Paleo Chunky Chili

Here is a wonderful recipe that I got from Gavin from Functional Pattern on YouTube.  I didn't prepare it the way he did, and will do what I did.

After about 10 hrs of cooking

Ingredients:

Spices, Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Green & Yellow Bell Peppers (diced), Tomatoes (diced)

Love my garlic!

• 2 lbs of beef stew meat in small chunks (if they stew meat is in large chunks, cut into smaller chunks)
• 2-3 lbs of ground beef (or ground sirloin)
• 5 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons each - coriander, paprika, cumin, sea salt, unsweetened cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon African seasonings (from Trader Joe's)
• 1 dried chipotle pepper, ground into a powder (or 1 Tbspn chipotle powder)
• 4 large tomatoes, top cored out, halved and big slices
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 jalapeno, stem removed (if you don't like it spicy, don't add)
• 1 lb sliced bacon (preferably no nitrites) slices, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 10 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced
• 3 large tomatoes, top cored out and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup Spicy Chipotle BBQ Sauce - if you don't have this, use a low sugar, no grain BBQ sauce - I just happen to have this leftover from another dish I made.  This keeps for 2-3 weeks in the frig.
• 2 - 14 oz cans low sodium, natural chicken broth (I didn't have any already made chicken broth left)
• 1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

Directions:

• Cook bacon on medium high heat in a large pan until cooked, but not crispy.

Uncooked bacon cut into 1" pieces

Bacon cooked, but not crispy

Cooked bacon set aside

• Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and place in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Leave bacon grease in the pan. 
• Sauté onions in bacon grease on medium high heat for a couple minutes and then add ground beef.  Cook until crumbly.  Set aside in a large bowl.

Bacon Grease Left in hot oil

Onions in bacon grease sautéing 

After a couple minutes cooking

Added ground beef & cooked for a few minutes

• Brown stew meat:

• Place stew meat in crockpot over raw diced peppers and diced tomatoes.

• Add ground beef & onion mixture atop stewed meat.
• Place dried chipotle pepper in a coffee grinder and grind until a powder.  If you have chipotle powder, you can put in 1 Tbspn.

Dried Chipotle Pepper

Chipotle Pepper Ground in Coffee Grinder

• In a blender (I used a Blentec), place the for cored, halved, sliced tomatoes (4 of them), 5 cloves garlic, 1 jalapeno and blend until smooth.  Set aside.

• Add seasonings & spices (coriander, paprika, cumin, sea salt, cacao powder, ground pepper, chipotle pepper powder, African seasonings) to meat mixture in crockpot.  Pour the tomato mixture from the blender into crockpot with spices, as well as pour the Chipotle BBQ sauce in, too.

• Add bacon, chicken broth & tomato paste.

• Cover and cook on low for at least 8 hrs.
• If more salt or other seasonings are needed, add to taste.