Slow Cooked Chili-Midwestern Style

This chili can be modified to suit your tastes, and your left overs. Have extra roast beef, steak, or other meat which isn’t enough for an entire meal?  Because this meal cooks for the majority of the day, any meat will absorb the yummy flavors of the spices. If you prefer ground chicken or turkey to beef–feel free to experiment but our favorite utilizes beef.  This is the family friendly version: meaning there isn’t a lot of heat.  We serve jalapenos on the side for anyone one who wants them, as well as cayenne pepper, rice or noodles for younger children’s taste buds who want the soup served mild and at a cooler temperature than cooking it all day produces.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-5 lbs ground beef (or other meats: steak, roast beef, ground turkey, etc.)
• 2 each: green, red, yellow, orange bell peppers [stickers removed, washed and diced]
• 2-3 onions (diced)
• 1 bunch celery (finely diced)
• 2 24-ounce cans finely chopped tomatoes (or fresh)
• large can tomato paste
• large can V8 Juice
• celery salt
• black pepper
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• (optional: kidney beans-largest can-drained and rinsed-or several smaller cans)
• (optional: nopalitos a.k.a. cactus chopped-no need to rinse–these thicken the chili to stew-like consistency)
• (optional: a side of cooked rice or macaroni noodles–left overs work–to cool the temperature of the chili for younger folks)
• (optional: jalapenos, hot sauce, cayenne pepper)
• (optional: corn can be cooked on the side and stirred in last moment)

 

STEPS:

1. Begin by cooking the ground meat, 1 diced onion and the finely diced celery.  Once the meat starts cooking, blood and fat will drain off of it.  You can drain the blood and fat off as you cook, or do it all at the end–depending on the size pan you are using.
2. When one side of the meat finishes cooking, flip it and season with salt, pepper, and paprika.  Finish cooking until all of the meat is no longer pink.  Don’t season until the pan is fully drained of oil/blood from the meat or the seasons will be lost when you drain the meat.
3. Layer the cooked meat in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Turn the slow cooker on low or 300 if cooking a large batch in the roaster.
4. Once the meat is in the bottom of the pan, open the tomato paste and stir it in well.
5. Add a layer of black pepper, followed by a heavier layer of celery salt, followed by a heavier layer of garlic, followed by an even heavier layer of chili powder.
6. Add more diced onions to make a layer.
7. Add all of the diced bell peppers (2 each: red, green (or omit and use cactus instead), yellow, orange) and (optional) cactus.
8. Add drained and rinsed canned tomatoes (or Optional: fresh tomatoes finely chopped in place of all of the canned tomatoes or in place of some if you have left overs to use up)
9. Open the large V8 and pour slowly over the top.
10. Stir everything to mix it in evenly and cover.
11. Slow cook for 6-8 hours, or until the veggies are finished and the meat/veggies have the flavor infused into them.
12. This chili is even better cooled & reheated the next day.

NOTE:  If you are cooking a smaller batch in a slow cooker, it shouldn’t burn as it locks in the moisture.  However, if you are cooking a larger batch in several slow cookers or in a roaster on low temperature, you may need to stir the chili, turn it down, or add liquid if it looses too much moisture while cooking–but otherwise this is a fix it and forget it meal until it is time to serve it.

While this makes a lovely meal or lunch all but its self, here are other serving suggestions:

• Chili and Salad
• Chili and Corn Bread
• Chili, with fresh onions, cheese, and/or sour cream as a topping.
• Stir in Kidney or other beans before cooking (if using canned–drain and rinse them first).  If you are using homemade beans you can skip the “draining and rinsing” step)
• Cook canned kidney beans in their juices on the side and serve for those guests who like beans in their chili.
• Cook Rice (or used leftover) or Macaroni Noodles as a way to cool off the chili for anyone who doesn’t like soup too hot.
• Serve with Jalapenos, Cayenne pepper and/or hot sauce for those folks who like it spicy.
• A cup of this chili pairs very nicely with a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.
• This chili can be served over a baked potato with or without added onions, cheese, sour cream.
• Another favorite stir in (of some) is corn–cook it on the side and have it available for anyone who wants to stir it in their chili.
• Serve a small cup with beef corn dogs.
• A bowl served with corn chips (tortillas) on the side can be nice too.
• Have only a small portion left–not enough for an entire meal?  Consider serving it reheated as a condiment on top of hotdogs, or make chili macaroni with the left overs stirred into cooked macaroni.
• This chili pairs very nicely with hot chocolate, brownies, ice cream, or another chocolate treat for dessert.