Slow Cooker Beef & Pork Chilli

Fall-apart chunks of pork AND beef in a thick, rich sauce with tender beans and a little warming heat. This slow cooker chilli is made for those cold Winter evenings.

I batch cook this chilli con carne (no kidding, last time I had TWO crockpots on the go at the same time), so I can freeze plenty of it and always have some on hand for a comforting dinner.

Ingredients:

▢500 g (1.1lbs) braising beef - cut into 2cm cubes

▢500 g (1.1lbs) pork shoulder - cut into 2cm cubes

▢3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

▢¼ tsp salt

▢¼ tsp black pepper

▢3 tbsp oil

▢1 large onion - peeled and chopped

▢3 cloves garlic - peeled and minced

▢1 tsp ground coriander

▢1 tsp mixed herbs

▢1 tsp smoked paprika

▢2 tsp cumin

▢1 tsp ground ginger

▢1 tsp hot chilli powder

▢1 tsp chipotle paste

▢1 chopped fresh chilli - more if you like it hotter (I use fresno chillies)

▢2 tbsp tomato puree - (paste in the USA)

▢2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

▢300 ml (1 ¼ cups) beef stock

▢800 g (28 oz) tinned finely chopped tomatoes - (I like Mutti Polpa variety)

▢2 chunks dark chocolate

▢2 tbsp fresh coriander/cilantro - chopped

▢400 g (14 oz) can kidney beans - drained and rinsed

▢420 g (15 oz) can mixed beans in tomato or chilli sauce - (or you can use mixed beans in water, then drain and rinse before adding)

Serve with (choose your favourites!):

▢Boiled rice or tortilla chips

▢1 freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)

▢sour cream

▢chopped fresh chillies

▢Thin slices of red onion

▢grated strong cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the chunks of pork and beef in a bowl and sprinkle on the flour, salt and pepper. Toss together to coat the meat in the flour.

2. Heat up the oil in a large frying pan (skillet), over a high heat. Alternatively, if your slow-cooker has a searing function, heat the oil in the slow cooker on the searing setting and do all the frying directly in the slow cooker.

3. Add the pork and beef to the frying pan and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.

4. Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook on medium/high for 5 minutes until softened.

5. Add in the garlic and cook for a further minute.

6. Add in the ground coriander, mixed herbs, smoked paprika, cumin, ginger, chilli powder, chipotle paste, fresh chilli, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce. Give it a stir and cook for a 2 minutes.

7. Add in the stock and tinned tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then transfer everything to your slow cooker (crockpot) and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 6-7 hours.

8. Forty-five minutes before the end of cooking, add in the dark chocolate, fresh coriander, kidney beans and mixed beans. Give them a stir and allow the chilli to simmer for cook in the slow cooker for another 45 minutes.

9. Serve the chilli with your favourite accompaniments and toppings.