Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

rowan's best chili

(2 ratings)
Recipe by
Susi Matthews
Kansas City, MO

I've moved a lot; hate moving but sometimes it's necessary. When asking good friends to come help you move, it's a great idea to bribe them with food. If you're known as a good cook; you end up getting great and plentiful help. This recipe has been honed though years of tasting and adding and pleasing friends, who come back for seconds and thirds. Now, it may seem difficult with lots of ingredients, but once begun, it's easy and SO good; a rich and complex blend of flavors. Believe me, it's worth a bit of trouble!

(2 ratings)
yield 10 -15
prep time 1 Hr 20 Min
cook time 3 Hr

Ingredients For rowan's best chili

  • 1 c
    black beans, dried (1/2 pkg)
  • 1 c
    red beans, dried (1/2 pkg)
  • 3-5 bottle
    guinness
  • 1 lb
    hamburger or stew meat
  • 1 1/2 lb
    thick-cut bacon
  • 1/2 lb
    ground pork sausage (hormel)
  • 1/4 c
    vegetable oil (or bacon grease)
  • 1 lg
    onion
  • 3-4 clove
    garlic
  • 1
    green pepper
  • 1
    jalapeno pepper, seeded
  • 1 or 2
    poblano pepper, seeded
  • 1 Tbsp
    penzey’s pork chop seasoning
  • 2 Tbsp
    penzey’s cumin
  • 4 Tbsp
    penzey’s chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp
    penzey’s coriander
  • 1 tsp
    ground pepper, freshly ground
  • 2
    unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 tsp
    penzey's cinnamon blend
  • 18 oz
    crushed tomatoes, canned or fresh, with liquid
  • 1 can
    tomato paste
  • 1/2 c
    brown sugar
  • 1/4 c
    dark molasses, to taste

How To Make rowan's best chili

  • 1
    Sort and rinse dried beans; put in stock pot, cover with water and simmer for an hour.
  • 2
    Drain and rinse, then add 2-3 bottles of Guinness (enough to cover beans), cover and simmer for an hour, ‘til beans are just tender. Set aside.
  • 3
    Heat up large cast pan and fry bacon ‘til crispy, put on paper towel and let cool, then crumble and set aside.
  • 4
    Chop all veggies and set aside.
  • 5
    Add oil/bacon grease to cast iron pan, heat on low temp. When oil starts to sizzle, add beef and pork sausage and season. Stir until browning starts.
  • 6
    Add veggies and stir until meat is browned and veggies are clear. Blot up any excess oil.
  • 7
    Plug in large crock pot on low; put meat and veggies in the stock pot.
  • 8
    Drain liquid from beans, retaining to add if needed, put beans into crock pot and stir.
  • 9
    Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste; if chili is too dry, re-add liquid and a bottle of Guinness, if needed.
  • 10
    Add sugar, molasses and a dollop of honey, if needed, stir in well.
  • 11
    Keep cover on crock pot and simmer until chili thickens. Serve with fresh corn bread and a salad.
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