Smoky Bacon Chili Recipe (with Video)

1. Add the bacon pieces to a large Dutch oven and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally so they brown evenly and become crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spatula to a plate lined with paper towels. Pour out the fat until there's 2 tablespoons left in the pot.
2. Add the onions to the bacon fat and sprinkle with the salt (not too much as the bacon fat is already salty). Stir occasionally until the onions are soft, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and stir it around until it darkens in color, about 2-4 minutes.
4. Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne and stir for 30 seconds. Scoot the spiced onions to the outer edge of the pan.
5. Add the ground beef, flipping and stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10-15 minutes.
6. When the meat is mostly brown, add 1 cup of the broth and scrape up the bottom of the pot to get all the flavorful brown bits. Stir in the rest of the broth, the diced tomatoes, cocoa/cacao powder, Worcestershire, molasses, espresso powder and liquid smoke, if using. Turn up the heat to bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for at least 30 minutes (although 1 hour is great and 2 hours would be fantastic).
7. Stir in the bacon pieces and taste. If it needs more salt, start with 1/2 teaspoon and taste before adding more. Like almost any chili, this is best made at least one day in advance to let the flavors deepen.
8. To make this in the Instant Pot, cook the bacon in the insert and proceed with the recipe, reducing the broth to 1.5 cups total. Once you've added all the ingredients except the cooked bacon, clamp on the lid, making sure it's sealed. Set the manual time to 8 minutes, then press Keep Warm/Cancel, release the pressure, remove the lid and proceed with adding the bacon and tasting for seasoning.
9. To make this in a slow cooker, cook the bacon in the insert if possible or in a separate pan. If using a separate pan, once the meat is browned add it to the insert and add the rest of the ingredients except the cooked bacon. Reduce the broth to 1.5 cups total. Put the lid on and set for 4 hours high or 6 hours on low. Add the bacon and taste for seasoning.