The Stuff You Need:
1 – 28 ounce can Diced Tomatoes
2 – 15 ounce cans dark red Kidney Beans – or – Black Beans – or – a mix of the two
1 pound of ground Beef or Stew Beef
1 medium to large Onion, diced
1 small red or green Bell Pepper; seeded, pith removed, and diced
1 or 2 Ancho / Pablano Peppers; seeded, pith removed, and diced (for smoky, mild heat)
1 or 2 Jalapeno Peppers; seeded, pith removed, and diced fine (for sharper, more intense heat)***
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 or 2 cloves fresh Garlic, minced
Salt & pepper, to taste
Optional Garnishes: Grated Cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese, chopped fresh onion or scallion, chopped fresh cilantro, dollop of sour cream, tortillas. Additional hot sauce for the braver souls.
Here's How It's Done:
- Dump the entire can of tomatoes, juice and all, into the Crock-pot.* Turn the Crock-pot on to high.
- Drain the juice from the beans and reserve the juice to add later if the chili gets too dry or thick. Add the beans to the Crock-pot.
- Brown the beef in a skillet over medium high heat. You can put it in the Crock-pot when it’s still a little pink. It will finish cooking in there just fine.**
- Cook the diced onions and peppers in the same skillet as the beef, adding a little vegetable oil (see notes) if necessary.
- After the onions and peppers have softened, add the chili powder and cumin. If the mixture seems a little too dry, you can add a little bean juice now.
- Add the garlic last. Stir and continue cooking until you can smell the garlic. Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully scrape the onions and peppers into the Crock-pot.
- Once everything in the Crock-pot is hot and bubbly, turn the heat down to low, cover it, and go do something else for a while.
- Occasionally, stir the chili and add more bean juice if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings. If it looks too soupy, leave the lid off for a while.
- Allow Chili to cook on low for 2 to 7 hours. Garnish, if desired, and serve.****
Notes:
*If you don’t have a crock-pot you can use a Dutch oven. Place all prepared ingredients into the dutch oven, cover and cook in a low oven, about 250 degrees for several hours. Take it out and stir periodically. Taste and adjust seasonings.
**If you are using lean or grass-fed beef, you won’t have to drain it first before adding it to the Crock-pot.
***If you are concerned about the chili being too spicy, skip the Jalapenos altogether, or start with 1 or even half of one, and add more later if you like.
****On the occasion that I wrote this recipe down (way back in March of 2015), I cooked it for 7 hours. I added more chili powder, some cayenne and salt – twice – and then it was perfect.
This Chili will keep in the fridge a week or more and re-heats well. You can also freeze it.
Vegetable Oil: Try My Blue Kitchen flavored cooking oil in Tomato or Ancho pepper for an extra boost of flavor.
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