Slow Cooker Chili Con Carne

By vealam

Chili con carne with hearty hunks of beef slow cooked in tomatoes with a ton of spices, bacon, garlic, onion, chipotle and jalapeno peppers. No beans allowed. Not in this chili. This chili is a celebration of meat.

Ingredients

• for serving:
• 8 ounces smoked bacon
• 2 - 2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck steak or roast, cut into 1/2 - 1-inch cubes
• coarse sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper
• vegetable or olive oil, for browning the meat
• 2 large yellow or Spanish onions, diced
• 2 jalapeno pepper, seeds and stems removed, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers in adobo plus 2 tablespoons of the sauce they come in (like this )
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth or 1 bottle dark beer
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder (like this )
• 2 teaspoons ground ancho chile pepper (like this )
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crushed between your fingertips
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons masa like this or 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
• shredded sharp cheddar or pepper jack
• tortilla chips
• cooked rice
• sour cream
• avocado
• chopped green onions

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan or baking sheet with sides with aluminum foil. Lay the bacon down in one layer and bake 12 - 15 minutes or until crispy. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Season the cubes well with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the cubes in batches turning to brown on 2 - 3 sides. Add more oil to the pan in between batches as needed. Add them to a 4 quart crockpot or larger.
Add 2 more tablespoons oil to the pan set over medium heat and cook the onion, jalapenos and garlic until softened, seasoning them well with salt and pepper. Add the chipotle peppers and sauce, stir and cook 2 more minutes. Add them to the pot.
Add the tomatoes, broth, vinegar, all the seasonings including 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the masa or cornstarch slurry. Crumble up the bacon, set aside a little bit for garnishing and add the rest. Stir it all together.
Cook on high 4 - 5 hours or low 8 hours, tasting during the last hour or two and adding more seasonings, salt or pepper as needed.
Serve with your choice of garnishes over rice, if desired.
Notes:

To make it without the heat omit the jalapeno and chipotle peppers. The ancho peppers are quite mild – I feel comfortable telling you to leave it in or cut the amount in half.