Award Winning Chili

It's getting chilly outside, so let's make some chili! Truly though, that moment in fall when the temperature finally drops and you pull out your favorite scarf and look at the falling leaves and think to yourself, I'm going to make a nice big pot of chili tonight, is one of life's true joys. Happy Fall, y'all!

And not only that, but I have a KILLER chili recipe for you! My mom was enormously proud of this chili recipe, and for good reason! See, every year, my church back home in Alabama would host a chili cook-off. For years, my mom was too busy organizing the Youth Group to be servers for the cook-off to ever enter herself. And we would end up with gazillions of chilis! White chili, Mexican chili, mild chili, spicy chili, and even Skyline Chili. The debate would rage: beans or no beans in your chili? It was a blast. And we ate SO much chili.

Well one year, after years of tinkering with her recipe, my mom finally entered her own pot of chili in the cook-off...and she WON! It was incredible and she was so proud. And I was proud of her too!

And gosh dangit, I've dug to the deepest depths of Facebook's photo albums and cannot find a picture of my mom from the chili cook-off or the award she won. I swear there was one out there, but oh well. Here are two pictures from one of the many cook-offs my church had:

So anyway, about the recipe! I think what makes it so amazing is that my mom was inspired by Skyline chili (we are from Ohio, after all!) and that recipe uses coca powder for a really wonderful depth of flavor. My mom's recipe also calls for a habanero pepper, which is just spectacular.

So let's get into it! **Oh, and fair warning: this recipe makes cook-off quantities of chili! If you're not in the mood to feed an entire army with this chili, or at least have lots of leftovers, you should probably halve the recipe!**

For your prep work: crush five cloves of garlic and finely mince 1 habanero pepper.

Begin by browning 2 lbs of ground chuck and 2 lbs of ground hot sausage. It's best if you do this step in a large stock pot, not a pan. Once browned, drain the grease off and remove the meat from the pan. Then cook the crushed garlic and minced habanero in the pan drippings until fragrant and softened.

Add the meat back to the pot. Then, add 48 oz of crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of oregano, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 6 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of cocoa, 1/2 a tablespoon of black pepper, and 1/2 a tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes.

Simmer everything over low heat for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Mom doesn't specify whether to leave it uncovered or not, but I covered it, to keep it from drying out. At this point, your house is going to smell AMAZING. Go put on some fuzzy socks and sip some cider by the fire while you wait for your chili to do its thing.

Next, add in two 16 oz cans of red kidney beans, undrained and stir to combine. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Then: BOOM. Your amazing chili is done!

You're going to be tempted to dive right in, but hold up! You gotta do your garnishes! Top your chili generously with shredded cheddar cheese, then a dollop of sour cream, then a sprinkling of chopped chives. At this point, it's a work of art. But better than that: it's Amy's Award Winning Chili!

What do you think? Does this sound delicious to you? Where do you land on the #beans vs. #nobeans debate? Will you try making this award winning chili? If you do, be sure to share how it goes in the comments below! I hope you love it as much as I do. XOXO

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground chuck

• 2 lbs ground hot sausage

• 2 - 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons oregano

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 6 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper

• 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 1 habanero pepper, minced

• 2 - 16 oz cans of red kidney beans, undrained

Garnish:

• Shredded cheddar cheese

• Sour Cream

• Chives, chopped

Directions

1. Crush the garlic and mince the pepper

2. Brown the ground chuck and ground sausage in a large stockpot. Drain and remove from pot.

3. Cook the garlic and pepper in the pan drippings of the pot until soft and fragrant.

4. Return the meat to the pot

5. Add the crushed tomatoes and all of the seasonings

6. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

7. Add the kidney beans and simmer for another 20 minutes.

8. Remove bay leaves

9. Serve in bowls and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and chopped chives. Enjoy!