Good morning, ya’ll!
It’s another beautiful brisk Minnesota Saturday morning which means that I have warm food on my mind. What is it about fall that makes eating a bowl of ground beef with tomatoes so appealing? In the summer this would just sound gross. This is one of those questions that I have had for quite some time. Fall = chili season. I’ll be honest though – when I make chili, I make it for him. Not a big fan of a bowl full of ground beef with tomatoes. Though I am always excited about finding ways to change up my chili to include new flavors. But the husband, he loves the chili. The truth is though, he takes my totally healthy paleo chili and tops it with cheese, sour cream, and extra cheesy goldfish. Hey, whatever makes him happy right?
So here is the latest version of a traditional “favorite”.
Smokey Bacon Chili
What you need
1lb ground beef
1lb ground pork
6 slices bacon
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
¼ white onion, diced
16oz tomato sauce
28oz crushed tomato
16oz diced tomato
½ cup beef broth
4 tbs chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp celery seed
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
What to do
In a large stock pot, cook bacon slices over medium heat. Set aside when done.
Remove some of the bacon fat
Then add your ground meat to the pan and turn heat up
When meat is cooked through, add all other ingredients and seasonings (except bacon). Mix well.
Once pot starts to boil, turn heat down to low
Crumble bacon on top then cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.