Crockpot Bacon Chili

• Meat

  • 2 lbs Ground beef chuck
  • 5 slices Hardwood smoked bacon
  • 1 lb Italian sausage

• Produce

  • 2 cans (28 ounces each petite diced tomatoes, petite
  • 1 cup (~1 small yellow onion, small
  • 1 tsp Basil, dried
  • 1/2 cup Celery
  • 3 cans Chili bean
  • 1 tbsp Garlic
  • 1 Green bell pepper
  • 1 tbsp Oregano, dried
  • 1 Red bell pepper
  • 1 Serrano peppers

• Canned Goods

  • 3 Beef bouillon cubes, regular sized
  • 1 can Tomato paste

• Condiments

  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
  • 4 tbsp Chili powder
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Seasoned salt
  • 1 tbsp White sugar

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 2 tsp Cumin

Found on chelseasmessyapron.com

Description

Directions

• In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove on 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 red pepper. Chop. Remove the stem and seeds from the green pepper and chop.
• Chop the celery. Remove the peel of the onion and chop. (My husband HATES onions and could not detect them in the chili -- chop super fine as they add a lot of flavor!)
• Chop the serrano pepper and remove the seeds if desired -- leave them in for extra heat.
• Add the chopped red pepper, green pepper, celery, onion, and serrano pepper to the skillet with the reserved bacon grease. Saute the veggies over medium heat until tender. Transfer to the crockpot.
• Add in the three cans of chili beans (undrained and do not rinse), petite diced tomatoes, and tomato paste to the crockpot.
• In the same skillet used to cook the bacon and veggies, cook the ground beef chuck (better flavor and texture than regular ground beef) and Italian sausage until no longer pink over medium heat. Stir that into the slow cooker.
• Add all the seasonings to the crockpot. Crumble up the bacon (or chop) into very small pieces and stir that in the crockpot.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
• Enjoy with fresh cilantro, sour cream and cheddar cheese.