I’m a football fan, but not for the reasons most other people are football fans.
Sure, I was raised in a football-loving home (Go Bills!), but as a kid, when your family throws gameday parties, all you know is that there’s going to be some damn good food available to nibble when no one is looking.
Chips with dips, bite-sized everything, everything under the sun off the grill, and – in my house at least – Easy Slow Cooker Chili! It was usually made to top off the footlong franks everyone was gobbling down during halftime, but I always chose to settle down with a warm bowl in my room, away from the shouting and cheering.
To this day, when I’m invited to a football party, I’m always hoping to see a crock full of chili among the other tasty food on the table…
Chili is one of my all-time favorite foods! If you frequent my blog, you’ll see I have multiple recipes for the wonderful winter food available. I’m always experimenting with my ingredient combos, but it’s always, always made in my trusty slow cooker.
Slow cookers are surely one of the best inventions in the history of small kitchen appliances. How else can you start a meal in the morning, and ensure it will be perfectly cooked and ready for dinner that night?
This is one of the best chili recipes I’ve thrown together, and it’s truly made by the addition of the right blend of spices, combined with the use of a whole bottle of Guinness. Chili made with stock is delicious, but there’s something special about the deep, dark, chocolatey flavor the stout lends to the finished product. It balances the acidity of the abundant tomatoes and peppers and makes it hard not to go back for seconds.
This chili is perfection by itself, but it’s fun to top hot dogs and baked potatoes with, jazzes up a taco dip or salsa, or can even be stuffed inside baked phyllo cups for quick chili appetizer bites.
And, after you feed the crowd, there’s a good chance you’ll have at least one bowl left to hoard to yourself in your room, away from the shouting and cheering…
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds ground beef and pork, any combination
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 large green pepper, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped
- 2 cans beans (kidney, chili, northern), drained and rinsed
- Pinch of brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups beef or chicken stock, or stout beer
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add ground meat. Season with seasonings (adding more or less to taste) and stir, cooking on medium-high until browned. Drain meat in a colander over a bowl; add meat to slow-cooker crock.
- Return 1-2 tablespoons reserved fat to the saucepan. Add onion, green pepper, and celery, and cook 3-4 minutes over medium heat, until onions start to become translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, then add all to crock.
- Add remaining ingredients to crock and stir all together to combine. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped jalapenos and crackers. Enjoy!
What’s your favorite game day food?
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