Ronnie's Chili

Ronnie's Chili
(Photo by Amy Bradt)

My brother Ronnie makes his killer chili whenever he visits from New York.  We like to use ground venison and wild hog whenever Skip gets lucky at the deer lease, but ground chuck roast works great in this as well along with the Italian sausage.

Printable Recipe

Recipe by: Ronnie Johnson Jr.                                                           Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 pounds ground meat (he uses 1 pound each of venison, lean ground beef, and hot Italian sausage)
1 large jalapeño pepper (with seeds), finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 medium garlic bulb, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon liquid Barbecue Smoke®
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
1/3 cup chili powder
3 large fresh bay leaves
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 (32-ounce) container beef stock
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (15-ounce) can Rotel® diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

Directions
Heat canola oil in slow cooker insert over medium-high heat.  Add the meats, and cook until no pink remains.  Add the jalapeno, celery, onion and garlic, and cook until meat is nicely browned.  Drain any grease before placing insert into the slow cooker.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer on high for four hours.  Reduce slow cooker heat to low, and continue cooking for another 1-2 hours.

Notes
Ronnie said he only uses three pounds of meat, as that's what his slow cooker will hold.  I used 2½ pounds of ground chuck roast, 1 pound of venison and 1 pound of sausage, for a total of 4½ pounds of meat.