Cold outside? How about Chili inside?

Outside of  bread, chili is the most useful thing to come out of a kitchen!!! Think about it for a second...what can't you put chili on? Burgers, nachos, baked potatoes, hot dogs, french fries, spaghetti, or in a bowl covered in cheese and onions, all are amazing options!  The only crime perpetrated by chili is that it now comes in...gasp...A CAN!!!!!!  Canned chili is to chili as hosewater is to Fiji Water.  Its that bad people.  So here is an easy version of delicious chili that can be enjoyed over several nights!  Ps.  Chili only gets better with time, the flavors marry together into an even more delicious dish.  Obviously this doesn't happen on the scale of wine...dont eat year old chili...or week old for that matter...

Texas Chili

16oz chopped bacon
32oz ground beef (90/10)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup chopped celery
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 anaheim chilis chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
worchestershire sauce...about five shakes of the bottle
2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
4oz tomato paste

Place a large pot on a burner set to medium heat, let it get hot.  Add the oil to the pot, then add chopped bacon, stirring occasionally.  Cook bacon until browned, then remove bacon from pot.
Add the beef into the pot, stirring to break apart the beef.  cook beef until almost cooked, remove beef from pot.  drain off most of the grease from the pot, only leaving about 2-3 tablespoons in the pot.  Add in your garlic.  Cook garlic for 2 minutes, then add your onion, celery, and anaheim chilis, cook until the vegetables are softened stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add your chipotle peppers, cook five minutes.  Add the tomato paste and stir in to mix.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add your canned tomatoes and stir to mix.  Add in your bacon and beef.  Now add in the rest of your spices and ingredients.  If the mixture is to dry, add some beef stock, a cup or so would do.  Cover and simmer for two hours, checking the liquid amount and stirring occasionally.  Chili should be thick, and not liquidy like a soup, but don't let it burn.

If you want to modify the flavors, I recommend adding 4 teaspoons old bay seasoning, and about 1/8 of a cup of hot sauce like tabasco.  (it will be spicy). 

You can also add in 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, oregano, and rosemary for a more Italian flavor.

If the chili is too spicy, add ketchup to the pot.  The sugars in the ketchup should mellow the flavor.  You may also add in sour cream to lessen the heat.