Chili with Beans

As a Texan, I prefer my chili the traditional way which is to focus on the flavor from the chilies and to load it with tons of meat. I know there are plenty of folks that prefer beans in their chili, so I decided to augment my popular Texas Chili recipe by removing the chuck roast and adding two types of beans.

This recipe makes a big ole batch of chili. Depending on the size of your family, you may want to cut the recipe in half. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so you only need to simmer it for 3 hours. However, we find it best when simmered all day. Actually, it's even better the next day after it is refrigerated over night.

This recipe will require a large slow cooker or dutch oven. It has a medium spiciness level. You can adjust that by adding more or less chili seasoning and chipotle peppers in adobo. 

How to video for this recipe: https://youtu.be/FBU3VCyIWUs

Click here to get your Meat Church Texas Chili Seasoning: https://www.meatchurch.com/products/texas-chili-seasoning

Other Meat Church chili recipes:
Texas Chili: https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/texas-chili

Over The Top Chili: https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/over-the-top-chili
Brisket Chili: https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/brisket-chili
Texas Red Chili: https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/texas-red-chili
White Chicken Chili: https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/white-chicken-chili

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of ground meat (venison is also great and is my fav)
• 1 lb of Hot breakfast sausage
  
• 3 medium red onions, diced
• 1 head of garlic, minced 
• 85.5 ounces of tomatoes and sauce total. Use the below or interchange to your liking as long as you use approximately 85 ounces)
  • 2, 28 oz cans crushed
  • 1, 14.5 fire roasted diced
  • 1, 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
• 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
• 1 7oz can Chipotles in Adobo, diced. Preserve the liquid. 
• 12 oz beef broth (sub beer)
• 5 T Meat Church Texas Chili Seasoning. This is a moderate heat level, but back it down to 3-4 T for Mild. Add 1-2 T more for even spicier or add 2 T cayenne pepper.

Optional garnish

• Shredded cheese
• Sliced fresh jalapeños
• Diced white onions

Tools

• Dutch Oven or Large slow cooker 
• Large cast iron skillet (to sauté the veg)
• 1/3 C, olive oil

Prepare the chili
Add the olive oil to a very large skillet. I prefer cast iron. Sauté the onions, garlic and adobo peppers (including all the liquid from the can). This is a lot of onion, so you may have to cook in batches if you don't have a really large skillet.

Cook for about 8 - 10 minutes until the onions are softened. Remove from skillet and place the mixture in your dutch oven or slow cooker.

Cook the ground meat and hot breakfast sausage completely in the same skillet. Drain the fat and place all of the meat in the dutch oven or slow cooker.

Mix the chili:
By this time you already have the meat, onions, garlic and adobo peppers in your slow cooker or dutch oven. Now add the tomatoes with the juice, the beans, beef broth and Meat Church Texas Chili Seasoning.

Mix thoroughly. 

Cook the chili:
This chili can cook in 3 hours. However, it is better if you simmer it for 6 - 8 hours. The ingredients are already cooked at this point, but we will simmer this chili all day to break down the meat and meld the flavors together.

If you are using a slow cooker:
Cook the chili on low for 6 - 8 hours stirring periodically.

If you are using a smoker.
Place the chili in the smoker at  225 - 250 depending how long you are cooking and how much smoke you desire stirring periodically.

Cover after 5 hours and continue to cook for 2-3 more hours. 

Remove from the heat. Allow to cool. Garnish and enjoy!