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Best Chili EVER! Slow Cooker required!

Dominique for dealiciouscooking.com
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Course Winter bliss!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 Lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup of bacon or smoked sausage optional...but I used a bit of both
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 tbsp of VOO
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 5 medium roma tomatoes diced
  • 3 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 1 small can of white beans
  • 1 tbsp of molasses
  • Beef broth or red wine or beer for deglaze 2 tbsp approximately
  • 1 Lacinato kale bunch chopped optional....gotta put something green on it
  • 1/3 cup of chopped cilantro from our garden
  • 1 hot cherry pepper or any pepper available like serrano, jalapeno, or pasilla
  • 1 tsp of these DRY/Powder spices mixed all together on separate small bowl:
  • cinnamon
  • pasilla
  • chipotle
  • paprika
  • smoked Spanish paprika/pimenton can be replaced by an additional tsp of paprika
  • thyme
  • oregano
  • 1 tbsp of:
  • salt
  • dry cumin
  • apple cider vinegar
  • liquid aminos OR soy sauce

Instructions
 

  • Remove ceramic pot from slow cooker and keep it close to stove. Turn slow cooker on high and set timer for 3 hrs.
  • Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meat (and optional bacon/sausage) first adding a little of the dry spices to it (I like to leave the meat in small clusters/chunks. Place it in the crock pot and reserve.
  • In the same pan saute the onions, garlic, tomatoes, cherry pepper, kale and cilantro with a little of the dry spices until most of the liquid has evaporated. Place it in the crock pot and reserve.
  • Deglaze the saute pan with beef broth, wine, beer, or water. Add tomato paste dissolving it in the deglaze (add more liquid if too dry). Add all the leftover spices to the broth. Cook for about 2 minutes and place it in the slow cooker.
  • Add all the other ingredients (except for the white beans) and mix well. Transfer ceramic pot to the slow cooker and let it cook for about 2 1/2 hrs then check for taste. Add the white beans (drained) and any salt or spice to taste. Let it cook another hour and tadah...best Chili EVER!!!!