First, cook bacon in a large skillet on medium-high. Cook until brown and slightly crispy, but do not burn to a crisp (if you don’t cook it enough, it is going to be rubbery in the chili).
Remove cooked bacon from skillet, and drain on a paper towel, reserving bacon fat in a separate container.
Toss chopped vegetables with 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat and cook in a separate, stockpot, on the stove, on medium-high. Do not overcrowd the pot this will cause your pot to cool and your veggies to steam -cook a little bit at a time if you have to. You want your veggies to soften slightly and the onions to become translucent. Remove from the pot and set aside
While all of that is cooking, throw another Tablespoon of bacon fat back into the stockpot and start browning your meat along with your garlic. Again, do not overcrowd the skillet. You want the meat to brown, not steam cook.
Add bacon pieces, cooked vegetables, along with the canned tomatoes and sauce. Then add your spices.
Bring everything to a boil for a few minutes on Medium, then reduce to Low, partially covered, for at least a few hours to let the flavors develop. This is flavor-developing thing is kind of important, and critical in the chili-making process.
