Yes, all of my recipes are famous, at least in my house didn’t you know? And a lot of my recipes are spicy too!

So, I decided to share with you one of my spiciest-of-all recipes as we enter fall and then winter and prepare to, well, turn up the hear – with Chili!

I make this Chili in a slow-cooker and let it simmer all afternoon, but you could make it on the stove too, if you prefer or don’t have a lot of time.

Please note, this recipe makes chili for 6-10 people (or a lot of leftovers if you’re like us) so cut it in half if you don’t need this much.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground  beef
• 2- 10 ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (i.e. Rotel)
• 2- 8 ounce cans tomatoe sauce
• 1- large onion, diced
• 1- green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 – red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 – large can spicy chili beans
• 1 – large can dark red kidney beans
• 1-2 cups of beef broth (depending on how thick you like your chilli)
• 2 – cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons (yes, tablespoons) cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 – dried ghost pepper, cut in half (or to taste)

Super-Easy Instructions:

1. Brown beef in a skillet on the stove until most of the pink is gone – add to crock-pot.
2. Saute (in juices from beef) garlic, onions and bell peppers until slightly tender – add to crock-pot.
3. Remaining ingredients – add to crock-pot.
4. Mix well – in crock-pot
5. Cook up to eight hours on low or 2-3 hours on high.

I like to serve with cornbread and enjoy!

More about Ghost Chili Peppers:

The Bhut Jolokia or Naga Bhut Jolokia (or Ghost Chili Pepper) is the hottest naturally grown pepper on the planet. It has a Scoville (how the hotness of peppers is rated) rating of 1,041,427 units. For comparison, bell peppers have a 0 rating; Tabasco red pepper sauce rates at 2,500–5,000, Habaneros have a have a 300,000 rating and pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the spiciness of pepper plants) rates at 16,000,000 units. Pure capsaicin is unavailable through a natural grown plant and is only synthetically developed.

The Ghost Chili originated in the Assam region of northeast India. The Guinness Book of World Records named the Bhut Jolokia as the hottest pepper in the world (2004), a record which was previously held by the Red Savina. When ripe, the pepper has a red or orange color and measures about 2.5 in. to 3.5 in. long and about 1 in. wide.  The pepper looks very similar to the Habanero chili pepper; thought, the texture is rougher and the appearance has a more dented look.

Ghost chili peppers have a smoky taste to them that is reminiscent of a chipotle pepper, in my opinion, but much spicier. The word Bhuti, given by the Bhutias people in India, means ghost and was probably given the name because of the way the heat sneaks up on the one who eats it, which is true. It has also been likened to the bite of a King Cobra snake by peoples in the region where it grows. I found the taste to be rich and spicy and really enjoyed the pepper. It was not unbearably hot and produced a nice flavor on top of the heat.

I have found most of these peppers come with some sort of warning, though, like the following “With the intensity of the pepper able to create a very strong pain sensation lasting up to 30 minutes, one should eat the Bhut Jolokia pepper with extreme caution.  Also, when handling the Bhut Jolokia pepper, one should take caution as to not get any in or near the eyes as the pepper can create a very intense burn.”  So, try a small amount before you dump it in your chili!

Until the next mile marker,

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