Award Winning Chili Recipe (2024)

This easy Award Winning Chili recipe is made with ground beef, beans, onions, tomatoes, and peppers, and can easily be made as spicy or not as you like.

Okay, my award winning chili was a fourth place award for a chili contest at my husband's work, but still, an award is an award, right? I believe it was 4th out of 37.

The secret to my award winning crock pot chili recipe is I make my chili with tomato juice and V-8 juice. I started putting the juices in my chili years ago simply because although I like some diced tomatoes in chili, I don't like a lot of them. I still wanted the tomato flavor though. I've liked both V-8 and tomato juice since I was very little, and even my daughter who won't touch anything with tomatoes in it will drink both! Okay, I realize that is not like a really major secret ingredient, but I swear it's what makes this chili different.

I make my award winning chili recipe at least four times a year, often for big football games like the playoffs or Super Bowl. My husband is a Steelers fan, I stopped trying to pay attention to football a while ago, haha!

While the step by step photos below show the chili being made on the stove, I normally make it as a slow cooker chili. For that, simply put everything in the slow cooker after browning the ground beef. We like our chili extra spicy, but if you don't just leave out the optional ingredients.

Heat a large pot over medium high heat, add the ground beef.

cook and break up the beef until browned, then drain carefully. Reduce the heat on the stove to low.

Add chopped onions and green peppers,

Followed by diced tomatoes (I always use canned, this time I was out), and drained kidney beans.

Next we stir in chili powder and dried basil.

Then add the liquids, V-8 juice, tomato juice, and a can of beer. At this point I always remove a bowl full for my daughter, who doesn't like spicy chili. Then I add the jalapeno, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper, stir it up, raise the heat and let my Award Winning Chili come to a simmer, cover it and let it simmer for two hours.

Award Winning Chili

If you would like a different chili recipe, check out some more of my favorites:

Instant Pot Spicy Chili (Similar to this recipe, but for the Instant Pot)

Chorizo and Black Bean Chili

Southwest Chicken Pumpkin Chili

Turkey Habanero Chili

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