My favorite “Rainy Day” Chili Recipe

As temperatures drop and people begin spending more time inside, it’s time to cook some chili!

Chili is one of my favorite foods to make on a cold, overcast day. It’s easy, customizable, and is a dish the whole family can enjoy.

Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need:

• 5 slices thick sliced,
• hardwood hickory smoked bacon
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1 small yellow onion
• ½ – 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 10.5 oz can beef consomme (you can also use beef stock)
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 15 oz. can of pinto beans in mild or medium sauce (also called Chili Beans)
• 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans in mild chili sauce
• 2 pounds of ground beef

Seasoning Mix:

• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Begin by chopping the bell peppers and jalapeno until they are finely diced (use more jalapenos to make it spicier). Peel and chop the yellow onion into small pieces.

Slice the bacon into 3-inch pieces and cook in a skillet. I like to then saute the vegetables in the bacon grease to give them that extra flavor! To get even crazier… after the vegetables are done, cook the ground beef in the remaining bacon grease. You can taste the difference! Make sure to break the ground beef into small pieces once finished.

Now it’s time to mix the seasoning ingredients together. Take the extra time to make sure it’s blended well and has no “clumps.”

Now comes the easy part… throwing everything into the crockpot. Begin by mixing the beef consume and tomato paste at the base of the pot. Blend well! Next, add the Worcester sauce and spice mixture. There should be a nice consistency here. Add the sauteed vegetables, ground beef, and bacon to the pot and stir. Finally, add the canned tomatoes and beans. Once everything is added, stir the chili and place the lid on the crockpot.

As the old saying goes, we are going to cook this chili “low and slow.” Turn the crockpot to “low” and let it sit for 6 hours.

What side dish goes well with chili? Personally, cornbread can’t be beaten!

Give this recipe a try and tell me how it goes!