My Favorite Chili

By janicecraig

This is the only chili recipe I've used for the last 8 years or so. I think its pretty outstanding. I vary the hot ingredients depending on who will be eating it and the mood I'm in. I've also used ground venison and it was just as good.

Ingredients

• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup green pepper, diced
• 1 large celery rib, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 lbs ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash seasoning mix
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup chili powder
• 2/3 cup dark beer
• 1 (16 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 cups water
• kidney bean (optional)
• cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

1 In a large kettle, stir fry the onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in the vegetable oil for about 8 minutes or until tender. 2 Add the ground beef and cook until done. 3 Drain. 4 Return meat to kettle, add remainder of ingredients (and kidney beans) and enough water to come to the top of the chili ingredients. 5 Stir til mixed completely. 6 Simmer on low heat, uncovered for at least 3 hours. 7 Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream if desired.