#1,183: Easy Crockpot Ground Beef and Pork Chili

Chili is such a hard recipe to make and to please everyone who eats it.  Everyone has a different preference for the kind of chili they like: with/without beans, type of meat, traditional vs white chili, with or without beer/chili powder/hot sauce, etc.   There is no way to please everyone.  So I was a little nervous about making this chili for A and M's joint birthday party this weekend with my family.  I personally enjoyed this chili, although I don't think it would win any sort of chili cookoff competition...but let's be honest, I'm still partial to my mom's chili that she made growing up. 

Anyhow, here is the recipe I made to serve my family, which we enjoyed...but I made so much I have A TON leftover.  I think my co-workers might be benefitting from my over-cooking tomorrow for lunch. Would I make this again?  Yes I would!  Although there are a lot of ingredients, it was easy to make and I love that I could cook it in my crockpot.

2 1/2 lb. lean chuck or lean sirloin, ground (I used ground turkey)
1 lb. lean pork, ground
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 oz. hunt's tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 can beer (12 oz.)
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons instant beef bouillon (or 6 cubes)
2 Tablespoons cumin, ground
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons oregano leaves
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon coriander, ground (I omitted)
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce 

1 can stewed sliced roma style tomatoes with oregano and basil, 28 ounces, drained (I used plain diced tomatoes instead)

1 can red kidney beans, 15 ounces, drained

1 can cannellini beans, 15 ounces, drained

Last steps: 

1 teaspoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon warm water

In a large saucepan brown brown the ground beef and pork.  About half way through, add in onions and garlic and continue cooking until meat is no longer pink.  Place cooked beef/pork mixture into a large crockpot.  

Add the tomato sauce, water, beer, chili powder, bouillon, cumin, paprika, oregano, sugar, coriander, cocoa, hot sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans and cannellini beans. Mix well.

Set the crock pot to low and cook for 4-6 hours.  (Mine went as long as about 7 hours).

In a small bowl, stir together the cornmeal, baking soda, and flour, then add the warm water and mix well. Stir into chili and cook, covered, for an additional 20 minutes.

Top your chili with all your favorite toppings: cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, oyster crackers, Fritos, red or white onions, green onion, hot sauce, avocado, over cooked noodles, etc.