Slow Cooker Fire Roasted Brisket Chili.

This slow cooker brisket chili is one of our favorites! Made with fire roasted tomatoes and pinto beans, it’s so comforting, hearty and delicious.

Chili season is here!

Yes yes, it’s always chili season, but you know what I mean. Crunchy leaves, cool air, pumpkins and sweatshirts. I’m game anytime!

This brisket chili is incredibly hearty, super smoky and so wildly flavorful. It just might be Eddie’s new favorite chili and that’s saying something because he LOVES chili.

Chili is the only soup he really truly loves. 

So I love experimenting with different chili recipes and I’m so glad this one came to fruition. I often have a few cuts of meat in my freezer, so having a great chili recipe to utilize that meat is the perfect option. 

It is a bit high-maintenance, in that you have to cook the brisket first and THEN make the chili. It’s totally worthy it though.

Let me tell you how I make it happen!

The night before, I throw the brisket in the slow cooker. This way it cooks overnight and gets super fall-apart tender. Once it’s tender in the morning, you can choose to either shred it or chop it, whichever you would like. Your preference!

Then everything goes into the slow cooker. You can cook it for a few hours on high or let it simmer all day on low. I have a slow cooker that has a sauté option (it’s seriously amazing and I use it for SO many things!) – this version right here. So I like to remove my brisket, and in that same crock, sauté the onions and peppers with spices to really develop the flavor.

This isn’t necessary of course – you can throw everything right in, raw onions and all. But I do find that sautéing them first starts you off with a great layer of flavor. I am ALL about building layers of flavors in my recipes and allowing the flavors to fully develop. It’s the key to making a great meal happen!

Whether you cook the onions and peppers or not, everything goes into the slow cooker!

These are the key ingredients that make this recipe absolutely delish: 

Fire roasted tomatoes. These are pretty much the only diced tomatoes I use these days. They have such great charred, smoky flavor. I use them in my tomato soup and minestrone and many other things. I absolutely love them!

Pinto beans. Pintos may just be my favorite bean. I love how creamy they are – and also I love their size. You can use any bean here, but I find that pinto is my favorite. If you’d like to keep things traditional with kidney beans, go for it. Or use black beans. Whatever you love!

The perfect blend of spices, like smoked paprika, a hint of cumin, chili powder (of course!), a touch of dried oregano and even some crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. 

Some beer… or stock. I love using beer, just like this game day chili that uses a whole bottle. It adds so much flavor and richness to the soup.

The brisket, which is a no brainer. Again, chopped or shredded. Your call.

Toppings are KEY when it comes to chili. If you need some hints, take a look at my method of setting up a chili bar. If it’s a busy weeknight, I suggest the classics like cheddar cheese, chives or scallions and some plain greek yogurt or sour cream. 

Or if it’s the weekend and you have more time to go all our, I suggest some tortilla chips or tater tots, avocado, jalapeños, pico de gallo, cornbread, pickled onions and corn.

Um, hi, I’m starving now. This looks amazing! 

As usual, this chili freezes great. The leftovers are wonderful. Did anyone else grow up with their mom telling them how much better chili is the next day? 

It’s perfect for lunch, works for dinner, is great on hot dogs or nachos and can be shared with friends and family. That’s my favorite way to make it. Do this whole slow cooker thing and make a big batch, then give half to your neighbor! 

If you’re looking for more chili recipes, I have about a thousand. I suggest this game day beer chili, my weeknight maple turkey chili, this fire and ice chili (omg!), buffalo chicken chili or my butternut squash quinoa chili to name a few

There is a chili for every mood!

Slow Cooker Brisket Chili

Slow Cooker Fire Roasted Brisket Chili

Yield: 6 to 8 people

Prep Time: 8 hours hrs

Cook Time: 6 hours hrs

Total Time: 14 hours hrs

This slow cooker brisket chili is one of our favorites! Made with fire roasted tomatoes and pinto beans, it's so comforting, hearty and delicious.

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Ingredients

brisket

• 2 pounds beef brisket
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup chicken stock or your favorite beer

chili

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 (14 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock or your favorite beer

toppings

• sour cream
• grated cheddar cheese
• jalapeno peppers
• chives or scallions

Instructions 

• Prepare the brisket the night before, as it takes about 8 hours to slow cook.
• Stir together the salt, pepper, brown sugar, paprika and garlic powder. Sprinkle or rub all over the brisket. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven (or your slow cooker, if it does it) over medium-high heat. Add the brisket and sear it on both sides until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
• Place the brisket in the slow cooker with ½ cup of stock or beer. Cook on low for 8 hours.
• After 8 hours, you can shred or chop the brisket. At this point, you can add ALL the other ingredients to the slow cooker. Since I have a slow cooker that also sautes in the crock, I remove the brisket first, then I saute the peppers, onions and garlic until soft.
• Stir in all of the spices, tomatoes, beans and stock or beer. Add your brisket back in (if you removed it). Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours, or low for 6 to 8 hours.
• Serve with sour cream, grated cheddar, chives and scallions. Leftovers freeze well for about 6 months!

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

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