Beef and Bacon Chili

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The crisp fall air makes me crave chili. Chili is one of those great hearty fall foods. By the time fall rolls around I am tired of all those “light” and “refreshing” summer foods. As my father says, I want a meal that sticks to my ribs. I don’t necessarily understand exactly what that means, but I do know he is referring to a substantial meal. Chili is one of those meals. Especially when it is beef and bacon chili.

I like to make big batches of chili and then freeze half. Chili freezes very well, and it is so easy to make in big batches. Sometimes I portion out the chili into lunch sized containers and then freeze them. This way if I have a busy weekend and don’t get to the store to buy food for lunch during the week I have something that is ready to go.

If you wanted to lighten up this chili, you could omit the bacon. Or you could serve it with fat free sour cream.

You will need:
3 strips of Bacon, chopped
2 pounds diced Beef
1 (12 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes
1 (12 ounce) can Black Beans
1 (12 ounce) can Kidney Beans
1 (12 ounce) can Pinto Beans
1 (12 ounce) jar Cowboy Caviar (available at Trader Joe’s)
1 cup Tomato Salsa (I used a Hot salsa)
2 cups Beef Broth
1 teaspoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
2 teaspoons Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt

You could definitely prepare this recipe using a crockpot. I had intended to make this in a crockpot, until I got home from the store with all of the ingredients and realized that I had lent my crockpot to a friend. If you plan to use a crockpot, I recommend crisping up the bacon first, and then adding the bacon and all the other ingredients to the crockpot and cooking the chili on low for 6 hours.

Step 1:
Heat a dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot, but leave the bacon fat that has rendered from the bacon. Then add the diced beef. Quickly brown the beef.

Step 2:
Once the beef has browned, add all of the other ingredients to the pot, including the crisp bacon. Stir together, and bring to a slow simmer. You may want to slowly add the spices. This recipe will make a pretty spicy chili.

Step 3:
Let slowly simmer for 3-4 hours. Serve with cheese and sour cream.