sorry, Leda.......no “ground” meat goes into any chili I make. Cubed or diced, but never ground.
When I make chili to take somewhere I always make it at least a day, if not 2, before in a stockpot on the stove and then put it in the crockpot the morning of the event to be reheated.
Oh, and beans are a side to be added to a bowl of chili, not something cooked in the chili :)
having lived on the right coast for my entire life,
cubed meat is for stews and beans are for chilli :)