This is a chili recipe that I found a long time ago and of course, as I do to everything, make it my own. Feel free to add or subtract as you want. That's the great thing about chili recipes, there is a large area for adjustment.
Cook bacon (preferred in oven) until crisp, chop up, set aside (don't throw away fat!)
Sautee onions in a separate pan. (in the bacon fat if you want, I did!)
In the main pot, brown ground beef and mostly drain fat.
Add onions in with beef and add bacon and it's fat (as much as you like) to the party
Add everything else.
Bring to gentle boil and reduce (I like a thick chili) about 45-60 minutes stirring occasionally.
Eat.
p.s. As I'm typing this there is a kitten licking my foot.
- 2 Pounds Ground Beef (Ground turkey would also be awesome, you won't even know the difference)
- 1 package of bacon
- 1 can of Kidney Beans (drained)
- 1 can of Pinto beans (drained)
- 1 can of Black beans (drained) (any of these beans are optional, pick and choose to your liking)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (I chose fire roasted)
- Onions (I'm using 3 small yellow onions diced and half a large red onion (1/4 the red onion is reserved for garnish, the other 1/4 is for the pot)
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon oregano (I chose Mexican oregano)
- 1 Tablespoon molasses (to help balance out heat)
- 1/3 Cup packed brown sugar (to help balance out heat)
- 2 Teaspoons cumin
- 2 Teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 Teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground please!)
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika (whichever is your favorite)
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 Cups of Beef stock
- 1 Tablespoons of granulated garlic (I like a lot of garlic in my chili)
- A Teaspoon or 2 of red pepper flakes (I like the heat)
- As much or as little jalapeno as you like (I used a Tablespoon or so minced up since I'm already getting heat from the red pepper flakes.
- 2 Teaspoons of liquid smoke (I like hickory) *optional, but recommended!
- A lot of shredded cheese for garnish
- Cilantro for garnish and flavor (not during cooking)
- Sour cream
- Lots of freshly squeezed lime (it's so good and compliments the cilantro very well)
- The kitchen sink (because we've added just about everything else in the kitchen already)
Cook bacon (preferred in oven) until crisp, chop up, set aside (don't throw away fat!)
Sautee onions in a separate pan. (in the bacon fat if you want, I did!)
In the main pot, brown ground beef and mostly drain fat.
Add onions in with beef and add bacon and it's fat (as much as you like) to the party
Add everything else.
Bring to gentle boil and reduce (I like a thick chili) about 45-60 minutes stirring occasionally.
Eat.
p.s. As I'm typing this there is a kitten licking my foot.
