10 Weeks of Chili, Week 9: Bacon Chili

I know, I know, this series has taken me way way way too long!  Way longer than 10 weeks!  I have to admit, I am growing oh so very tired of chili!  But, I absolutely insist on finishing the series!  This week’s chili was pretty decent.  I couldn’t really taste the bacon in it, so I’m not sure I would make it with bacon if I made it again (no sense eating bacon if you can’t even taste it).  Other than that, I enjoyed it, and I was pretty intrigued on the idea of bacon chili, so I’m glad I gave it a try.

Bacon Chili

 

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2, 16-oz cans black beans
• 1, 28-oz box chopped tomatoes
• 1, 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

• Brown bacon and ground beef in bottom of large pot.
• Drain most of excess fat.
• Add onions, garlic, red pepper, and spices, and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring.
• Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
• Simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Can simmer for several hours (which is what I did here).

Notes:

• This recipe was modified from a recipe I found at http://www.food.com/recipe/beef-chili-with-bacon-black-beans-208132 .  Thanks for the inspiration!