Mom's Old Republic Chili

Here's another chili recipe.... this one is different though, and very, very good! I love soups and love using my slow cooker, so I adapted this chili recipe to the slow cooker. It's my Mom's recipe, and she won a chili cook-off with it! It's a very meaty, manly recipe, but it seems to be popular with everyone.

If making this for a group, the large amount of meat and beans would be good, but since I was making it for just my family, I reduced the beef to one pound, and the bacon to a half-pound. I also used 2 cans of beans instead of 3, and one of those cans was a can of pink beans. I also used diced tomatoes instead of whole. For the bouillon, I used Trader Joe's condensed beef broth packet. Better than Bouillon would work, too.

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Mom's Old Republic Chili

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1 lb. bacon, diced

3 Tbsp. reserved bacon drippings

2 lb. beef stew meat or round steak, cut into cubes

2 medium onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup bottled barbecue sauce

1 cup tomato chili sauce

1/2 cup honey

3 (15-16 oz.) cans whole tomatoes, chopped

1 beef bouillon cube

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

3 (16 oz.) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Shredded Cheddar cheese, for garnish

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For slow cooker method: In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings. Brown beef cubes, onions and garlic in drippings. Move meat, onions and garlic to a large slow cooker. Set heat to "Low". Add all of the remaining ingredients, except cheese. Cover and cook on "Low" for about 8 hours. Top each serving with Cheddar cheese. Yield: 4 quarts.

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For stove top: In a large Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings. Brown beef cubes in drippings. Add onions and garlic, cooking until onions are soft. Return bacon to pot. Add all the remaining ingredients, except beans and cheese. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until beef is tender, about 3-4 hours. Add beans and heat through. Top each serving with Cheddar cheese. Yield: 4 quarts.

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