Homemade Brat Chili

Homemade Brat Chili... I've mentioned before on here that making a big pot of soup on Sunday for the week is one of my favorite things to do. As Sunday was officially the first day of Fall, I felt that kicking it off with a batch of Chili would be proper. I  went about this one without any specific recipe, just knowing what I like in Chili. I like it chunky, I like lots of tomatoes, and I like it hearty. While at the grocery store I picked up the following items:

1lb ground chuck
4 beer brats
2 14oz cans of diced tomatoes (one plain and one with peppers)
1 medium yellow onion
1 packet of chili seasoning
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of cannelloni beans
1 can of sweet corn
1 small can of tomato paste

My first step was browning the ground chuck with diced onion and a couple of crushed garlic cloves. While that was cooking I poured the beans and corn into a strainer and rinsed them thoroughly. Once the meat was evenly browned I added the corn & beans and the packet of seasoning. I gave everything I good mix to make sure the seasoning was evenly coating the contents of my chili. To this I added the two cans of tomatoes and a large scoop of the tomato paste. I also filled one of the empty 14 oz tomato cans halfway with water and added that to the pot. I tossed in a couple of bay leaves as well as some salt and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. I brought it to a light boil then let it simmer for a couple hours on the stove.

While simmering I roasted a few brats. I'm not sure what inspired this idea but suddenly it seemed like something I wanted to try. I could have grilled them but it was easier at the time to pop them in the oven and let them roast on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Once they were fully cooked but still moist I chopped them up and added them to the chili. I let it continue to simmer and marinate in all the flavors.

When I was finally ready to scarf down a bowl I couldn't help but get back in touch with my semi Texan roots (not really a Texan but did live there for 5 years) by turning it into a variation of Frito Pie. I filled my bowl with chili, topped it with freshly grated cheddar cheese and a big pile of salty crunchy Frito's. I finished it off the a little dollop of sour cream on the side. I mean, Sunday night perfection in a bowl.

Anywho, it was so easy and really Dahlicious. I will definitely be making this again throughout the fall and winter. Enjoy!