Nutz's Award Winning Chili

I completely forgot about the chili recipe until I came across it while I was tidying up the kitchen today. Cameron and I worked off of the Boilermaker Tailgate Chili recipe found on allrecipes.com. We made our own adjustments so I've written everything out below. Just in time for the cold weather...

Nutz's Award Winning Chili

2 lbs. Ground Beef Chuck

1 lb. Bulk Hot Italian Sausage

3 (15oz) Cans of Chili Beans in Medium Sauce

1 (15oz) Can of Chili Beans in Spicy Sauce

2 (14.5oz) Cans of Diced Tomatoes w/Basil, Oregano, Garlic

1 (14.5oz) Can of Diced Tomatoes w/Chili Seasoning 

1 (6oz) Can of Tomato Paste

1 Lg. Yellow Onion, chopped

3 Stalks of Celery, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped

2 Green Chili Peppers, seeded and chopped

4 Strips of Well-Cooked, Crispy Bacon Crumbled

4 Cubes of Beef Bouillon

1 Cup of Beer (Recommend: Scotch Ale, Wee Heavy)

1/4 C. Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Dried Oregano

2 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp White Sugar

1 tsp Dried Basil

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Cayenne Peper

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp of Hot Smoked Paprika

5-10 Drops of Texas Pete Hot Sauce

Directions: 

1. Brown beef and sausage. Drain off excess fat and transfer to slow cooker.

2. Cook bacon until crispy and remove from pan to let cool. 

3. Saute onion, celery, green and red bell peppers in bacon grease over medium high heat just until onion is slightly transparent. About 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute. Crumble bacon into mixture and transfer to slow cooker. Stir to combine with meat. 

4. Pour the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste into slow cooker. 

5. Add bouillon and beer, stir. Drink the rest of the beer, yum!

6. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, cumin, sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, hot paprika, and hot sauce. Stir to blend. 

7. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Taste and adjust spices after 6 hours of cooking. Do not add additional spices before it has cooked for at least five hours. Flavors need time to develop. 

8. Ideally, turn off slow cooker, set it outdoors or somewhere cool overnight. Warm it up the next day and serve. Freeze leftovers for a quick go-to meal all winter long.