Drunken Pumpkin Chili (Crock Pot)
Just because I loaded a crock pot full of pumpkiny, cozy chili does not mean I acknowledge that fall is now here and the weather has now changed to torrential downpour for the next 6+ months.
It’s more like I had leftover pumpkin, was going to see some friends and watch the Timbers game, and had been dying to try this since Erika posted it. The beauty of chili is you can pretty much put whatever you want in it and it comes out just fine. I went a little carnivorous and added some beef stew meat.
Do you know how weird it is to go to bed and wake up smelling chili? So weird. I think it partially affected my dreams and partially kept me up because I’m secretly paranoid that the crock will burn the house down. That’s what I get for starting it at like 10pm.
I really liked the consistency of the chili. I had to tweak the taste a little more before it was done, but that’s what I love about it. It’s forgiving. I wanted autumny, pumpkiny beer, but the store I went to was sold out of the kind I wanted. I went with Lagunitas IPA instead. It blended right in. I didn’t have as much pumpkin as I should have, and that is for shame. Next time.
Inspiration: Lenses and Limes
Ingredients
- 1lb beef stew meat
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 14oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 1 cup beer of choice
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 28oz can stewed tomatoes + juice
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- In a large skillet heat the olive oil on high.
- Add the beef chunks and sear all sides.
- Put the beef and all other ingredients inside a crock pot.
- Stir.
- Cook on low for 8-12 hours. After 8 hours, stir occasionally to really thicken it up and keep the sides from sticking.
- Serve alone or with crusty bread.
I love chili for the put-anything-in-and-it-comes-out-chili aspect too! You really can’t mess chili up. And six months of downpour sounds like a lot of chili is going to be required…with extra beer. Or maybe something a little harder on the side…
Six months is putting it mildly. We seriously get lots of rain from Sept/Oct to April/May. It can get super depressing.
Ohh, I don’t think I could handle that. That’s when I’d need to retire early (is 25 too early?) and buy a winter condo in Florida. Except it rains there too. Hmm…
You could find a wealthy man in North Beach in Miami to be your sugar daddy to help combat the rain. I’m sure he wouldn’t leave stalker flowers on the doorstep.
You just might be on to something with that plan…
wow i love this recipe. perfect for fall. i cant wait to try it out.
so glad you liked it Michelle! We’ve made this about 3 times now (over the last year) with 3 different types of beer and it comes out different, but delicious, every time. Chili is definitely “forgiving” as you said. Um, and, that’s ALOT of rain :/.
I meant to add that the picture of your chili looks wayy better than mine. haha!
Psh. It’s just a different consistency since I let that baby simmer in the crock for 12+ hours.
The NW is notorious for a ton of rain. I feel like its not as bad as it used to be when I was a kid, but I crave a little bit of sunshine sometimes, y’know?
Oh wow – that’s right up my alley! Looks great 🙂
I’m tardy commenting! Thanks so much for joining in on the link up fun!
This looks really great!
Thanks JamieAnne!