Crock Pot Chili for Frito Pie... Read below for the recipe.
I had the pleasure of hanging out with Martie Duncan. Duncan, of Martie Knows Parties, is all about entertaining and catering to guests. She was born to create and host parties. I love hearing all of the creative touches that she comes up with to make an event unique and memorable. She even shared some tailgate hosting ideas for Fort Bend football fans. Duncan starts the tailgate conversation with safety first. After all, she is a spokesperson for the USDA Food Safe Family campaign. She wants to remind tailgaters and party-goers that food should be kept at temperatures of 40 degrees for cold and 140 degrees for hot dishes to avoid food poisoning. Use separate containers and utensils for cooked and uncooked meats. If it is over 90 degrees outside, dispose of a dish after an hour of sitting out to rest in the heat. And if the surrounding temperature is lower 90 degrees with food sitting out, toss it in two hours. Older people and younger people are especially vulnerable to food poisoning.
“Sometimes we leave thinking that we ate too much and it’s really something that sat out too long.”
Once safety is in place, then tailgating is all about great food and the celebration of our favorite teams. One traditional dish is the classic Frito Pie. This can be baked up in a casserole or served up buffet style. Duncan recommends tailgating with little clean-up by serving chili in Fritos bags with toppings on the side. The little bag gets hot so serve it with a napkin. After guests scarf down their pie, they can simply toss the bag. Make a simple crockpot chili that goes perfectly with corn chips. The crockpot keeps the chili at the right temperature such that it can be dished up throughout the game. My version of crockpot chili has no beans in it. I put a little of my Cajun heritage in there with some ground pork and beef, Rotel tomatoes, and cayenne pepper. I add some sweet to counter that heat with orange juice. Try this easy recipe at your next tailgate celebration.
Crock Pot Chili for Frito Pie
1 Tbsp. bacon grease or vegetable oil
1 ½ lb. lean ground beef 1 lb. lean ground pork 1 cup diced white onion 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 3 tbsp. chili powder 1 ½ tsp. cumin ¾ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper ¼ tsp. cayenne ½ cup orange juice 6 oz. tomato paste 16 oz. tomato sauce
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles
Place bacon grease in the bottom of a skillet. Brown ground beef and ground pork over medium heat until no longer pink. Add onions and garlic. Continue stirring until onions become translucent. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, and peppers to the ground meat and cook stirring three minutes more. Pour ground meat mixture into a crockpot. Stir in orange juice, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and Rotel tomatoes. Cook in the crockpot on high for 2 hours. Serve over Fritos and garnish with shredded sharp cheddar, pickled jalapeno slices, and diced onions.
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