History

Joe and Carol Schoentrup and Mark and Ann Lawrence built a food concession at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville serving chili over corn chips. They called it the Petro after the fair's energy theme. The concession sold 175,000 units in six months, then sold to brothers Dale and Keith Widmer who built it into the East Tennessee chain that still serves the original Petro at Market Square.

Common allergens: Corn, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 15 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 individual-size bags Fritos corn chips
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • Sour cream and salsa for topping

Method

  1. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, about 7 minutes.
  2. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, kidney beans, chili powder and cumin.
  3. Simmer uncovered 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens.
  4. Slice each Fritos bag open lengthwise.
  5. Spoon hot chili directly onto the chips in each bag.
  6. Top with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of salsa.
  7. Serve immediately with a plastic fork, eaten directly from the bag.

Tip from the editors. The bag is the bowl: this is the Knoxville canonical presentation. Don't use a plate.

Where to eat petro's chili and chips (the petro)

Petro's Chili and Chips (The Petro) in Knoxville

Petro's Chili and Chips Downtown ★ 4.0

American$downtownMon-Sat 11:00-20:00; Sun 12:00-18:00

Petro's Chili and Chips on Market Square, the chili-on-chips concept born at the 1982 World's Fair Knoxville, runs the Petro signature bowl downtown.

Signature: Original Petro, Chili-cheese chips

Order: The original Petro with chili, cheese, sour cream, salsa and Fritos.

Tip: The 1982 World's Fair original; Petro's still runs across Knoxville malls but the Market Square counter is the symbolic one.

29 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902

More cities are in research. Want petro's chili and chips (the petro) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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