Slow Cooker Chili Con Carne with 3 Beans

Our whole family pretty much likes any type of chili. It is so hearty and filling and a wonderful dish for cold weather. Pair it with some homemade cornbread, and a side of salad, and you have yourself a meal! I just like simple corn bread, but if you want to add chili’s, of some sorts, in it or cheese, go for it!

Typically we make our chili with ground meat, but every so often I like to make it with chunks of meat. Today’s recipe is a ribeye and chorizo chili. I love all the wonderful flavors you get from the chorizo and it works wonderfully in a chili. I’m also adding 3 beans, dark kidney, light kidney, and pinto beans. You can use canned or prepare your own beans from dried. I use canned most of the time, makes it real easy.

I didn’t use it this time, but a secret ingredient we sometimes use in our chili’s, especially when my husband makes it, is a can, or two, of sloppy joe sauce (depending on how big his batch is). It gives a wonderful flavor to the chili. Give it a try…but the below recipe is wonderful without this addition :).

You will need:

• 8 ounces of chorizo (casings removed if a link)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 16 ounces of ribeye steak, cut into 3/4th inch chunks
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 chili peppers (I used 1 red jalapeno and 1 green serrano), seeds and ribs removed and minced (if you want it real spicy then leave the seeds and ribs in). If you don’t like spice then substitute with 1 bell pepper.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
• 1 cup chicken broth/stock
• 1 cup beef broth/stock
• 2-3 dashes hot sauce (optional)
• 3 cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I used one each of dark kidney, light kidney, and pinto)
• 1-2 tablespoons of corn meal or masa (optional, for thickening)
• Sour cream, shredded cheese, and chopped green onions, to serve (optional)

Steps:

1. Add chorizo to a pan and cook until no longer pink, stirring occationally, throw into slow cooker.
2. Add olive oil into same pan, as pan is getting hot, salt and pepper the cubed ribeye and then add to the hot pan until browned on all sides, throw into slow cooker, the middle of the meat doesn’t need to be cooked through, it will cook in the slow cooker.
3. Add onions and peppers to pan and sauté until softened, throw into the slow cooker.
4. Add the spices, chili powder through cumin, to the crockpot and stir everything together.
5. Lastly, throw in the tomato sauce, broths and hot sauce (if using) and stir until all combined.
6. Cook on low for 4 hours then add in your beans and stir and cook for another 3 hours. If you won’t be home to add beans in the middle of cooking you can add them from the beginning.
7. An hour before you eat, check to see if your chili is too liquidy (is that a word?) for you, if so, add 1-2 tablespoons of the corn meal or masa to it and stir well and let it cook for 1 more hour, it will thicken the chili. I personally like it a little liquidy because then it soaks up all the corn bread (or crackers) well, that I put into it 🙂 .

Kali Orexi!