Big Papa’s Sweet Heat Chili
10
servings1
hourThis recipe is the creation of my husband, Big Papa. He loves chili and has entered this into two chili cookoffs (it won 3rd place). He has made many batches and has finally figured out the perfect combination of sweet and heat.
Big Papa’s Sweet Heat Chili has so much meat and savory vegetables. This recipe fills up a 10-quart crockpot but could be halved for a smaller batch. The combination of the ground chuck, turkey, sausage, and bacon is a meat lover’s dream. The vegetables add so much savory flavor and the molasses, brown sugar, and chili sauce add sweetness to the heat. Once all of the ingredients are mixed well, the chili is then moved to a large 10-quart crock pot (if you don’t have one, click the link for the one we use) for 6-8 hours to allow the flavors to meld together for the perfect pot of deliciousness.
I recommend serving it with sour cream, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and cornbread.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the number of ingredients. My husband has a storage bin where he keeps all the chili spices to make it easy when he is ready to make another batch. We give a lot of chili to friends and family and freeze whatever we don’t eat in a day or two. It reheats well and makes a great meal for days you don’t cook.
Most of the time, I make myself a sous chef for his chili-making days. We enjoy working in the kitchen together and I do his least favorite part, chopping the veggies. I found this great gadget for helping get the veggies chopped faster and making each piece uniform size. Here is a link to the veggie chopper we use. Many grocery stores also sell already chopped veggies for a quick recipe prep.
Ingredients
- Meat
2 lbs ground chuck
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground Italian sausage (any heat you prefer)
10 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled
- Spices
1/4 tsp red cayenne pepper
1 tsp habanero powder
1 tsp mace
1 tsp Thai red curry powder
1/3 cup chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tbsp instant coffee
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
- Other Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 can of each red kidney beans
1 can of pinto beans
1/4 cup molasses
1 can chicken broth
2 shots whiskey or bourbon (optional)
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 – 6 oz cans of tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
1 bottle Heinz chili sauce
1 bottle of Modelo or Blue Moon beer (optional)
1/2 of 3.25 Chef Prudhomme’s Magic Pepper Sauce
1 jar Tostitos Medium Salsa
2 small cans of green chilis
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
- Vegetables
1 cup chopped celery
3 habanero peppers (diced)
4 jalapenos (diced)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Green bell pepper (seeded and diced)
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 red sweet onion (diced)
Directions
- Over medium heat, in a large stop pot, heat olive oil and add onion, garlic, and celery for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add in the ground beef, turkey, and sausage, stirring regularly until fully cooked, no pink color should remain in the meat. Add in the cooked and crumbed bacon.
- Add in all of the seasonings and stir thoroughly into the meat mixture. Fold in the beans, molasses, chicken broth, whiskey or bourbon, Worcestershire, tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili sauce, beer, magic pepper sauce, salsa, green chilis, honey and brown sugar.
- Transfer the mixture to an extra-large (10 qt) crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Notes
- Store in air-tight containers for 2-3 days.
- This recipe contains affiliate links.