Usually, I don’t use recipes for chili… I just make it how i feel that day..
I can think of how I typically make it:
Usually I use a big pot, not a slow cooker… but i think it would be the same.
Toss in slow cooker, on high:
2 cans dark kidney beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 can small red beans or light red kidney beans or cannellini beans (i know the spelling is wrong, the white beans)
1 large onion, chopped coarse
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
Brown 2 pounds ground sirloin, a half pound at a time. Season each with a tablespoon ground Ancho chili when half done.
(ancho has zero heat, just flavor – can also use mild chili powder) Also add a half teaspoon garlic to each when almost done.
Toss into slow cooker
Let it cook for about an hour, and then add half a large can of crushed tomatoes. (I like Furmano€™s “chunky crushed tomatoes)
In a pot on stove, I let it cook for ten-fifteen minutes before adding the tomatoes… with a slow cooker, maybe a hour?
Mince a large onion, sauté slowly to caramelize, then toss in slow cooker
Add:
2 tablespoons of medium strength chili powder
1 tablespoon of oregano
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Half a teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon – 2 tablespoons ground chipotle peppers (smoked jalapenos)
Tablespoon of Tabasco (or any other vinegary hot sauce)
Let it cook for several hours. (in a pot, it’s good after a hour. but the longer the better, so a slow cooker is perfect)
Sometimes I’ll use half ground beef/half stew beef, I like it either way, but my in-laws don’t like the stew beef, for instance.
Rarely, I’ll use a half-pound of Italian sausage in place of some beef.
Sometimes I€™d use no Cumin, and instead add Cilantro just before serving, to give it a bright taste instead of a deep taste.