Who doesn’t love chili? Oh, I’m sure a few of you exist, but I bet I have a better chance of running into Bigfoot than you. I’d better pack some chili so Mr. Bigfoot doesn’t get angry.
This is a three bean chili only because I like seeing the different beans in it. One bean is boring and we can’t have boring food. It also has brown sugar because I find it helps counteract the acidity of the tomatoes. And, it gives a nice flavor profile. Sweet & heat, that’s what you’ll find here. Plus, with the ease of the crock pot, you just dump in the ingredients, give it a stir and forget it. We’ve got more important things to do, you know. There’s the new edition of Bon Appetit to read. Although, I bet they’ve never featured a crock pot recipe! Now, on with the show.
Fixings for a big ole pot of chili!
Open, drain and rinse the pinto and black beans. Add to the crock pot. Dump in the cans of kidney beans, too. You can drain them, but I like the added liquid and the thickening that it adds. Pour in all the canned tomatoes with their juices.
Dice up the onion and garlic. Dice up the jalapeno, seeds and all. This is a very spicy chili. If you feel the need, you can deseed and devein the jalapenos. We won’t tell anyone. Get your spices out. Retrieve the cold Guinness from the fridge. Leave his 11 companions for later consumption.
Add the diced veggies and the spiced to the pot.
Now, crack open the secret weapon, the Guinness beer and pour that in. Watch that sugar foam.
Reach over and scratch the head of the kitchen kitty, since it just popped up over the counter.
Nothing gets cooked in this kitchen without her approval. Wash hands because cat hair is not an approved condiment. Now, mix the chili makings all up. You’ll notice that I did not add any salt. I think that all the canned veggies add enough salt. Give yours a taste, if you think it needs salt, add it.
Kitchen kitty will approve. Now, cover up the crock pot and cook the chili at low for 6 hours. Give it a stir about the halfway mark, just to make sure everything is still just fine. When done, serve with plenty of grated cheese, some cilantro and even some more jalapeno slices. Top with some sour cream, if you’re into that sort of thing. Break out the crackers, crack open a cold beer and enjoy!
- 2 – 15.5 oz cans of dark red kidney beans
- 1 – 15.5 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 – 15.5 oz can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 – 10 oz can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 – 10 oz can of Rotel Hot Tomatoes with Habaneros
- 1 – 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
- ½ cup of dark brown sugar
- 2 jalapenos, diced. Remove seeds, if desired.
- ½ cup diced onions
- 2 Tablespoons diced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 Tablespoons of Chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle powder
- 1 – 12oz bottle of Guinness beer
- Get out your crock pot. I used a 6 qt one. Wash and dice your onion, jalapeno and garlic. Deseed and devein the jalapeno to control the heat, if desired.
- Open, drain and rinse the black and pinto beans. Dump in the crock pot. Add in the dark red kidney beans.*
- Pour in all three cans of tomatoes, with their juices. Add the brown sugar, ground cumin, chipotle powder and chili spices. Add in the jalapenos, onion and garlic. Pour the beer over all. Stir well to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Serve topped with shredded cheese and cilantro. Serve with crackers and hot sauce. Plop on some sour cream, if desired. Don't forget the beer!
- * Note: you may drain and rinse the kidney beans if you want. I like the additional liquid and thickness they give to the chili.