Brown ground beef. Combine all ingredients in 4-5qt crock pot. Cook on low at least 12 hours or high for 6 hours. I do a combination of high/low, when I made this I did low for 5 hours and high for 4 hours. Remove bay leaves before serving. *Note: when I saved the leftovers, I added another cup of water to prevent it from becoming too thick the next day. It made very yummy leftovers!