Award Winning Crockpot Chili Recipe

Prepare the vegetables for the recipe first. Roughly chop the red and green peppers and celery into 1/2-inch pieces.

Seed the jalapeño pepper(s), removing the seeds and membrane, then finely dice. Use more jalapeño for a spicier chili. Peel and dice one small yellow onion.

Cook the bacon in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, until the bacon is lightly crisp but not overdone. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Sauté the vegetables in the bacon grease for about 5 minutes, until tender. Remove the vegetables from the skillet, draining as much bacon grease from the vegetables as you can.

Cook the ground beef in the skillet with the bacon grease. Cook the beef one pound at a time so the meat has enough room to brown and not steam. Break the ground beef into pieces about 1-2 inches. When cooked through, remove from the skillet and repeat with remaining meat.

Measure all of the spices into a small bowl, and mix together.

Mix the beef consommé or beef stock in the crockpot with the tomato paste. Add the Worcestershire sauce and spice mixture, and stir to blend. Taste the mixture and adjust spices as you like.

Add the cans of tomatoes and beans, all undrained. Add the beef and sautéed vegetables. Chop or cut the bacon into about ½ inch pieces and add to the crockpot chili mixture.

Cover and cook on low for about six hours. Do not lift the lid during cooking as this releases steam and extends cooking time.