I've always been leery of chili, mostly from half remembered samples from childhood. But my dad asked for some for his birthday and it came out pretty delicious. Since it's very much like a stew, you can pretty much put whatever you want in there. I like this one because it has a bit of spice, but not so much that you're grabbing for milk.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb bacon
- 1 (46 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
- 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 2 cups canned red beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup cornmeal (for thickening)
Directions
- Cook the bacon and set on a paper towel to cool then dice
- Brown the ground beef and drain.
- Add all the ingredients to a large, deep pot.
- Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2hrs.
This recipe is simple, makes a bunch, and tastes better when its reheated. What's there not to like? Also, it's not mentioned, but cornbread as a side is implied.
Next Time:
- Maybe add some ground sausage instead of some of the ground beef?
- Try some different volumes of veggies?
