Sunday Slow Cooker Love - Chili

So I'm a chili baby.. had to even post on FB that I had no idea how to prep the beans! It turned out to be a giant discussion with "drain and rinse" coming out a head. I ended up just draining and not rinsing, so I have no idea if it would have made a difference. Everyone said it came down to how much flatulence you would be dealing with on the other end... but it's chili... I'm not going to church after a bowl either way!

So I cooked 5 pieces of bacon and pat them dry. I then sliced up 2 jalapenos and 1 large onion and put them in the bacon fat until they were sauteed. In a separate pot (oh yea - and I was making pancakes and eggs at the same time.... might have made a pancake or two crispy.....) I started browning the ground turkey from a local butcher.. mmm so good!  Added a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Before the turkey was fully cooked, I added the onions/jalapenos/bacon fat mixture. Once the turkey  was fully cooked, I put it all in the slow cooker <3

Then I added one can each of dark red kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato paste, and stewed tomatoes. Chopped up a green and red pepper and 3 minced garlic cloves. I forgot to drain the stewed tomatoes so I had to do a little extra cooking at the end with the top off. Wohoo! Topless cooking!

For spices, I added a packet of chili spices, 1 tbs cumin, 1 tsp cayenne powder, 1/4 cup ground chili powder, now here's where it gets freaky... 1 bottle of guinness, 1/3 cup molasses, a dark chocolate bar, and the devilishly delish chopped up bacon. A little extra salt and pepper for good measure. Sealed it up and walked away for 4 hours. Remember, when you open up a slow cooker, you set back your slow cooking time about a half hour each time you open it up. If you have the option to lock it closed, do that so you will be less temped to open it!

After the 4 hours, I took the lid off and did the last two hours without the lid so it would thicken up. I wish we had had some left over because it would have been way better day two. It was great, but I had a feeling day two would have been amaaaazing. If I had to do chili again and serve it day one, I would do less of the sweet additions. It ended up being a good mix of sweet and spicy. I'm not sure what I will try in the chili frontier next time... maybe the pumpkin chili recipe? :)

A heart of sour cream because Wyatt loves me! hahaha