Chili!

This is my recipe for Chili. Lots of the ingredients are to taste, because I think that dishes like chili and stew should be constantly evolving. This recipe is a version from about a year ago, but I just made some last night, and I changed it up a little bit. I've been told my chili is more stew than chili, but wikipedia verified that one can use a multitude of ingredients. Its a clean out your cabinet kind of dish, so if you have things on hand, throw them in!

Ingredients:
1/4 lb bacon
2small or 1 medium onions finely diced
3-6 cloves of garlic
1 can of chili beans ( I normally use mild)
1 16 oz can of diced or pureed tomatoes
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 can of black beans (well rinsed)
1 can of navy beans (well rinsed)
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb ground pork
salt (to taste)
brown sugar (to taste)
chili powder (to taste)
annato powder (to taste)
1/4-1/2 cup bar b que sauce (I use sweet baby rays Honey barbque)
cracked black pepper (to taste)
oregano (to taste)
1 bay leaf

Optional:
Fresh tomatoes
diced carrots
diced celery

Optional variations:
Use pork/beef instead of turkey/pork
Use maple syrup instead of brown sugar

Reduce 1/4 pound and 1sm to medium onion in a skillet. (normally I finely slice the bacon and then cook it so its in tiny pieces). Once the bacon and onions are reduced and rendered out, add the garlic. Stir for 2 mins. Add the meat. Cook until brown. Set crock pot on high. Add meat/onion/bacon and crusty bits from pan into crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients. You'll need a lot more chili powder than you expect, maybe 2 tbs. Normally I let it heat up for an hour, then taste it, and add more spices if I find it necessary. It should be rather thick. The chili powder flavor concentrates the longer it cooks, but I add a lot and it only has a low heat. The annato powder is a little bit more heated, but its yummy. Cook for 2-3 hours total, until all the flavors mingle. I typically prepare cornbread biscuits to go with it, or serve it with tortilla chips.

Another option is to cook it on low either overnight, or while you are at work. The ingredients can be prepped the night before, then refrigerate the crock pot, put it on before you head into work, and come home to dinner thats already been made!

Annato powder, as I've said before can be difficult to find at a normal grocery store. I find it in the ethnic spice section normally, and the Publix down here carries it. If you can't find it there, I believe most Latin American Supermarkets will carry it.