Last night, My Michael and I invited our dear friends, Clare and Mike, over to watch the Patriots vs. the Steelers with our three teenaged boys. We were thrilled with the final score.  We are even more excited to see the Pats play the Falcons on February 5.

In true football fashion, I decided to cook up some chili and boy was it a hit!  So, here is the recipe.  Maybe you want to try it to serve on Super Bowl Sunday.

What you’ll need:

• 
1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound Italian hot sausage, casings removed
• 1 pound bacon cooked till crispy and chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer – I prefer an IPA
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 cups beef broth, or as needed
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed well

What to do:

Preheat oven to 425. Line a half sheet pan with foil. Place bacon on pan and cook for approximately 12 minutes, until crispy

Let bacon cool and chop.

Place a pot over high heat. Drizzle in olive oil.

Add, ground beef and sausage. Break up meat with and wooden spoon into small pieces as it browns. After meat browns and releases its juices, drain in a colander to remove the grease. Set the meat aside

Add diced onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for another minute.
Reduce heat to medium-high. Add garlic, chile powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper, cinnamon, cocoa powder, Italian seasoning, cayenne. Cook and stir until mixture begins to darken, 3 or 4 minutes.
Stir in beer, water, half of the bacon (reserve the remaining 1/2 pound for garnish,) and pinto beans, and tomato sauce; stir well. Bring to a simmer; adjust heat to medium-low. Simmer 60 minutes.

If mixture becomes too thick, add a bit more water.

I keep this warm in a crockpot until ready to serve.

Serve with grated cheddar, reserved bacon and a big yummy dollop of sour cream.

GO PATS!

Sparkle on, Friends!