Award Winning Chili Recipe

Source video by Sugar Spun Run on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This is Sam from Sugar Spun Run's multiple cook-off winning chilli, adapted for the slow cooker. The depth of flavour comes from crisping bacon first, browning the beef in the bacon fat, and toasting the spices into the meat before everything goes into the pot. Two types of beans, fire roasted tomatoes and green chillies round it out. Top with sour cream or shredded cheese to serve.

Ingredients

• 5 rashersstreaky bacon, cut into small bite-sized pieces (add late)
• 1 largeyellow onion, diced
• 1 wholered pepper, diced
• 1 tbspgarlic, minced
• 450 gbeef mince

• 1 tbsplight brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 tbspchilli powder
• 1 tbspancho chilli powder
• 1.5 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tsponion powder
• 0.75 tspground black pepper
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 0.125 tspcayenne pepper

• 200 mlbeef stock
• 400 g tindark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 400 g tinblack beans, drained and rinsed
• 410 g tinfire roasted chopped tomatoes, do not drain
• 60 mltomato puree
• 200 g tinfire roasted diced green chillies
• 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce

• soured cream (add late)
• grated cheese (add late)

Method

1. Cut the bacon into small bite-sized pieces. Add to a large frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook until nice and crisp.

   ~8 min

2. Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside. Drain off most of the fat from the pan but leave behind about 1 and a half tablespoons, the bacon grease gives the chilli great flavour.

   ~2 min

3. Keeping the heat on medium, add the diced onion and red pepper. Cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

   ~5 min

4. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

   ~1 min

5. Add the beef mince and cook, breaking it apart with a spatula. When the beef is about halfway browned, stir in the brown sugar, chilli powder, ancho chilli powder, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, black pepper, salt and cayenne. Continue to cook until the beef is cooked through. Adding the spices now helps them cook into the meat.

   ~8 min

6. Tip the beef mixture into the slow cooker. Add the beef stock, drained kidney beans and black beans, fire roasted tomatoes (with their juice), tomato puree, green chillies and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well.

   ~3 min

7. Cover and cook on Low for 7 hours or High for 4 hours, stirring once or twice if you can.

8. Stir in the cooked bacon during the last 15 minutes so it keeps some bite. Taste and adjust seasoning.

   ~15 min

9. Serve topped with soured cream and grated cheese if you like.

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