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Slow-Cooker Chili

Adapted from Anna Painter via Food&Wine
Making your own chili powder is possible and recipes abound online. I fiddled with the original chili recipe, adding some chocolate for richness, but not enough to make it sweet. You could swap out ground chicken or turkey for the beef. If so, use ground dark meat as white meat is too lean.
My slow cooker has a sauté option, so I made it all in the machine. But if yours doesn't, make it through step #2 in a wide skillet.
Course Main Course
Keyword chili
Servings 6 servings
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 3 jalapeños, diced (seeded and ribs removed, if you want it milder)
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • 1 pound (450g) ground beef, preferably 15% fat
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, (if using Morton kosher salt, reduce the amount by half)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • two 14-ounce (400ml each) cans diced tomatoes
  • small bunch (2 1/2 ounces, 80g) cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
  • 1 pound (450g) dried beans*
  • 6 1/2 cups (1,5l) water, or 4 1/2 cups (1l) water and 2 cups (500ml) beer
  • 1 1/2 ounces (45g) unsweetened chocolate
  • Heat the oil over medium-high heat or on the sauté function, if your machine has one. (See headnote.) Add the diced onion and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally, then stir in the chile powder, cumin, and oregano, stirring and cooking for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.
  • Add the ground meat, along with the salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, and cilantro, and stir until everything is well-combined.
  • Add the water (or water and beer), the dried beans, and chocolate to the slow cooker. Stir well, then set the heat to 200ºF (95ºC). Depending on your machine, check the manual (or the manufacturer's website) that came with your machine to find out if that's low or high. On my machine it's called "Simmer."
  • Cook the chile for 7 hours, until the beans are tender. Taste, and season with additional salt if necessary, before serving.

Notes

Unsweetened chocolate has no sugar in it and it called 100% pâte de cacao in France, which is available at G. Detou, although I'm seeing it more and more in French supermarkets. You can also use high-percentage chocolate, such as Lindt 90% to 99%, or omit it. 
Serving: Serve hot with bowls of grated cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro for garnish. 
*Dried Bean Note: It's noted that a slow cooker is not recommended for cooking kidney beans. Since I called for "dried beans" in the recipe, avoid using kidney beans unless they are boiled first. Choose another variety, such as pinto beans, which are similar to the ones I used, shown in the photo in the post.