Crock Pot Chili, Perfect for Smothering Potatoes

OK, we've done a few chili recipes on the blog already.  There's the Basic No Bean Chili that's thick, chunky and will feed the masses.  Then there's the Red Hot as Hell Chili that uses a little beer and whole lot of heat from habanero and jalapeno peppers.

Both of those are great for feeding the masses and work great in a large stock pot. But since they have large chunks of meat, they might not be the best for a dip or a topping for a giant baked potato.  And if you're going to be taking it to a party, why not use a crock pot?

You will need to brown some meat and chop a few vegetables, but beyond that, it's just filling the crock pot and cranking up the heat.

There are a lot of spices in this recipe.  If you don't have a lot of chili powder on hand, then I'd suggest going to a spice store or a grocery store that sells bulk spices.  As we talked about in our Spices post, it'll save you 80-90% if you buy spices in bulk and store them in small jars.  For example, the large bottle of chili powder needed for this recipe will be around $5.00 at the grocery store.  The price at WinCo for enough bulk chili powder to make this chili and another batch for your family in a week or so: $1.00

Crock Pot Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork or country sausage
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 chipotle peppers from a can and 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce packed with the peppers
3 14 ounce cans finely diced tomatoes
3 14 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
9 ounces (1 1/2 cans) tomato paste
1/2 cup chili powder
3 tablespoons cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon oregano

Brown the sausage and the ground beef in a large pan.  Drain off the fat and then pour the meat into a large crock pot.  Chop the onion, green pepper, chipotle peppers and garlic, then add them to the crock pot. Drizzle the adobo sauce over the vegetables, then pour all of the tomatoes over the other ingredients and stir to combine.  Add all of the spices and sugar to the chili and stir one last time.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, stirring about every hour or so to spread the heat around.  Then, drop the heat to Keep Warm and allow it to cool down for the next 1-2 hours.  This will allow it to thicken up to a consistency perfect for ladling over potatoes or serving in a bowl topped with cheese.