Bacon Cheese Chili

Spice up any barbeque with a side of cheesy bacon filled Heaven!

Ingredients:

1 15oz Can of pinto beans

1 15oz Can of kidney beans

1/2 Package of bacon (1/4 pound)

1 16oz Block of pepper jack cheese

1/2 Cup Diced onion

1/3 Cup Chopped green onion

1/3 Cup Minced garlic

1/3 Cup Diced radishes

3 Jalapeno peppers (sometimes I substitute a Serrano Pepper or two)

1 or 2 Habanero peppers (optional)

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Chili powder

1/2 tsp Crushed red peppers

3/4 Cup of water (or beer, if you want)

Tool:

One pot for use on the grill. Do not use your nice kitchen pots, the heat from the fire may damage them. I like to buy cheap (improvised) BBQ equipment at thrift stores/charity shops. look for a large pot without plastic, Teflon, or paint on it.

1. First, drain and rinse your beans thoroughly

2. Then cut your cheese and bacon strips into chunks.

3. Next, remove the stems, cores, and seeds from your peppers. If you want to add more spice to your chili, you can use some of the seeds, but they are not really needed.

4. Now dice all your veggies into small pieces (the smaller the better in my opinion).

5. Finally, place all your ingredients into you pot, add in your 3/4 cup of water (or beer), then stir until everything is well mixed.

1. Remove the outer layers of skin and break the garlic into individual cloves.

2. Place cloves in a large Tupperware container (I used an old coffee tub).

3. Shake your container as hard as you can for about a minute or two, then check out your garlic. Most of the skins should come right of the cloves. If not, give them another quick shake. Some may still need to be pealed by hand, but I guarantee this will save you a lot of time prepping your garlic.

1. First off, start your chili as soon as your fire is ready, the longer it cooks the better it will be. DO NOT place the pan directly over the flames, you want your beans to simmer, not boil. If you want to do a longer cook, cover the top with tin foil so the liquid will not evaporate to quickly. If you find that the liquid is evaporating too fast, you can add a little bit more water (or beer).

2. Stir regularly, the cheese in the pan will burn on the bottom if you don't keep an eye on it. You will find that some cheese on the bottom will start to harden no matter how much you stir, but if you can scrape the hardened cheese off the bottom as you go, you can stir it back in to the mix for a crispy cheese texture that is extremely tasty.

3. Once everything is well cooked, remove your tin foil (if you used any), and let the liquid evaporate a little, just to make sure it isn't too soupy. Once it is ready, take it off the grill and let it set for about 10 minutes before serving. Most of the liquid that is left will start to harden into a cheese mixture the cooler it gets.

4. When you empty your pan you will find burnt cheese stuck to the bottom of your pan. Never fear, it will come off. It just needs a nice long soaking and a little bit of elbow grease.

Note: If I have the time, I usually slow cook my beans the day before, then reheat them to eat. They are so much better after they are cooked twice. Goes perfect with grilled chicken.

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