Best Slow Cooker Chili Recipe Winner

CROCKPOT CHILI (COOK-OFF WINNER!)

Steps:

• In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and dab off the excess grease. Set aside.
• Reserve the bacon grease in the skillet. Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers. Finely chop.
• Finely chop the celery. Remove the peel of the onion and finely chop. Chop the jalapeño pepper and remove the seeds if desired -- leave them in for extra heat.*
• Add the peppers, celery, onion, and jalapeño pepper to the skillet with the reserved bacon grease. Saute the veggies over medium heat until tender. Transfer to the slow cooker.
• Add in the three cans of chili beans (undrained and do not rinse), petite diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
• In the same skillet used to cook the bacon and veggies, cook the ground chuck and Italian sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain off all the fat and add to the slow cooker.
• Add all the seasonings to the crockpot. Crumble the bacon (or chop) into very small pieces and stir that in the crockpot. Or reserve the bacon in the fridge and add at the end. Stir everything together.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, chili powder, etc.) Enjoy with fresh cilantro, sour cream and Cheddar cheese.

SLOW COOKER CHILI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large and deep non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Pour onions into a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker (I like this one HERE).
• Return skillet to medium-high eat, add beef and cook stirring occasionally until beef has browned.
• Drain most of fat from beef, leaving about 2 Tbsp in with beef (this is optional, I think it ads flavor but you can drain it all if you'd prefer). Pour browned beef into slow cooker.
• Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cocoa powder, sugar, coriander and season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 5 - 6 hours.
• Stir in dark and light red kidney beans and allow to heat through, about 2 minutes. Serve warm with desired toppings.

SLOW-COOKER TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon each brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef in batches until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not crowd the pan). Transfer to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.
• Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chiles, cumin and chili powder and cook 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and the tomatoes and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low, 7 hours.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the hot sauce to the chili. Serve with scallions, cilantro and/or sour cream for topping, and chips, if desired. (Reserve 3 to 4 cups for Chili-Corn Casserole.).
• Use the leftover chili to make Chili-Corn Casserole.

AWARD-WINNING WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

Steps:

• Layer chicken, great Northern beans, and corn into a slow cooker.
• Mix chicken broth, chicken soup, green chile peppers, and taco seasoning together in a bowl; pour over chicken mixture.
• Cover and cook on Low until chicken is no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 hours. Stir in sour cream and pepper Jack cheese; cover and cook until cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

AWARD WINNING CHILI

Steps:

• In a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat add the olive oil. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking up into pieces, until browned. Add the onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook until softened. Drain excess grease.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, salt, cayenne, paprika and 1 cup water. Mix to combine.
• Add the kidney beans and black beans, mix and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1-2 hours.
• Serve with desired toppings.

SLOW COOKER CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef and garlic, season with salt and cook, breaking the beef into crumbles with a spatula, until the beef has lost its pink color, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until slightly darkened and caramelized, about 1 minute. Stir in all the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beer and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the beef mixture into a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, beef bouillon paste, cocoa, beans and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. (The chili can hold well on warm for an additional 2 hours.)
• When ready to serve, stir in the Worcestershire sauce. If the chili is too thick, stir in a bit of water until the texture is to your liking. Season to taste with salt. Serve in bowls and pass the toppings at the table.