Regina's Shipwreck Chili

My quest for a good chili recipe began a few years ago when a buddy of mine challenged me to a chili cook-off. I realized at that point that I had never made chili before. I found a random recipe and my friend showcased his own creation. He won the cook-off hands down.This is a recipe I have developed using his original ideas and making it completely my own. I call it shipwreck chili because of the number of random ingredients it takes. Others call it Best "darn" Chili.If you want to make this recipe, I can set you up with the Wildtree ingredients you need.

I seldom have time for "presentation" photos, so here is the chili in the Dutch oven

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
2 16-oz cans red kidney beans - rinsed and drained
2 16-oz cans pinto beans - rinsed and drained
1 28-oz can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup Wildtree's Fiesta Salsa Blend
1 12-oz can tomato paste
1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar
3-5 Tablespoons Wildtree's Leslie's Chili Mix
1-2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Wildtree's Rancher Steak Rub
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder
1 12-oz beer (I prefer a dark lager)

Method: Brown ground beef and sausage with Rancher Steak Rub slowly in skillet. When it is almost completely browned, add Worcestershire Sauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, tomato paste and Leslie's Chili Mix.

Transfer into large Dutch oven, cooking pot or crock pot.

Stir tomatoes and Fiesta Salsa Mix together and stir together with other ingredients in the pot. Add beans.

Finally add beer. Let simmer on very low for several hours. Stir often.

Serve with Wildtree's Beer Bread or Wildtree's Texas Cornbread.

For variation on the corn bread, add a tablespoon of Wildtree's Jalapeno Blend and a 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the batter before baking.