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Glenn’s Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili is a uniquely delicious chili that starts out sweet, then delivers a spicy kick! Addictively delicious!
Glenn is a business partner of my husband Jack – and he recently told Jack that he makes a ‘killer’ chili! We’re always up for trying new recipes, and today we’re sharing Glenn’s Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili.
Glenn’s Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili is unlike any chili we’ve eaten before! One bite into it – and it starts out quite sweet thanks to the addition of brown sugar, plus some bourbon and brown sugar-flavored canned baked beans. Then a very spicy kick takes over – and your taste buds won’t know what hit them! (In a good way of course!)
The texture of this chili is also perfect – and it’s loaded with a mix of hot Italian sausage, bison (which you can find in most supermarkets these days) and ground beef, plus beans, bell pepper and onions.
Glenn’s Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili is also super easy to make in the slow cooker, and I tell you – it is addictive and you’ll keep going back for more! Glenn also says that serving this chili with shredded cheddar cheese on top, and Saltine crackers on the side is a must – so we stayed true to his recipe.
You can, of course, adjust the spiciness and the sweetness levels by adding in less of the red pepper flakes and less brown sugar than is called for in the recipe. But either way, you’ve got to try this unique and delicious sweet & spicy chili!
Award Winning Chili!
Update: Since we posted this recipe, we’ve had a number of readers write to us to tell us that they used this recipe as an entry in their local chili cook-offs – and they won! Glenn’s Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili really is something special – and we keep telling Glenn that he needs to bottle and sell it!
Give it a try and let us know if you agree!
You may like these other Chili recipes:
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Glenn’s Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili
Glenn’s Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Chili is a uniquely delicious chili that starts out sweet, then delivers a spicy kick! Addictively delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large orange bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups sweet onions such as Vidalia, diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 pound Italian hot sausage, removed from casing
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 1 pound ground bison (pre-packaged and available in most supermarkets)
- 2 6–ounce cans tomato paste
- 1 15–ounce can tomato sauce (Glenn recommended Contadina so we used that brand)
- 1 16–ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 22–ounce can Bush’s Grillin’ Beans (Bourbon and Brown Sugar)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (or less for less heat)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less for less heat)
- Juice from one lime
- Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
- Saltine Crackers to serve with chili (Glenn says this is a must)
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, melt butter in two tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
- Add bell pepper, onions and garlic and sauté for 8-10 minutes to caramelize the vegetables.
- Pour this into a large slow cooker.
- Heat the pan to medium high and add the remaining oil.
- Add sausage meat, ground beef and ground bison meat and cook until meat has browned.
- Scrape all of this into the slow cooker with the vegetables.
- Then add all other ingredients to the slow cooker except the lime, cheddar and crackers.
- Stir, cover and set slow cooker to low and cook for five hours.
- Stir after five hours and add lime juice into the cooked chili.
- To serve, dish out into bowls, top with cheddar cheese and serve with the saltine crackers.
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Paul A Poley says
I refuse to use any other chili recipe but this one. It is awesome. The texture is perfect. I adjusted the heat a little and the sweetness, but I love it. I have made this three times in the last 8 months and I am still amazed at how good it is. With just my brother and I we usually have enough left overs from soups and chili to freeze for later on, but not this recipe. Thank you so much.
Martha says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Paul! We will be sure to tell our friend Glenn how much you and your brother like the chili! Thanks for taking the time to write to us today.
Heather Sands says
Curious…I have a crock pot with four settings: high for either 4 or 6, and low for 8 or 10 hours. Your recipe says to cook on low for 5 hours. How would you recommend I cook this?
Martha says
Hi Heather – We would still cook it for 5 hours on low. Sounds like we have the same slow cooker – we set it to cook on either of the low settings and then set a separate timer and turn the slow cooker off after 5 hours. I hope you enjoy the chili!
Laurie Taylor says
Absolutely delicious! I add a green bell pepper, an extra 8 oz can of tomato sauce and a large can of petite diced tomatoes. I cut the spices to 1/4 of what it calls for and it still has a little kick. I also use 2 lbs of ground beef as bison is hard to find, and mild sausage. I like hot food, but not TOO spicy.
Martha says
Thanks Laurie – glad you found an adaptation that you enjoyed!
Zachary says
I found this recipe to be a bit thick, so I added one can of diced tomatoes with the juice, and about a half a can of yuengling Black and Tan beer to get the consistency I wanted. I also let the meat really brown in the pan and deglazed it afterwards with bourbon.
Martha says
Sounds great Zachary!
Anthony says
I won my neighborhoods chili cook off with this recipe! Although I did only use half the amounts of the spices in the recipe.
Martha says
Congrats Anthony!
Mike Cassidy says
Hi.. Just wondering if I should drain the kidney beans before adding them?
Martha says
Hi Mike – Yes – rinsed and drained. (We noted that in the ingredients list!)
Kathy says
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS RECIPE! I did make a few adjustments to suite my personal taste, but this is a fantastic chili recipe!! I can’t wait to share with my family… my dad is a huge chili lover, and he’s so excited to try this. The brown sugar was what peaked my interest, I think that’s a interesting (and delicious) addition to a chili. I subbed the beef and bison for pulled pork I slowcooked a few days earlier, and for a little extra heat, sauteed a few Serrano peppers. THANK YOU for this recipe, 11/10 for sure.
Martha says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Kathy! We love the idea of swapping in the pulled pork – great idea!
Olivia says
My husband and I make this recipe at least 3 times a year. It is amazing. We always use Carol Shelby’s chili spice mix in it and it is perfect. Amazing amount of sweet and spicy.
Martha says
So glad you enjoy the recipe Olivia! (We’ll be sure to let our friend Glenn know!) 🙂
April says
we are not too spicey people but like a little should I get medium spicy sausage?
Martha says
Hi April – Yes – you could even use a sweet Italian sausage instead of the hot. Also, you’ll probably want to cut back on the cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes – you can always add more to taste! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Dan says
A bit underwhelming. Followed the recipe to a T, but with half the brown sugar. The chili consistency is like a sticky Sloppy Joe, probably makes a great sandwich. I plan to add a can of beef broth tomorrow, should have seen this given the ingredients. Solid sweet taste though if you are into sweet chili.
Martha says
Thanks for your feedback Dan.