How on earth did it get to be mid-fall already? This is the fastest slow year I’ve ever experienced. Nonetheless, it is, in fact, fall.
And while this isn’t really a recipe blog, I think I’m going to share one of my very favourite recipes with you. It is slightly modified from the one I initially started with, and I love it. Now, I’m calling it “chilli”, as that is what it was called when I encountered it, but if I’m being honest it’s more of a chilli stew.
You’ll find notes on modifications under the recipe, and also some more thoughts below that.
Happy cooking!
Ingredients:
- 6 green jalapeño peppers (less for a milder heat)
- 6 cloves garlic or less to taste
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt (taste later and add a bit more to taste)
- 2 tablespoon honey. (or sugar)
- 3 sausages of smokey style or regular
- 2 pounds of ground beef
- 3 onions cut up
- 1 cup or 1 can of beer
- 2 cans of drained red kidney beans
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 cup of beef broth- more if needed
- 1 half cup of coffee
METHOD:
- Sauté onions and garlic until soft, stirring over medium heat. Remove from
pan, set Into slow cooker - Fry sausages in same pan then remove and put with onions in
slow cooker - Brown beef in same pan, drain fat, and add to slow cooker, deglaze
the pan with a little beer or beef broth and add to slow cooker - Add all spices, all liquids, kidney beans and tomatoes to the slow
cooker and stir well. - If there is not enough liquid, add more beef broth, then slow cook 8-10 hours.
Modifications and notes:
The original recipe called for six slices of bacon, and you certainly can add these, but I found that they do not really add anything to the taste.
The original recipe also called for stew beef rather than ground, and you can certainly revert to that for an even more stew-like result. Just use the same amount.
Less jalepenos make this less spicy, though I find it doesn’t tend to be tongue-searingly hot. If worried, try it with less and see what you think.
Yes, I know, coffee in the chilli sounds strange. You can’t taste coffee when you eat it, but it absolutely does something to the taste. I don’t suggest leaving this out.
Beer doesn’t have to be alcoholic to work. My best results were with dark ale.
I once tried a version of this made by someone I had shared it with who used venison sausage instead of regular and I declare it to be awesome.
Do not try this with a small slow cooker. If that’s all you have, cut the recipe in two. I don’t have a yield for this, but consider it “a lot”.
I believe you could also cook this in the oven for two to three hours, but I haven’t tried it.
Final thoughts:
I love this recipe. Anyone I’ve made it for loves this recipe. For you chilli purists out there… look, just think of it as chilli stew if it makes you feel better.
Be warned, the smell of this thing cooking may drive you mildly insane with its goodness.
If you try it, please let me know, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
As always, be kind. Feeding this to other people is absolutely kind.
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Jennifer Morash 