Slow Cooker Beef Chili with Sweet Potato, Beans, and Lime

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the vegetables

   Peel the sweet potato and cut it into roughly 2 cm cubes. Finely chop the onion and bell pepper, and mince the garlic. Drain the beans and corn; rinse the beans under cold water.

   
2. 2

   Brown the beef

   Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and it reaches at least 71 °C in the center. Stir in the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stir, and cook for 1 more minute.

   
3. 3

   Add the spices and fill the slow cooker

   Stir the sweet paprika, cumin, oregano, chili flakes, cocoa powder, and salt into the skillet; stir for 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker with a capacity of about 4.5 to 5.5 liters. Add the sweet potato, beans, tomatoes, and stock, and stir. Do not fill the slow cooker above the manufacturer's fill line.

   
4. 4

   Slow-cook and add the corn

   Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours and 30 minutes. Avoid lifting the lid unnecessarily during cooking. Stir in the drained corn, cover again, and cook for another 30 minutes, for 6 hours total, until the sweet potato is tender but still holds its shape.

   
5. 5

   Finish with lime

   Turn off the slow cooker and stir in the juice of one lime. Taste and check the balance: the chili should be savory and spicy, with the lime clearly brightening the flavor. Serve hot.