Our Go-To Chili Recipe
Brooke has tried a few chili recipes over the years but the one she’s used lately has really been a winner. Of course, we make it a lot during the winter, but it’s also one of our go-to main dishes when throwing a party. Let’s start with the massive list of ingredients and some kitchen tools you might need:
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
4 pieces of bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced (or 1 tablespoon of minced garlic)
2 (15 ounce) cans chili beans in mild sauce, undrained
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with spices with juice
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 can green chilis
3 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 cup beef broth
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
Soup crackers (topping, optional)
Shredded cheeese (topping, optional)
Sour cream (topping, optional)
Kitchen Tools:
8 Quart Large Pot
Skillet
Cutting Board
Aluminum Foil
Chopper
Knife
Spatula
Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage into the hot pan and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease. In a separate skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove cooked bacon leaving the bacon grease in the skillet. Once the bacon has cooled, crumble it into small pieces.
Once the bacon has been removed from the skillet, saute the onions, celery and garlic in the bacon grease.
Drain the grease from the beef. We just pour it into a cup lined with aluminum foil. That way you don’t have to clean the cup and you can just throw it all away once it hardens. Don’t pour it down your drain because it can harden there and clog your sink!
Add the remaining ingredients; the sauteed onions and celery, crumbled bacon, chili beans (undrained), diced tomatoes (undrained), tomato paste, chopped green and red bell peppers, chile peppers (undrained), 3 cubes of beef bouillon and beef broth. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, cumin, dried basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and refrigerate. The next day, simmer for 6-7 hours on low in a crockpot.
To serve, ladle into bowls and top with crackers, shredded cheese and sour cream.
Some Notes:
This makes a large batch of chili. We have used it to feed a decent amount of people (10-15… up to 30 people, with other sides and food) with no problem. It also reheats amazingly. We have reheated it over the stove, in the crockpot again and in the microwave… amazing every time. I have not frozen it (because there are 7 of us and we.eat.all.the.food) but I bet it would do great frozen as well. Overall, a super yummy chili. Definitely give this one a try!!
Adapted from this recipe: allrecipes.com/recipe/78299/boilermaker-tailgate-chili
