Smoky BBQ Slow Cooker Chili
For some, New Year’s Day means binge-watching bowl games and feasting on chili cheese dogs and cold brews. For others, New Year’s kicks off resolutions for exercise and healthy dieting.
If you fall into either category, this Smoky BBQ Slow Cooker Chili Recipe is for you.
Chili is one of the most customizable dishes around. This recipe will create a nutritious and delicious base that’s low on carbs and sugar. From there, we’ll throw out some suggestions to customize, so you can season your spicy stew to your taste.
This recipe takes a few hours to complete, though much of that time is inactive -- waiting for the beans to cook and the chili to stew. Believe us, it’s worth the wait.
“To bean, or not to bean...”
There’s a whole Wikipedia section dedicated to the controversy over chili ingredients, particularly whether to bean, or not to bean. (Who knew chili could be so existential?) In spite of the hazards of high wind, I stand boldly with the beans. So boldly, that I double up on them:
It doesn’t get much bolder than this.
1 pound dried black beans
1 pound dried small red beans
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 can tomato paste (12 oz)
2 tablespoons Smoky BBQ Mustard
Organic extra virgin olive oil (or cooking oil substitute)
Rinse the black beans and red beans separately, and stick each variety into its own pot. Add water.
Place pots on the stove, and set to medium heat until they’re at a simmer. Once simmering, set temp to low. It’ll take about a 1 hour and 30 minutes to cook. Stir occasionally, and make sure water level fully submerges all beans so that they cook evenly.
*Note: I used to soak beans for 8-12 hours before cooking. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats convinced me otherwise.
The rest of the chili takes 30 minutes of active work, but the beans need about 90 minutes to cook, so it’s around this time that I take a 1 hour break and catch up on a good book. I’ve been reading City of Thieves by David Benioff. Highly recommend it.
Chop onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Mince four cloves of garlic. Open and drain sweet corn.
Mix 2 pounds of lean ground beef in bowl with a dash of Worcester sauce, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of ground cumin and one tablespoon of garlic powder.
Set to medium-high heat. Cover thin with extra virgin olive oil. (I like my Lodge cast iron skillet).
Move beans to slow cooker.
Plug in your slow cooker and turn it on high. We’re about to move our now-cooked beans in here, but before we do, we want to make sure they’re cooked. They should be soft but not creamy. Good? Add them to the slow cooker. This should clear some space off your stove.
Add your beef to the hot cast iron skillet. Cook it until it browns evenly. (Don’t get it too dry. It has more cooking to do in the slow cooker.)
Once browned, add it to your slow cooker on top of the beans. Add a bit more oil to the skillet to keep it slick.
Add veggies to skillet. (I like using the same skillet used for cooking the lean ground beef, as it adds some of that beefy flavor into the veggies, and you’re sure to get a couple crispy beefy bits cooked in.)
Add it all to the slow cooker.
Once onions are lightly caramelized, add veggies into slow cooker. Stir in tomato paste, and a dash of chili powder. Add three tablespoons of Smoky BBQ mustard. Mix the ingredients with a large spoon or spatula. Cover the slow cooker, and leave it on high for 90 minutes. Go back to your book, and give the chili a stir at each chapter break.
After 90 minutes you’ll have your baseline chili. Now you have a chance to safely customize it to your preferences. Eat a spoonful and see what it needs.
Too spicy? Add a can of beans. Black, pinto, kidney, or refried all work great.
Not spicy enough? Add more chili powder, cayenne, and/or your favorite hot sauce. Check out our friends at Bonache.
Want some sweetness? Sprinkle in some brown sugar.
I always tinker, often adding more garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper to taste.
After this first round of tinkering, I set the slow cooker to low, and I give it another hour. (Medium if I’m feeling impatient).
Congrats! You’ve made enough chili for a weeks worth of meals. It’ll get better with age over the next couple days, and will last for about a week in the fridge in the proper tupperware.
Watching a bowl game? Add it on your hotdog with shredded cheese, sour cream, and jalapeños.
Eating healthy in the new year? Serve it on a bed of spinach with a dollop of guacamole.
I’m working off my holiday belly, so I went with the latter option.
How do you customize your chili?
Let us know in the comments!
It’s more than a condiment. It’s an ingredient.
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