"No Cap" Best Southern Style Chili Ever

This soup recipe, "No Cap" Best Southern Style Chili Ever, leans on lean ground beef, ground pork or pork sausage and white or yellow onion. It makes 8 servings and takes about 145 minutes.

• Yield 8 servings
• Ready in 145 minutes
• Prep 25 minutes
• Cook 120 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork or pork sausage
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium green bell pepper or poblano pepper, cored, seeded and chopped (about 1/2 to 1 cup)
• 1 medium stalk celery, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium jalapeno, cored, seeded and finely diced (leave seeds in for more heat)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder)
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups beef stock or beef broth
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 3/4 cup white grape juice or apple juice
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar (optional - helps cut the acidity)
• 1 tablespoon coarse, kosher salt (or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon finely ground pepper)
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions

1. In a large 7-quart pot, add the ground beef, pork or sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeno, and garlic. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the veggies have started to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain excess grease.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and give a good stir to combine.
3. Bring the chili to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, uncovered or partially covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot.
4. Add additional broth if the chili thickens too much while cooking. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
5. Serve warm with chili toppings of choice, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla or corn chips, green onions, etc.

The pot thickens as it sits. Add a spoon of water if you reheat it.