Five-Star Chili

Today was rainy and cold - the perfect day for a hot bowl of chili and this chili was goooood! Jeff bought this really thick bacon the other day, which I usually don't like, but it worked great in this recipe and it had a great smoky flavor. One of Jeff's friends gave us some elk meat a while ago so I used that, but this would be great with any kind of meat. And I didn't have any fresh onion so I used dried onion and I don't think I'll change that next time I make this.

Five-Star Chili

4 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp brown sugar
3 C. beef broth
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cans chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 pound bacon
2 pounds stew meat, trimmed and diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, optional

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and saute for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir in the beef broth, vinegar, tomato paste, chicken broth, cumin, Cayenne pepper and chili powder. Cook at a low boil for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mixture is reduced by about half.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and allow to cool. Drain bacon grease, leaving about 2 tablespoons of grease in the pan. Cook the stew meat in the bacon grease until well browned and no longer pink in center.
Break the bacon into small pieces and add the bacon, stew meat and beans to the simmering pot. Mix everything together thoroughly, cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.
Serves 6

Greatly adapted from allrecipes.com