The Best Crockpot Chili (Brennan’s Slow Cooker Chili)

The Best Crockpot Chili is also known among our family and friends as Brennan’s Slow Cooker Chili Recipe. My husband worked hard on perfecting it and it’s delicious!

As a stay-at-home-mom, I’m usually the one who does all of the cooking, baking and shopping in our house. But, every once in awhile, my husband decides that he wants to play in the kitchen. Thankfully, Brennan can cook, so I never have to fear what might come out of the oven.

Plus, our father used to barge into our “mom’s kitchen” all of the time, so I’m really quite used to it. I actually like getting a break once in awhile, and I think it’s really important for our children to see their father cooking too. They need to understand that fathers can cook, and fathers can scrub the toilets, just like mothers can take in the garbage pails, and mothers can use a hammer, and so forth.

One of my favorite memories from my childhood involves watching our father toss breakfast sausages into my mother’s homemade stuffing whenever she went to wash her hands at the kitchen sink. She hated breakfast sausages in her Thanksgiving Day stuffing and preferred to brown real sausage meat instead. It was a yearly love-filled battle for them. Perhaps if my father was a bit more mature and didn’t laugh his fool head off the entire time, she would have eventually given in. Then again, I’m pretty sure his slam dunking motions really ticked her off. 😉

Anyways, my husband’s been tweaking the best crockpot chili recipe ever since we moved in together, and it has only gotten better with time. Sometimes, we cook it in the slow cooker, and sometimes we cook it on the stove top – either way, it’s very tasty. This recipe will provide you with enough chili to feed 8-10 people; we usually freeze half of the batch for another time.

THE BEST CROCKPOT CHILI (BRENNAN’S SLOW COOKER CHILI)
Servings: 8-10 people

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 pounds ground beef, 90% lean
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 1 can (15 oz) Goya black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 oz) Goya pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 oz) Goya red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1.25 oz Chili Seasoning
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies*
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cans (5.5 oz) spicy V8 juice
• Extras: wholegrain rice, tortilla chips (We LOVE Late July chips.)
• Garnish: Whole-fat plain yogurt, scallions, tomatoes, avocado, cheddar cheese, etc.

*If you can’t find diced tomatoes with green chilies, just substitute plain diced tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of canned green chilies. They are usually sold in a 4 oz can, and they freeze well for other dishes, so save any leftover chilies.

Directions:

Step 1: Brown ground beef in a large saucepan. While meat is browning, add chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper; stir frequently.

Step 2: Push meat to the side; and add onion, garlic, and peppers. Sauté vegetables for 5 minutes, or until just softened.

Step 3: Add chili seasoning and beans; stir. Pour V8 over the entire mixture; stir.

Step 4: To make chili in a slow cooker, cook on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours or on LOW for 8 hours. To continue cooking on the stove top, cook on medium-low heat for 1 hour stirring occasionally to prevent chili from sticking to bottom.

Step 5: Serve plain, over rice, or with tortilla chips. Garnish with Greek yogurt, scallions, chopped tomatoes, and cheddar cheese, if desired.

Happy Tailgating,

Denine

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