Rich, flavorful, loaded with veggies and black beans, this chili would more than likely be very tasty without adding any meat, but then…
imagine a kinda cunning (if I do say so myself), but wicked simple, blend of ground beef, ground pork, and seasonings that is just about the only way I will prep burgers any more, and is now also fastly becoming my default combination for any recipe calling for ground beef. I think it worked a treat on this chili, and believe you may, too.
I based my recipe on one found in this slow cooker cook book by Stephanie O’Dea. I love the fact that many of her recipes are so much more than the old “dump a can o’ cream of sumpin’ soup over a chunk of meat and go out and do stuff until it’s done.”
I did, however, add a ton of extra veggies, some chicken stock, and a wee, tiny bit of good sherry to mine; and swapped out black beans for the red called for.
INGREDIENTS
Meat Blend:
•1/2 lb ground beef
•1/2 lb ground pork
•1/4 tsp seasoned salt
•1/2 tsp paprika
•1/2 tsp dried parsley
Chili:
•1 lb bag dried black beans
•1 tsp salt
•1/4 tsp paprika
•1/4 tsp dried parsley
•1 cup diced green pepper
•3 cups diced red pepper
•2 cups diced onion
•4 plum tomatoes, chopped
•1 lb bag frozen white corn
•1 cup barbecue sauce
•2 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce
•1 tbsp chili powder
•1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
•1 tsp ground cumin
•1 tsp dried oregano
•1 cup chicken stock
•1/2 cup sherry
•1 tbsp smoked brown sugar
•1 tbsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce – or your own fave hot sauce, to taste
•Freshly ground black pepper
•Freshly chopped parsley
Toppings:
•Shredded Cheddar cheese
•Sour Cream
•Freshly ground black pepper
•Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
Rinse and pick over the beans, then cover with four cups or so of cold water and set aside to rest overnight.
The next morning, drain and rinse the beans, then cover with fresh water, stir in the salt, paprika, and parsley, then bring to a boil for ten minutes.
Combine the beef and pork with the seasoned salt, paprika, and parsley and stash in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.
In a large skillet, cook the seasoned meat mixture, breaking it up into small bits, until cooked through. Drain.
Add the green and red pepper, and the onion to the pan and sauté until the veggies are tender, about eight minutes.
Drain off any cooking liquids, then transfer to a large slow cooker with the beans, tomato, corn, barbecue sauce, Sherry Peppers Sauce (if you don’t have any, no worries, mebbe just a 
bit of your favorite steak sauce) remaining seasonings, and the chicken stock.
Stir to mix, then cover and cook on low for eight to ten hours.
About an hour before serving, stir in the half cup of sherry and the smoked brown sugar.
If you don’t want to buy smoked brown sugar, which is kinda pricey, go ahead and use regular brown sugar. I should note, though, that you really don’t use a lot of this stuff, and that hint of smoky sweetness is very, very nice.
Give it a taste after 30 minutes. I thought it could use a bit more bite, so added the tablespoon of hot sauce and the black pepper. Let it cook for another 30 minutes, then serve.
I ladled our chili into soup crocks, topped it with freshly shredded sharp Cheddar, and popped both in the ‘wave for 30 seconds to get this lovely melted cheese chili.
Yum.
We topped our individual bowls with sour cream and freshly ground black pepper (we like our pepper in this house) and some freshly chopped parsley, and served it along side, fresh from teh bread machine, Sweet Honey French Bread.
Nice chili.
You should also try serving this over some freshly cooked spaghetti, sprinkled with shredded cheese and chopped green onion.