Glenn—s Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili — The One That Earns a “Good”

May. Jesse turns thirty-one in July. The garden is in, the tomatoes are climbing their cages, the pole beans are going up the trellis that Kai has decided he is responsible for monitoring. Every morning he goes out and looks at the trellis and reports back: four inches since yesterday, or the deer have been at the tomatoes, or there is a caterpillar that needs to be relocated. He is five and a half and he is managing the garden with the seriousness of a small farmer. I am grateful for this. I had hoped for something like this and it is turning out to be more than I hoped.

Luna is in the kitchen with me every evening she can manage. She stands on the step stool and watches what I am doing and hands me things I did not ask for — a spoon when I need a spoon, a towel when there is a spill. She is two and she is anticipating the kitchen the way a person anticipates something they are going to do their whole life. She does not know that yet. I think I do.

Caleb came to Sunday dinner again. He is at nine months now — thirty-eight weeks, well past the point where I count weeks every week, which means I have stopped counting, which means I believe the counting. He brought a dish. He made venison chili — his version of my version of nobody's version, the one he has been developing since I taught him the recipe in April. He set it on the table next to my pot of kanuchi and Hannah's Three Sisters soup and Terry's posole and the table looked like what it is: a family with a lot of things to eat, from a lot of different directions, all of it belonging to the same place.

Danny tasted Caleb's chili. He tasted it carefully. He said: "Who made this?" Caleb said: "I did." Danny looked at him for a moment. He said: "Good." That is all. Good. Caleb carried it the rest of the day the way you carry something you have been working toward. That is enough for a Sunday in May. That is more than enough.

Caleb’s chili is his own now — that’s the whole point. But it started somewhere, and where it started is here: a sweet-and-spicy slow cooker base that taught him what heat and depth can do together when you let them take their time. The recipe I handed him in April was this one, more or less, adapted for venison the way we do it, and what he brought to the table on Sunday was the proof that a recipe becomes yours the moment you stop measuring. If you’re starting where he started, this is a good place to begin.

Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 6–8 hours | Total Time: Up to 8 hours 20 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground venison (or ground beef, 80/20)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to finish
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup beef broth (or water)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

Instructions

1. Brown the meat. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground venison and cook, breaking it up, until browned and no pink remains, about 8 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain any excess fat and transfer the meat to your slow cooker.
2. Soften the aromatics. In the same skillet over medium heat, cook the onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Scrape everything into the slow cooker.
3. Build the base. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with chiles, both cans of beans, tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
4. Season. Add the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir well, making sure the spices are fully incorporated.
5. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or on HIGH for 4–5 hours. The longer it goes, the deeper the flavor.
6. Taste and adjust. About 20 minutes before serving, taste the chili. Adjust salt, heat (more cayenne), or sweetness (a touch more brown sugar) until it tastes like yours. This is the step that makes it your version.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top as you like — shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced scallions, pickled onions, or nothing at all.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 620mg