Hearty Chili Recipe | How Sweet It Is

Super Hearty Chili. {Dinner Tonight: Part 1}

September 15, 2011

I hope you like a thick bowl of chili.

Uhh… because this pot contains all of this. Above and below.

Yep. Yes sirree.

Oh! And it also has beer in it.

It’s my third Fall writing this blog and oddly enough, this is my third chili recipe. But I’ve told you this little secret before… I never use a recipe for chili.

Ever. Blah blah blah, old news.

Yet here I am, semi-lying to you because technically this is the third time I’ve had to use a recipe; the other two being for my previous posts in order to share them with you.

It’s cool because I like you.

Soon after I got married, I quizzed my mom on how to make the perfect pot of chili. Over the phone she gave me a rundown of what she uses: ground beef, tomato puree, tomato sauce, tomato paste, assorted vegetables and seasonings, kidney beans and the like. Ever since, I have used a mish mash of those ingredients, give or take my own substitutions, never measuring a dang thing and tasting until it’s flavored just right.

This is my ideal way to cook anything and as far as I know, I’ve never made a “bad” pot of chili. Except for that one night last November when the lid to my salt shaker was loose and yes… it alllll went streaming down into my pot. I tried the trendy trick of adding potatoes to to soak up the salt, but uh… that didn’t really work out. Instead, I watched my 15 cups of chili swirl down the drain and then went to Five Guys for dinner.

Best burger ever.

This is one of those pots that is going to taste best after cooking all day. Use your crock pot or your dutch oven, and cook it for hours upon hours ’til the beef pulls apart and melts in your mouth. If you’re looking for an incredibly easy, “weeknight” recipe, this isn’t it. But you’re in luck – I made some easy 5-step chili last year which is much more my usual speed.

So I’m warning you: this makes a massive pot of comfort. Leave out the beans, add in some chipotles, up the cayenne or dive in and swim. Make it your own, and tomorrow I’ll share something totally dunkable and delicious to go on top of your bowl. Then after that, I’ll show you something even better. Pinky swear.

Hearty Chili

makes a giant pot, at least 12 servings

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 pounds of beef chuck roast, cut into cubes

1 pound of boneless pork short ribs, cut into cubes

1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

2 jalapenos, chopped or sliced

2 28-ounce cans of tomato puree

2 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes

1 6-ounce can of tomato paste

2 15-ounce cans of light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

12 ounces of beer

5 1/2 tablespoons of chili powder

3 tablespoons of cumin

1/2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

salt for layering flavor and seasoning

+ your favorite chili toppings

[I began this recipe by searing both my beef roast and the pork ribs (not the ground beef). I seasoned them both with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, then added about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of my giant stock pot and seared them over high heat on all sides for 1-2 minutes, until color developed. Before I seared them, I did NOT remove the fat. Both meats were fairly lean and I found that the fat added so much flavor. None of the meat ended up tasting "fatty" in the chili whatsoever. Searing took me 4 batches, but was completely worth it and resulted in super tender meat. I removed each batch and let it drain on a paper towel while the other batch seared. This is why there is a bit of extra olive oil listed in the recipe, for searing purposes.]

After searing the beef and pork, turn the heat on your large stock pot down to medium and add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions and peppers with a sprinkle of salt, and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and jalapenos, and cook for another 2 minutes while stirring every so often. Turn the heat up to medium-high and season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and crumble it with a wooden spoon, then cook it for 6-8 minutes, tossing occasionally until it browns through and the liquid cooks off.

Turn the heat back down to medium-low and add the pork and beef roast back in, the beans, the tomato sauce, paste, and puree, and stir to combine. Add in the beer and the seasonings (chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tablespoon black pepper) , stirring once more. Cover and let simmer for 1-2 hours. Once that time has passed, taste the chili and determine if you would like more seasonings. I did not add in any additional salt because I layered every flavor with salt: the meats and the sauteed veggies. Turn the heat down to low and cook chili for an additional 2-4 hours, or longer.

Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but I recommend immediately filling a few containers to freeze.