yes! I mix chunky medium salsa with raspberry preserves and sweet Thai chili sauce. I love it on taco salad or just mixed with black beans. That sounds pretty goodm like a sauce served in a restaurant that people are always trying to duplicate back at home. Raspberry-jalapeno barbecue sauce is commercially made, and that too is delicious! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/34 "2019-10-26T18:54:17Z")
Chutney and spicy Indian food have been a natural for a very long time. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/35 "2019-10-26T19:53:15Z")
Sweet and sour I get Sweet and hot I get I love me some pepper jelly But, the pepper jelly never has any particular pepper flavor f’rinstance that nasty rubber/pickled jalapeno flavor And the sweet in sweet and…isn’t any particular flavor either. Grape and chili or meatball?!? With mustard??? Raspberry and salsa aaaaallllllmmmmost sounds passable, but misses it by this " much Cinnamon rolls…I can sorta come up with some reasoning for this one but it still sounds yucky to me. Y’all are crazy ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/36 "2019-10-26T19:59:10Z")
Would you believe [Chocolate & Spaghetti?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JZ01ULTPkQ) ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/37 "2019-10-26T20:26:01Z")
I’ve actually tried the chocogetti, once I dunno, there are just some things that Should Not Be, in my mind when it comes to food ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/38 "2019-10-26T20:43:33Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > I’ve actually tried the chocogetti, once > > I dunno, there are just some things that Should Not Be, in my mind when it comes to food The meatball dish is pretty tame, really. It’s just adding sugar and tomato and a bit of spice and simmering the meatballs in it. I know it sounds weird, but it’s actually a pretty good combo. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2019, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/39 "2019-10-27T01:21:53Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The meatball dish is pretty tame, really. It’s just adding sugar and tomato and a bit of spice and simmering the meatballs in it. I know it sounds weird, but it’s actually a pretty good combo. Also, I can’t detect the ‘grape’ part of the grape jelly in it at all. It’s just the sweet part that comes through. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257/40 "2019-10-27T22:54:47Z")
You people are nuts. Some sort of jam made out of green chile? Good. Some of the things listed in this thread? No way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chili-and-jelly-really-arent-bad-together/842257.md?page=3)