Meaty Crockpot Chili

This all started on Friday night when my brother Brad texted me and asked: Have you made Mark Sisson's Texas Chili?  I hadn't, but he highly recommended it.  I was a bit disappointed he didn't invite me over to try it!  Either way, by Sunday I was thinking I would try making it, but add some more ingredients. You know, add a bit of Alyssa food flair! Brad suggested adding in the ground beef for texture and I thought adding bacon would be good too.  This recipe still falls into the paleo category because it does not include any beans. Mark's spice blend is the perfect amount of spice (not too spicey!) I have to include that Michael didn't really like it...didn't like the spices he said.  It is a rare day when that one doesn't like something I have made.

Meaty Crockpot Chili

1 tsp. butter
1/2 white onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 lbs. stew meat (cut into 2 cm cubes)
1 lb. ground beef
6-10 strips of bacon, sliced
1 can (156 mL) tomato paste
1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
3 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. each salt and pepper

1. In your crockpot, add all of the ingredients from the tomato paste down.  Mix thoroughly.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic. Sautee until translucent. Add bacon and red pepper and sautee for 5-10 minutes until fat is rendered. Pour mixture into crockpot.
3. Reheat skillet and brown the stew meat in 2-3 batches, placing each batch into the crockpot once browned.
4. Brown the ground beef over medium heat and add to your crockpot.
5. Set your crockpot for 6-8 hours cooktime.  I only cooked mine for 4 hours so much of the liquid was still there (as you can see in the picture).