5 alarm slow cooker chili

i'm obsessed with thanksgiving dinner.

i often tell people it's my favorite kind of food.

but after a couple days of the amazing turkey, 

pumpkin pie, and piles of stuffing and mashers...

you gotta switch it up.

this recipe is PERFECT for the rest of your holiday weekend.

first of all, it's a slow cooker recipe... 

so pretty much you do nothing all day 

and have this awesome meal to show for it.

second of all, it's flavors are far away 

from the home style cooking of a thanksgiving meal.

i like spicy, so when i saw the '5 alarm' warning i didn't sweat it.

that is, until i actually ate this chili.

(then i was literally sweating)

5 alarm is right.

this is like 5 stars spicy at a thai restaurant.

so feel free to dial back the heat in the ingredients below to your liking

(i've starred*** them for your reference)

this was delicious.

serve with the cornbread.

recipe via america's test kitchen

ingredients

1 slice high quality white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 pound lean ground beef

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, minced

2 habanero chiles, minced*

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes*

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 14.5 can diced tomatoes

1 15oz can dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce*

directions

1. mash bread and milk into paste in a large bowl using a fork 

mix in ground beef, 1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper, using hands.

2. heat oil in large skillet over medium/high heat until shimmering. 

add onions, hanaberos, chili powder, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, 

and red pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are softened 

and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. stir in beef mixture and cook, breaking up any large pieces 

with wooden spoon, until no longer pink. 

stir in tomato sauce, scraping up any browned bits, 

transfer to a slow cooker.

4. stir diced tomatoes with juice, beans, soy sauce, sugar, 

and chipotles into slow cooker. cover and cook until beef is tender, 

6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 5 hours on high.

5. let chili settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. 

break up any remaining large pieces of beef with spoon. 

sprinkle with cheddar cheese.