Chili
Our family's chili recipe is as straightforward as it gets. Basically a Texas-style beef chili. Serve this with some fresh cornbread, and make sure you have some shredded cheese, fresh chopped white onion, or some Frito's corn chips to sprinkle on top, and you have a classic on the table. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (or other neutral cooking oil)
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper (coarse ground, not fine)
- 1½ lb cubed beef chuck steak (aka "stew meat"…but for best results cube up a chuck roast removing extra fat and connective tissue)
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 green bell peppers, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 1½ lb ground beef 80/20
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chili powder
- 3 tbsp paprika
- 3 cups beef stock (or more)
- 32 oz red kidney beans (precooked/drained)
- 32 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp corn meal
- ground chipotle or cayenne pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, stock pot, or other large, heavy bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-high heat, and sear off the cubed chuck steak in batches. Take care not to crowd the pot…each batch should be a single layer so the meat is browned not "simmered". Each batch should take 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Set browned off steak aside in a separate bowl.
- Add the onion and peppers into the beef drippings in the pot; add another ⅔ tbsp of oil if needed, and cook until they start to soften.
- Add ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cook along with onions and peppers. Break down large clumps with wooden spatula or spoon. When all pink meat is gone, add garlic and continue to cook and mix together.
- After all ground beef is just starting to brown, add steak back into pot, add chili powder and paprika and mix thoroughly. Cook for about 2 minutes. Then add beef stock until just covering, stirring and scraping up/deglazing any cooked/browned bits at the bottom. Bring mixture to simmer for 5 minutes.
- At this point I like to check the seasoning. Take a small tasting sample of the broth. Adjust with salt and chili powder as you like, keeping in mind that more flavor will extract and intensify as it cooks. Simmer for another 30-45 minutes until steak starts to tenderize.
- Add in kidney beans (ensure they are fully drained) and mix. Add in tomatoes and cocoa powder, mix, and simmer 10 minutes. Add corn meal and mix thoroughly. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes and check seasoning one last time. If you like it hotter, add chipotle or cayenne (use small amounts at a time, let simmer for 5-10 minutes, and recheck flavor).
- Keep this on a low simmer for as much as another hour at this point until meat is tender to your liking.
- (Optional Step) Refrigerate 12-18 hours and reheat before serving. This will intensify flavor.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!