Monday, January 17, 2011

Crockpot Spicy Bison and Pork Chili

Hello…“Dishboy” Scott here. I again have been given the honor of posting to Laura’s blog…so here goes: I have a theory about chili. I think most people tend to like the style of chili that they grew up eating. For me, that was a very “traditional” chili, so it shouldn’t surprise you that this chili recipe I created tends to favor the traditional style. However, it is also my tendency to like big, bold flavors, so I’ve departed from the usual a bit.

I make chili when I need something for dinner but don’t have much time to cook. It is as simple and fast to prepare as any of those “quick” meals that you make…it just doesn’t taste like it! I strongly recommend that you make this as I do, by cooking it all day in a Crockpot. There is something special that happens when you cook tomato-based products like spaghetti sauce and chili all day. You cannot duplicate the taste any other way.

You want to cook this at least until you are getting that heavily caramelized sauce sticking on the side of your Crockpot. I use an oval 5.5 quart Crockpot, and this starts to occur when it has been on high for around 5 hours. Please do NOT be afraid of this caramelized residue…it is the SECRET of awesome chili! Once this starts forming, I scrape the sides with a rubber spatula and stir this back into the sauce on a regular basis. I consider this the Crockpot “equivalent” of deglazing your sauté pan. I try to do this several times, once more caramelized residue has formed.

Crockpot Spicy Bison and Pork Chili
Printer Version
Laura here. I have to say, together the bison and pork make this chili so rich and deeply satisfying I wish I had a bowl (or two!) of my own right now.


1 pound ground bison (or lean ground beef if you can’t get bison)
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt

2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans


1. In a large skillet, cook the meat, onions, and garlic until the meat is brown and the onions are tender.

2. Place meat mixture (without draining) and all other ingredients except beans into a large crockpot. Cook on high for at least 5-6 hours, or low for 10-12 hours, stirring caramelized sauce back into the chili.

3. As the chili is nearing completion, it should be easy to skim off any fat with a tablespoon as it will pool on top of the chili as it simmers. Approximately one hour before the chili is finished, drain and rinse the beans, and add to the crock pot.

Recipe by Scott Bader. Pictures by Laura Flowers.


14 comments:

Joanne said...

I've actually never seen Italian sausage used in chili before but I love the sound of it! Big bold flavors are kinda sorta my thing too so I know I would love this!

Amy said...

Looks delicious - I love trying different variations of chili!

Unknown said...

I've been wanting to try bison and this just might be the perfect way to sneak it onto the dinner table without freaking my family out!!! and in a crockpot! wonderful wonderful!!!

qandlequeen said...

Will have to try it!

Veronica said...

Squeee! I'm so happy you've made another appearance, Dishboy Scott! (Do you still do Laura's dishes or is that name stuck for all time no matter what?) Thanks for sharing your chili recipe with us--I've made three different recipes for chili and the last week and I'll add this to my ever growing list of chilis to make this winter!

Monet said...

Thank you for sharing Scott! I'm glad that you are here today :-) I agree with you completely--we all gravitate towards the type of chili we grew up with! This recipe looks delicious, and I'm sure that anyone would be happy to eat a bowl. I love the addition of the sausage!

UrMomCooks said...

Pretty much luv the tip to cook the crockpot on HI and scrape down the sides!!! Why have I never done this??? Great idea and delicious-sounding recipe!

Medifast Coupon said...

Fantastic looking chili! Bison is a great type of meat, but adding the sausage is great for flavour. These pictures are hunger inducing. Well done.

Scott said...

Thanks for the comments and kind welcome everyone. Veronica...I'm sure that I don't do the dishes as much as Laura would like me to, but either way, I think the name has stuck (at least for my blog "persona").

Meg Luby said...

HOLY COW! SOMEONE ELSE WHO MAKES BISON CHILI!

my family raises buffalo! i am so happy to see someone else in the food-blog universe making bison in their recipes! i'll have to try your bison chili and compare with mine!

thanks for posting! made my night.
-meg
@http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com
@http://myscribblednotebook.blogspot.com

Scott said...

Meaghan, WOW! Keep up the good work! We're having some trouble getting bison locally, as apparently demand is outstripping supply...so I'm really glad that people like you are out there working hard to keep us supplied with bison. Thankfully, our local co-op, which is awesome, still has a "source".

stephchows said...

"don't be afraid of the residue" LOL I love it! :)

Lindsay said...

This looks amazing! Though I would totally try it with beef... I wouldn't even know where to get bison!

Unknown said...

Yummy chili is high on my list of favorites in the last month or so. You should definitely try Ina's Beef B - not to difficult and leftovers for days. Very tasty.

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