[wdfifteen]

I think you are right about the prime rib. Cuts like that need to be eaten as is. Grinding them up destroys them. The eating experience is in the combination of marbling and cooking whole
For your chili, I would choose coarse ground brisket to go with your sausage if you are cooking long and low. Brisket has a texture that pops, rather than mushes, after long cooking, and the flavor is fantastic. The difference is like biting into a sausage or hot dog that has a casing that resists when you first bite into it, but gives way with a pop and floods your mouth with sausagey goodness vs a skinless wienie that surrenders without a fight.
I like to make hamburgers out of 50% generic ground beef (20% fat) and brisket that I grind a little finer that I would use for low and long cooking. Again, it is the flavor and texture of brisket that makes it great.