The most ohmyGodincredible chili ever

Well, in response to the many friends and acquaintances who have axed (as opposed to asked) for this recipe, without further ado, here it is. :-)

I have to admit it's not actually a recipe in the sense that there are specific measurements. I just do everything to taste, dump it in the CrockPot (the glories of which will merit a whole 'nuther blog entry) and let it stew. My secrets are 1) loooowww slooowww cooking 2) tons of garlic and onions in all different forms to get a sort of "layering" effect and 3) QUALITY meat. The better quality meat you have, the better tasting your chili is gonna be.

WHAT YOU NEED:
- 2 cans kidney beans (I like to use 2 cans Bush's dark red kidney beans), undrained - use juice and all
- 1 lb ground sirloin
- 1 chopped fresh onion
- At least 2 cloves of minced fresh garlic
- 1 packet of Campbell's Onion Soup mix
- 1 lg can tomato sauce
- 1 mini can tomato paste
- 1-2 cans chopped tomatoes OR stewed tomatoes, undrained - use juice and all
- Beef broth
- Garlic pepper salt, fresh ground pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, fresh oregano, cumin, chopped dried onions, onion powder, minced garlic in a jar, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, all to taste. I personally add some of ALL of these things!!! Regarding which brand of hot pepper sauce to use, I really like Glory, it adds a lot of flavor without adding a lot of heat. Tabasco is okay but I like Glory better.

WHAT YOU DO:
SLAP (as opposed to a genteel positioning in the middle of your frying pan; tastes better when you SLAP things in the pan) that ground sirloin with the chopped onion and garlic in some olive oil (and red wine if you've got it) until onions are JUST transparent. Everything is going to cook some more in the CrockPot so you don't need to have the meat well done. Break up the meat into teeny pieces with a spatula while it's sauteing so you don't end up with huge hamburger patty-like blobs; you want your meat to be thoroughly distributed through the chili.
DUMP (as opposed to a prissy pour; it tastes better when you DUMP) the meat mixture and everything else in your CrockPot and add beef broth if the mixture seems too dry, but remember that when you're cooking things in a CrockPot you need only 2/3 or 1/2 as much liquid as you would if you were cooking the same dish on the stove.
CrockPot everything on LOW heat for 8 hours. It is best to get this started in the morning, then do your thing for the day and when you come back for supper it will be done!
Optional: eat on top of spaghetti or rice, sprinkle with cheese, or add a dash of hot sauce, sour cream, whatever ... Chili is all about personal preference, so do whatever floats your boat! But this chili is SO GOOD I like to eat it just by itself in a bowl with nothing else added.

Serves 4 very hungry people (if they're guys and they want seconds) or 8 slightly hungry people. When serving, bask in the compliments and groan about how difficult it was to make. ;-)