Brigid's Range Chili

Well, she's done it again. An incredible improvement on an old standby. Chili, with sweet. And hot. Really. Who'd think to put Coca Cola and chocolate in chili.

Pictured with Skillet Cornbread.

A couple warnings before you get started. This overflowed my large crockpot. I had to scoop some out and add it back in later after I ate the first bowl.

Went in the kitchen and now I can't remember the second. I could edit it to "a warning" but since I know there's another one out there somewhere I'll just leave it as is. Maybe I'll remember it.

I made a couple modifications to her recipe based on availability but nothing that I think would change it dramatically from how her's might taste. Other than that, I copied it pretty much ingredient for ingredient, word for word. In exchange for this you should definitely go visit her site, read her brilliant writings, and try some of her other recipes which may appeal to you. (What do you think? Enough sucking up so she won't be mad at me for poaching one of her recipes?)


2 29 ounce cans tomato sauce
2 28 ounce cans chopped, diced or stewed tomatoes, or any combination thereof
2 cups diced onions
1 heaping tablespoon Italian Seasoning (or 1 tsp each basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme: homemade italian seasoning since I don't keep the mix around)
1 pound thick cut peppered bacon, cooked until done but not too crispy and then chopped into bite sized pieces.
3 pounds burger or venison (lean as you can get it)
2 pounds spicy sausage
4 cans kidney beans - drained and rinsed (canned beans have a LOT of sodium)
1 bottle (about 18 ounces) Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce
1/2 cup Penzey's 9000 chili seasoning (I used Mohave Chili Powder from the Spice Hut since I haven't seen Penzey's around here)
1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon crushed red pepper
approx. 3/4 cup Coca Cola (yes, and not Pepsi and certainly not diet), use the Mexican Coca Cola in glass bottles made with sugar, not corn syrup if you can find, Costco often has it.
2 individually wrapped squares Baker's unsweetened dark chocolate, finely chopped (each square breaks into two pieces so it's pretty easy to chop up).

Cook the meats separately and drain well. Saute the onion in with the burger so that it caramelizes. Mix in with rest of ingredients adding the dark chocolate last. Cook in the crockpot on high about 2 hours, or on low 4-6 as as desired.