Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans
Ingredients
12 ounces center-cut bacon, sliced into 1⁄2-inch thick pieces
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Omit if you desire a milder chili.)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Omit if you desire a milder chili.)
2 pounds ground beef
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1⁄4 cup maple syrup
Salt
Instructions
1. Fry the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
2. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add half the beef. Cook, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink and beginning to brown. Add the remaining beef and cook, breaking up the chunks with the wooden spoon, until no longer pink.
3. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove the cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if the chili begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, stir in 1⁄2 cup water and continue to simmer), until the beef is tender and the chili is dark, rick, and slightly thickened. Stir in maple syrup. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt to taste. Serve with desired condiments.
Suggested condiments: diced fresh tomatoes, diced avocado tossed with lime juice, sliced green onions, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro leaves, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
Comments
I have a confession. I’ve never made a real meat chili before. I have made vegetarian chilis, but meat chili has always been Art’s domain. However, Art’s methods are not replicable and I wanted to find a chili method that I could blog about as well as enjoy. I scoured a few cookbooks and found this recipe in The New Best Recipe. I made a few minor adjustments, like the addition of maple syrup, and wished I had omitted the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper as well. It was just a tidge too spicy for my tastes, even with a nice dollop of sour cream!
Those things being said, this was a fantastic chili. Even Art approved and he’s picky when it comes to his chili. The bacon added lovely smokiness, the ground beef was great for the major meat component. I’m not a huge fan of kidney beans so the black beans were a fantastic change. I was very pleased with the result of this recipe and I think I’ll enjoy making minor modifications in the future. I could envision doubling the recipe and adding in an additional meat for more texture (like flank steak) and probably lentils or garbanzo beans as well.
Note to Self: I cannot fit a double batch of this in my Dutch oven.
Shown here with the absolute best Skillet Cornbread.
The New Best Recipe