All-Day Slow-Cooked Chili

A big pot of beef and sausage chili with every kind of canned bean, simmered all day in the slow cooker. Serve it with Cornbread and a spread of toppings. Makes about 5 quarts, enough for 10 people.

Ingredients (serves 10):

Chili:

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground sausage
  • 2 large yellow onions, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste (from the pantry)
  • 4 cups (32 ounces) beef broth
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Canned beans (all of them):

  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) pinto beans
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) dark red kidney beans
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) great northern beans
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) cannellini beans
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) garbanzo beans
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) mild chili beans, with their sauce
  • 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans

Toppings:

  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 1 bunch scallions, sliced
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • 3 avocados, diced
  • 2 jalapeños, sliced

Instructions:

  1. Brown the ground beef and ground sausage together in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking them up, until no pink remains. Add the onions for the last 5 minutes and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain off the excess fat.
  2. Transfer the meat mixture to a 6 to 7 quart slow cooker.
  3. Whisk the tomato paste into the beef broth with the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Pour it over the meat.
  4. Drain and rinse the black, pinto, kidney, great northern, cannellini, and garbanzo beans, and add them to the slow cooker. Add the chili beans with their sauce. Stir in the refried beans until they dissolve into the liquid.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or on high for 5 to 6 hours), stirring once or twice if you can.
  6. Taste and adjust the salt and chili powder. If the chili is too thick, stir in a little more broth or water; if it is too thin, leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes.
  7. Serve hot in bowls with the cheese, sour cream, and vegetable toppings set out so everyone can build their own.

Cook's Notes:

  • The refried beans thicken the chili and make it creamy. Skip them for a more brothy chili.
  • Chili tastes better the next day. It keeps in the fridge for 4 days and freezes well for 3 months.