Our slow cooker chili is made in a crock-pot with chunks steak and ground beef, beans, tomatoes, fresh chili sauce and even some coffee for extra richness.
2smallpoblano chili peppersroasted, seeded, deveined and diced
1largechipotle pepperchopped + teaspoon of adobo sauce
28ouncewhole tomatoescanned
10.75ouncescan tomato puree
15.5ounceskidney beanscanned, drained and rinsed
2teaspoonsoregano
2tablespooncoffeebrewed (can be left over from your morning java)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepperto taste
Suggested Toppings: cheese, scallions and sour cream
Instructions
When handling chilies put on a pair of rubber gloves.
You can skip this step if you like heat. If not, open up the chili lengthwise with kitchen scissors, then remove the stems, seeds and any light-colored veins inside the chilies. This step will remove most of the heat from the fruit. If you like spicy food, set aside some of the seeds to add a little extra heat. You can add a lot or just a little of the seeds to make things hotter.
Toast the chilies in a dry pan or skillet for 30 to 40 seconds on each side.
Place the chilies into a bowl and soak the chilies in very hot water for about 30 minutes.
If the chilies float too much use a clean heavy object to hold them down into the hot water. This will ensure that both sides of the chili become pliable.
While the chilies are soaking, brown ground beef and onions over medium-high heat in a large skillet, with 1 tablespoon of cumin. Once the meat has browned, drain grease and add the hamburger and onions to the slow cooker.
Next, add the steak cubes to the pan and brown to sear the meat the same pan. The beef doesn’t need to cook through, but it needs to sear as much as possible, to seal in the juices of the meat. Remove seared steak cubes and add to the slow cooker.
Remove the chilies from the soaking water. Ensure that stems are removed and add the chilies plus some of the soaking water to a blender and puree. Make between 1/2 - 1 cup of chili sauce by adding a little of the soaking water at a time.
Strain the sauce to catch any large bits of skin or seeds that did not grind up into the slow cooker.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir well to incorporate. Cook on high heat for 4 hours or on low heat for 6-8 hours. Stir occasionally.
When the chili is ready, give it a taste and adjust salt and pepper accordingly.
Serve warm with cheese, scallions and sour cream or any toppings of your choice.
Notes
Cook on High-Heat for 4 Hours OR 6-8 Hours on Low.To really kick up this chili, substitute 1-pound of smoked beef brisket in place of the chuck-eye steaks!
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