Spicy Touchdown Chili
For me, football, cool weather and chili just seem to go together. Whether I’m cheering on the local team on a Friday night or enjoying a Saturday afternoon of Oklahoma Sooner football with some friends, I enjoy serving this chili on game day. —Chris Neal, Quapaw, Oklahoma
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound bulk pork sausage
- 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each ) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with onions, undrained
- 1 can (12 ounces) beer
- 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeno slices
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped green onions, optional
Reviews
My boyfriend and I thought the original recipe was a bit bland. The next night, I heated it up to make a chili mac and added a tablespoon of smoked paprika, a half tablespoon more of cumin, a little salt, a quite a bit of black pepper and some sauteed minced garlic. It tasted significantly better after those additions.
Just a comment to those who thought the liquid content was on the lighter side --- if you're using Ro-Tel brand tomatoes with green chilies, check your can size. I typically buy the smaller 10 oz. cans, so in this recipe I use three of those to equal the 29 oz. called for in the ingredient list. It might make a difference overall... We like a thicker chili, so it's not really an issue for us. {grin} Also, I use a can each of kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans.
I love this recipe! I have made it several times and it is always a big hit. I substitute the bacon strips for real bacon bits to save some time.
I used hot Italian turkey sausage instead of pork. For all of the beans, I bought reduced sodium versions. Instead of the beer, I used beef broth. Because I couldn't find the diced tomatoes with onions, I upped the fresh onion to a medium sized one. I love this one because you can make it early in the day, pop it in the slow cooker and not have to miss any of the game. While it's great by itself, it also would make awesome nachos, or poured on top of a baked potato or a nice grilled hot dog. I was very happy with the heat level, but you can easily dial it up or down.
Can I make this and freeze this chili recipe?
What a great tasting chili! We ate ours with sweet cornbread and it was delious!
I made half the recipe to try it out and was pleased with the results, however, the heat level was a bit too much. I didn't have cumin in my spice cabinet, so that was eliminated. The recipe called for 1/8 cup of chili powder (1/4 cup for whole recipe), but I only used one tablespoon and I also eliminated the cayenne pepper. It was definitely a spicy chili even with those adjustments and my family was blowing their nose at the end of the meal! The flavor was great and I will make this again, however, I will cut back even further on the chili powder and jalapenos.
This is excellent! Makes a ton. I froze a couple freezer bags full. Really good flavor with the beer and bacon.
Made this because of good reviews and ease of preparation. I've made it twice now, love it and don't even like beer. Friends and family gave it awesome reviews! Super easy to make. When I first tasted it, I thought it wasn't too hot but the heat kind of sneaks up on you. You get a pleasant heat then it fades away. Not enough to make you sweat but it definitely let's you know it's there. At least that's how it worked with me. I did add an extra 1/2 pound of beef because I had it and left out the bacon because I didn't. Still great! This recipe pretty much filled my 6 quart crock pot. It's all good. Froze leftovers in single servings to take for lunch. My friend wants me to make sure I make enough for his lunch, too! I'll be making this for our next chili cook off! BOOMER!!!!!!!
I made this today and declare it a winner. I cooked it in my Instant Pot on the slow cooker mode. We loved it. You can adjust the heat by the amount of jalapenos, cayenne pepper, and hot or mild Rotel tomatoes you add. Use the mild Rotel and less peppers for a milder dish. I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious. Wonderful flavor. I highly recommend it.Volunteer Field Editor.