Bowl of Big Red Chili Goodness

This recipe had been a family recipe for years taken out of the "Coors Taste of the West" cookbook. When my parents divorced, my dad and I shrugged and counted that cookbook and this family favorite as lost in the divorce. The book went out of print and I couldn't find it anywhere. He and I were on a road trip several years ago and found the book at a second hand store and had a long discussion as to who got it for a buck. I won, he has a copy of the recipe. This is the best chili. Plus it brings back fond memories of Colorado. We made this on a lot of ski trips and cold winter days when I was a teenager. It's getting to be chilly weather here which makes for great chili eating weather.

Get ready to chop a lot of veggies and brown meat until you are red in the face, but it's worth it. Those of you who own a Pampered Chef chopper--break it out, it makes the chopping last for about five minutes without having to handle onions and jalapenos. I have a double batch in my crock pot right now. What you don't eat freezes extremely well. This is also a good recipe for Super Bowl Sunday.

5 slices of bacon
8 ounces hot bulk pork sausage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic
1 or 2 dried red chili peppers, seeded and crumbled
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
two twelve ounce cans of Coors beer (okay, we cheat a lot and use Hefeweizen,
or a good amber ale)
one 12 ounce can of tomato paste
one 16 ounce can of pinto beans, drained

Cook bacon till crisp; drain and set aside. Brown sausage. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, set aside. In reserved drippings, brown the ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic. Add bacon, sausage, pepper, chili powder, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir in beer and tomato paste. Bring to boiling; simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours. Add beans, simmer, covered, 30 more minutes. Serve with shredded cheese and chopped onion.