I’m not a big chili person. Yup… you heard me right! I’ve just never been a big fan. It’s not that I hate it… it’s just that if someone said “we’re having chili for dinner” I wouldn’t be very excited.
But give me sweet and spicy anything, and I’m happy!
I’ve been making this sweet and spicy chili since I was in college. Every time I make it, I adjust it a little more to get it exactly how I want it!
I’m feeling really good about where it’s at right now and I’m excited to share it with you!!
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Tips for Making this Chili
The secret ingredient
These bourbon and brown sugar Bush’s Grillin’ Beans are part of what make this recipe so good- it just adds an extra layer of flavor! Plus, who doesn’t love BBQ beans?!
Adjusting the spiciness
I love spicy food so I have a decently high tolerance. I used one jalapeño, but it was a really big one and I left all the seeds in. It had the perfect amount of heat for me.
If you don’t like as much heat, you can cut back on the crushed red pepper and cayenne measurements. You can also avoid using the seeds from the jalapeño!
Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chili Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Crockpot
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 2 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 16 oz dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 22 oz Bush's Grillin' Beans bourbon & brown sugar
- 1/2-2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil
- Add the onion and bell peppers and cook until the onion is translucent (about 8 minutes)
- Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for another minute
- Remove from heat and transfer mixture to your slow cooker
- Add the ground beef and sausage to the same skillet on medium heat
- Break up meat into small pieces and cook until no longer pink. Drain the fat.
- Place the cooked meat in the slow cooker
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker
- Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours. Stir every so often.
Don’t forget the cornbread!
We simply cannot have chili without cornbread! Usually I’ll just buy a mix for it! Since I love anything sweet, I usually get Jiffy’s honey muffin mix or Krusteaz honey cornbread.
Other good game day recipes
Try out two of my other favorite game day recipes:
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls (Air Fryer or Oven)
