Deemed "The Best Chili on Earth"

Let me preface this post with a big fat two-part disclaimer:

1.) I am N O T a chef, cook or nutritionist. I credit my food-making abilities to Pinterest, my Kitchen Aid mixer, and creativity. Sometimes I get a resounding, "mmmmhmm-can't-speak-too-busy-making-mmmhmmm-sounds", and sometimes I get the infamous, "you know what would be great on this? Old Bay." {aka, I need to drown this "unique-flavor" with the almighty potent spice of the eastern shore} Ya win some, ya Old Bay some.

2.) I am N O T a photographer, of any shape, size or sector. This includes food. Especially food. So excuse my foodie snaps—I promise it's always more appetizing than it may look. 

Now that we've gotten the housekeeping items out of the way, let's get to cookin'! Or, crockin', in this case.

I found this recipe on Pinterest {shocker} and was instantly intrigued. "Best Chili on Earth"? That's a bold statement. Now, the hubs claims to l o v e my usual chili recipe, so I was reluctant to switch it up, but we were having company over and I didn't have much time to tend to the stove so I needed a full-proof crockpot chili. This was the most frequent and highly acclaimed crockpot chili on Pinterest—I just HAD to know if it was the "best on earth."

I followed Pip & Ebby's chili to a T, except the following omissions:

• I only did one jalapeno pepper instead of two, since one of our "guests" was a wee lad and I didn't want to overwhelm them with spice.
• I used 2T parsley flakes instead of 1/4 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley because, again, not a chef, and who the heck has fresh parsley on hand?
• I went the ground chicken route, mostly because we're just ground chicken type of people {we don't find ground turkey to hold flavor as well}.
• I left out the pinto beans because the hubs has just recently ventured into the world of beans and I didn't want to over-bean him.

The only addition I made was, in my opinion, a chili MUST: beer. It ain't chili unless it has that aromatic beer flavor. Lagers are my favorite, especially seasonal lagers because they come with a whole burst of added spices. I popped open a Leinenkugel Octoberfest and poured about 1/2 a cup in to the chili that was brewing in the crockpot. {If I have to tell you what to do with the rest of the beer, we need to have a little sit down chat.}

 

Otherwise, I followed Pip & Ebby's play-by-play, taking the crockpot route and simmering for 8 hours on low.

The verdict? Pretty dang good! Best on earth? For some, maybe. Did it absolutely blow my socks off? There was a strong wind, but I'm not sure they blew off. However, one of my guests did say, "this is REALLY good", not once, but twice. The first time I always accept as a courtesy, but if they're so inclined to say it again, then dang, it must be good! The hubs also approved, and the recipe has officially been added to my Tried & Tested arsenal on Pinterest. 

The Best Chili on Earth

Serves: 12

Total time: 8-9 hrs (slow cooker) or 2 1/2 hr (stovetop)

• 2 pounds ground beef, turkey or venison {I used 2 lbs. of ground chicken}
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow or white onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped {I used 2T of parsley flakes}
• 2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped (optional) {I only used 1 jalapeno to make it more kid-friendly}
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 46-oz. can tomato juice
• 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 15-oz. can tomato sauce
• 16-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 16-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed {Omitted}
• {Added 1/2 cup of beer}
• Shredded cheese and sour cream, for topping

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, cook ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Drain excess grease from skillet, but do not clean.
2. Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion, green pepper, garlic, parsley and jalapeño peppers (if using). Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined.
3. If cooking the chili stovetop, add the cooked meat back to the skillet. If you are using a slow cooker, add everything to the slow cooker. Add the tomato juice, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans and pinto beans. On stovetop, bring to a boil, dial back to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours. In slow cooker, cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Serve warm with cheese and sour cream. {And biscuits/rolls - duh.}