Method for including bacon in an otherwise vegan chili? So I've got a vegan chili I make on a regular basis that I think is pretty darn good, but I'm always looking for ways to make it better. (I'm not actually vegan. Obviously.) Last time I included bacon and bourbon but the effect was... not what I had hoped. The bacon became very soggy and the bacon flavor was non-existent. (So was the bourbon flavor, but that's neither here nor there.)

Here's my current method for the chili in broad strokes (makes about 10 cups):


Saute onions, peppers (as well as the chili peppers), and cumin
seeds in some oil until onion is translucent
Dump in beans, tomatoes, liquids (usually beer + veggie broth), and spices
Pressure cook in the instant pot for ~6 mins
Add some tomato paste and then simmer to reduce for 30-60 mins until desired thickness


My first attempt at this was just throwing in 3-4 slices of already-cooked, chopped up bacon in during step 2, but clearly that didn't work so well.

How can I get this to go better so I have a present-but-not-overpowering bacon flavor without gross floppy bits of bacon everywhere?
You have two different approaches from Catija and eckes, depending on what you favor, but you could also combine both approaches - 

Start by chopping up the bacon, and then cooking it in the pot until it's nicely crisped and the fat is rendered.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, to paper towels to soak the remaining fat from the bacon and leave it in it's crisped state.  Leave the drippings/fat behind in the pot, and use that instead of oil to saute the vegetables.  This will allow the bacon flavor to permeate the dish, overall, a bit more.

Then, either just before serving, or on the side to sprinkle over the served dish, add the bacon or allow the eater to add, themselves.