Smoky Chili Con Carne

This is an adaptation of a recipe posted by Lynne Valeriote on the foodtv.ca web site. My son loves this recipe and I make it weekly and store it in containers in individual serving sizes in the freezer. You can make it hotter or tamer by adjusting the amount of chipotles.

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  large onion, diced
• 2 -3  cloves garlic, minced
• 1  orange sweet bell pepper or 1  yellow sweet pepper, cut into large dice
• 2  stalks celery, diced
• 1  lb lean ground beef or 1  lb ground chicken
• 1  lb hot Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
• 5 -6  tablespoons chili powder
• 1  chipotle chile in adobo, minced
•  salt and pepper
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (19 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 (12 ounce) can corn
• 1 (5 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 -2  tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1  tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

1. Brown Italian sausage and ground meat together over medium heat in large pot draining any excess fat.
2. Add onions, celery garlic and cook until softened.
3. Add sweet pepper for a few minutes, otherwise they are too soft.
4. Add chili powder, minced chipotle,and liquid smoke.
5. Add tomatoes, sugar and corn, mixing well.
6. Bring to boil and let simmer slowly for an hour, stirring occasionally.
7. Add kidney beans and let simmer another 15 minutes.
8. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.