Country Bob's 24-Hour Chili

Sometimes on a cold winter day, all you want is to get warm. My family’s favorite soup, Country Bob’s Chili, is an excellent way to do just that. This dish can be personalized to fit the preferences of your entire audience. It makes perfect sense that not all of your guests will like onions, bell peppers, or venison. Some will like an added flare, a pop of color, or a thicker consistency. Although this recipe gives you the freedom to control these factors, the biggest choice ingredient is meat! When weighing these options, consider your picky eaters. The healthier option is venison, because it doesn’t include as much fat as beef. It just takes some getting used to! One thing to consider when planning your meal is the preparation time. Although it is worth the extra effort, this particular recipe requires a longer prep time than usual. To avoid a schedule conflict, consider cutting peppers and onions ahead of time. You can also pre-mix spices and set them aside to reduce back-and-forth trips to your cabinet during cooking. Now that you know all the details, let's walk through through the process:

Ingredients

2 lbs meat (ground beef, venison, or turkey)

1 (6 oz) can tomato juice

5.5 cups chicken stock

2 (16 oz) cans of black beans, drained & rinsed

13 oz bottle Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 (31 oz) can of whole tomatoes in puree

Liquid smoke (to taste)

1.5 cups sweet onion, chopped

¾ cup celery, chopped

2 cans (8 oz) green chilies

3 bell peppers (green, red, & yellow), chopped

7 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp chili powder

1.5 tsp cracked black pepper

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1.5 tsp cumin

1 tbsp Country Bob’s Seasoning Salt

Directions

1) Brown your choice of meat after it reaches room temperature, adding a fat to the pan to prevent it from burning; 2 Tbsp oil or butter should do the trick. People often make the mistake of heating meat while it is still frozen. It sounds like a good way to save time, right? Wrong! The ice that has not yet melted will end up steaming your meat, rather than browning it. Once that process is complete, drain grease to prevent the chili from having a watery consistency. It is a good idea to save the meat drippings to use in the sauteing process! Visit the Meat Eater website for tips on how to properly brown ground meat.

2) Add meat to chicken stock in the largest pot you can find. This will be a big batch and you’ll want to have room for it.

3) Saute the chopped onions in the remaining meat juice. Continue to stir the onions until they reach transparency. Then add garlic to the pan. If added at the same time, the garlic will burn, as it cooks much faster than the onions.

4) Pour in tomato juice, chili beans, kidney beans, vinegar, and All Purpose Sauce.

Add bell pepper for appealing color (if desired), then add onions, garlic, and spices.

5) Allow chili to come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours. Then, allow the pot to cool for the same amount of time, also resting in the refrigerator for as long as possible so that the ingredients can marinate (12-24 hours is desirable).

6) Enjoy your creation with cheese, crackers, and sour cream. Then freeze the leftovers!

*A tip from Country Bob’s: If you don’t add the small amount of vinegar, it will foam over as it comes to a boil. Two tablespoons should be enough. If it still begins to foam, add additional teaspoons until calm.