Down Home Old Fashion Chili

by Nora Ledford
(Oklahoma City, OK, USA)

Here is my chili recipe. My kids and everyone I know loves it. It does seem like a lot to do to make this chili but it takes no time when you prepare yourself to make it. And having a crock pot is the best way to make it. My kids love for me to make it when it is cold outside, and I make it for almost all my potluck dinners. I was also told that a way to a mans heart is through his stomach and this is one way to get to his heart. I love to cook and am all the time coming up with different ways on making things and I hope you enjoy this recipe for down home old fashion chili as much as we do.

What you need to get started!

Cooking Utensils:

1 large crock pot 6 to 8 quarts if you have a bigger one use it.
1 large skillet
2 wooden spoons
1 small bowl

Ingerdients:

4 lbs of lean ground beef
2 lbs of ground sirlon
3 cloves of garlic minced
6 tablespoons of black pepper or peppercorn
6 tablespoons of chili powder
3 tablespoons of cumin
4 tablespoons of salt or 3 tablespoons of sea salt
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (adjust to more if you want it hotter or less if you want a more milder chili)
1 teaspoon red chili peppers
2 teaspoons mesa (1/2 tsp water) will use at the end of cooking
4 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (really brings out flavor)
1 large yellow onion diced
1 can of tomato sauce
2 cans of Fire roasted tomatos
1 large green bell pepper diced
1 large red bell pepper diced
2 cups of water
2 cans of dark red kidney beans rinsed and drained
(If you like it hotter than most people do you can cut up a jalapeno pepper and add it to the chili mix when you add the veggies)

Cooking instructions:

1. In large skillet brown ground beef, and ground sirlon until done (don't drain) if you use lean ground beef there will not be much grease
2. While meat is cooking cut onion, garlic, and bell peppers up and place in the crock pot
3. Mix all dry ingerdients together in small bowl except mesa keep that aside.
4. Open tomatoes, tomatoe sauce, and beans (drain and rinse beans)
5. Once meat is done pour into crock pot mix with vegtables.
6. Add dry spices to the crock pot mix well
7. Add Fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water to the crock pot stir well. Add liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.
8. Cover crock pot and let cook on auto if your crock pot has this function if not med/low for 7 hours
9. At 7 hours stir and add kidney beans. Stir and cover and let cook for another 30 mins to 1 hr until kidney beans are tender.
10. Mix 2 teaspoons of mesa and 1/2 teaspoon of water in small bowl, mix well, add to the chili once mixed and stir in. Mix well let sit for about 10 to 15 minutes and serve.

Great toppers for the Chili is sour cream and cheese. Serve with corn bread or crackers.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Cooking time from start to finish is about 8 1/2 to 9 hours.

Great for making ahead, freezes well for up to 6 months
And remember the longer chili cooks the more flavor it has.