Dereks Slow Cooker Chili Food

SLOW COOKER CHILI

Steps:

• Brown the meat: In a large saute pan heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, add the beef and season with salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the meat browns, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl.
• Brown the vegetables: In the same pan, stir in the onions and the remaining oil. Add the garlic, chiles, bell pepper, tomato paste, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables start to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Cook the chili: While the vegetables are cooking, to the slow cooker add the tomatoes, chili powder, bay leaf, cumin, allspice, red pepper flakes, and 2 cups of water; stir to combine. Add the vegetables to the bowl of meat and stir to combine, then add to the slow cooker. Stir in the vinegar. Cover and set the cooker to low; cook for about 8 hours. Check after a couple of hours. Stir and taste for seasoning. Thirty minutes or so before serving, turn the slow cooker to high and stir in the black beans and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
• Serve: Allow it to "rest" for about 15 minutes before serving. Stir in the scallions. Taste for seasoning. Serve with any or all of the following: cheddar, sour cream, avocado, scallions, lime wedges, and tortilla chips.

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.

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 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.

SPICY SLOW-COOKED CHILI

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in ground beef. Cook and stir until beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease.
• Combine ground beef, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 10 hours, or High for 4 hours.
• Garnish each serving with Cheddar cheese.

THE ULTIMATE SLOW COOKED CHILI

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir beef, onion, and garlic in the hot oil until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes; drain and discard grease. Season beef mixture with salt and pepper.
• Mix ground beef mixture, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, pinto beans, ranch-style beans, white kidney beans, tomato sauce, Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, Mexican-style hot tomato sauce, green bell pepper, celery, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, cumin, parsley, basil, and brown sugar together in a slow cooker.
• Cook on High for 4 hours; stir in red wine and continue cooking for 2 more hours. (Cook on Low for 8 hours.)