Slow Cooker Beef Chili

 

Slow Cooker Beef Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil or canola

2 ½ medium onions, chopped

3 – 4 chopped cloves garlic (use more if cloves are small)

1 chopped green bell pepper (optional – I like it for color)

1 tablespoon cumin

¼ cup chili powder

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 pounds ground beef, (preferably Publix Market Ground Beef)

2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (or whole) with juice (I like Italian canned tomatoes if available because they’re sweeter and not so acidy – like Cento brand) 

1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, ½ tsp of salt and cayenne.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

 Increase heat to medium-high and add half of the ground beef.  Cook the beef, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove ½ of the ground beef/onion mixture to a plate - if needed for room to brown remaining beef. 

Add the rest of the uncooked beef and cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer all of the cooked beef mixture to a large slow cooker.  Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce to slow cooker.  Stir to combine and taste.  Adjust seasoning with additional salt and add at least 1 tsp. pepper.

Cook the chili on the high setting for up to four hours (but a minimum of 2 hours).

Jimmy Red Cornbread

 Jimmy Red Cornbread

Dry ingredients

1 ½ cups Jimmy Red cornmeal

½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

Wet ingredients

2 eggs

1 ½ cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons of melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a cast iron skillet in the oven to heat also.  Ten minutes before adding cornbread batter to the skillet put the butter in the skillet in the oven.  

Whisk dry ingredients together.  Beat the eggs then combine the eggs with the buttermilk.  Gently stir the wet and dry ingredients together.  

Pull the skillet from the oven and pour the melted butter into the cornbread batter.  Stir gently to combine and then pour the batter back into the hot skillet.

Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.  After removing the cornbread from the oven, immediately invert it onto a plate to maintain the crispy crust.