I’m excited to share this chili recipe for two reasons. One, it’s my all time very favorite chili recipe. The title makes a strong statement, but the chili backs it up. It is bold and smokey, and it has a wonderful depth of flavor. I love that it has both beef and pork in it, and that the directions demand it be served with Fritos (cornbread is also a great choice.)
The second reason I am excited to share this is because it is Nora Ephron’s recipe. In addition to her many talents as a writer, she was a skilled cook, and shared recipes anonymously on Food52. I love that her lasting legacy spans books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, movies, and food. This is the slow cooked version of her stove top chili. This chili has some heat, so if you plan on feeding it to kids, hold half of the cayenne.
World’s Greatest Crock Pot Chili
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground chuck
1 pound ground pork
½ red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
3 tablespoons oil
¼ pound butter
1 35-oz can crushed tomatoes
4 15-oz cans pinto beans
1 cup water
2/3 cups chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
If possible, ask a butcher to grind the beef and pork so that it’s not as fine-ground as regular hamburger meat. If you have no butcher, ordinary ground beef and pork is fine.
Drain the beans and rinse. Put them in slow cooker with tomatoes.
In a large frying pan, heat the oil and gently cook the peppers. When soft, add the onions and cook gently.
Add the garlic for a minute or so. Dump into the slow cooker.
Melt half the butter and cook the beef and pork until no longer raw. Add the spices and water and stir. Add to slow cooker and add the rest of the butter.
Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours. Add salt and pepper if desired.
Serve with sour cream, chopped onion, cheese, and Fritos.
World’s Greatest Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ red pepper, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3 tablespoons oil
- ¼ pound butter
- 1 35-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 4 15-oz cans pinto beans
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cups chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- If possible, ask a butcher to grind the beef and pork so that it's not as fine-ground as regular hamburger meat. But if you have no butcher, ordinary ground beef and pork is fine.
- Drain the beans and rinse. Put them in slow cooker with tomatoes.
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil and gently cook the peppers. When soft, add the onions and cook gently.
- Add the garlic for a minute or so. Dump into the slow cooker.
- Melt half the butter and cook the beef and pork until no longer raw. Add the spices and water and stir. Add to slow cooker and add the rest of the butter.
- Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours. Add salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve with sour cream, chopped onion, cheese, and Fritos.
I used my 6.5-Quart Crock-Pot Programmable Touchscreen Slow Cooker to make the World’s Greatest Crock Pot Chili.
Is this recipe correct? 2/3 Cup Chili Powder? I just wanted to double check
It is correct, Mary. I was skeptical, too!
Scale of 1-10 how spicy is this chili and if super spicy is there something i can cut down to make it less so. I love spicy but my kids are a little more whimpy 🙂
Oh, man, that’s a tough question. Maybe a 6? If your kids don’t like any spice, either throw some mac and cheese at them while you chow on delicious chili, or cut the cayenne pepper. It may not be “world’s greatest” though. 😉
I have a question. Where/when does the 1 c. of water get added to the recipe? Also, the directions do not say “cover”—just “cook on low” 6-8 hours. Is the slower cooker supposed to cook uncovered on this recipe?
I’m so sorry, Maureen! I’ve updated the recipe for clarity. The water goes in with the spices, and the lid IS on during cooking. Thanks for pointing these issues out.
I love chili, but chili does my body no good… I am going to cut down the cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper (I’ll go with half the suggested amounts)… I AM a wimp, but I can handle some heat, as long as sour cream (or yogurt) is on hand to coat my tongue. 😀 ~ Becca
When you say, green pepper and red pepper, do you mean bell peppers?
I love how most chili recipes have “world’s greatest” or “best” and every one of those recipes put beans of some form in chili. True chili doesn’t include beans. Yes, it’s my opinion. The chili I grew up on never included beans. Beans were a whole other meal by themselves.