You’ll note that there are no hot peppers or hot sauce in this recipe. That’s because not everyone in my household likes the spicy stuff. I add hot sauce (Busha Brown’s Pukka sauce is a favorite) to my bowl. But rest assured, there’s plenty of flavor—even without the heat.

Ship’s Chili

3 slices hardwood-smoked bacon, chopped (optional but recommended if you’re using ground turkey or another lean meat; unnecessary but delicious if you’re using ground beef, pork, etc.)

1.25-1.5 pounds ground turkey (or any other type of ground meat)

1/2 large onion (or 1 small onion), diced

4 big (or 6 small) cloves garlic, minced/put through a garlic press

1 large bell pepper (any color, though I like green for its color), chopped

2 small carrots (or 1 large carrot), sliced thin (think small circles)

an ear’s worth of corn cooked and cut from the cob (or a small can of corn, drained)

4 cups of chopped/diced ripe tomatoes (or two 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes—don't drain)

one 14.5 oz. can black beans (rinsed and drained)

two 14.5 oz. cans kidney beans (rinsed and drained)—I usually get one light and one dark, for the variety

one 8 oz. can tomato sauce

salt

chili powder

1). Throw the bacon and ground turkey into a large pot over medium/medium-low heat to begin browning. If you are using high-fat meat, such as some types of ground beef, you’ll want to thoroughly brown the meat and pour off some of the fat before moving on to step 2.