Comfort Food Classic: Slow-Cooker Southwest Chili

Nothing beats a good chili on a cold day, especially when it's served with our favorite cornbread. We wanted to create a hearty, hot chili in true Southwest style: plenty of meat, plenty of beans, and of course corn. When crafting this recipe, we wanted to make something that was easy, because who wants to put in a lot of work when it's chilly outside and you just want to curl up by the fire? 

To make easy chili, the slow cooker felt natural. From there, it was finding the right layer of ingredients to really make this chili shine. We used canned beans for the simplicity, but if you would prefer to use dried beans, just quick brine them. Use 1/2lb dried pinto beans, and combine with 3 tablespoons of salt and 4 quarts of water in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. After that, just drain and you're good to go. Ready to make some serious comfort food? Scroll below for our favorite slow-cooker chili recipe...

Slow-Cooker Southwest Chili

(makes 10 servings)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 6 gloves garlic, chopped
• 2 small cans corn kernels no salt added, drained
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 2lbs lean ground beef
• 1lb hot Italian sausage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 bottle lager (Sam Adams work very well)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon light molasses
• 2 15oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 small jalapeno chili peppers, seeded, stemmed, and diced
• 2 arbol peppers, seeded, stemmed, and diced
• 3 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and break apart the ground beef and sausage. Cook until beef is evenly browned, and sausage is cooked (about 8 or so minutes). Drain and discard any excess grease.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low for 10 hours, or high for 4 hours.
3. To serve, garnish with cheese and serve with sour cream.
4. Enjoy!