This really is the best homemade chili recipe and I absolutely love this chili recipe! For 20 years we’ve always used Carroll Shelby’s Chili Mix and it’s fantastic, but the mix isn’t always easy to find. For about the past five years or so, I’ve been trying to do away with spice mixes (taco season packs, salad dressing packs, etc.) but I was always reluctant to try a “real” chili recipe. I figured why bother? I’m so glad I stumbled upon Pat Neely’s chili recipe, because with a few tweaks, it’s amazing!
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Homemade Chili with Ground Beef?
Bacon, ground beef, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and a bunch of spices, make this recipe a real keeper. The original recipe calls for a combo of ground pork and ground beef. I grind our meat in my LEM meat grinder, and I’ve made this recipe with 50% pork, 50% beef, and I’ve also made it with 100% beef. Honestly, I really couldn’t tell the difference between the two. Since pork is typically cheaper than beef, I’ve found using half ground pork does save money.
Homemade Chili with Beans
I love beans, but I always thought I preferred my chili without beans…. Until I tried this recipe! I also always thought I didn’t like red kidney beans, just the thought of them makes me think of dry mealy big huge red beans, but I’ve found I really LOVE red kidney beans in this recipe. Simmering the chili for 1.5 hours really transforms the red beans into something quite delicious, and gives the chili deep layers of flavor! I recommend you give this recipe a go, I think you will be pleasantly surprised because this recipe is a keeper!
Homemade Chili Recipe from Scratch
In a large non-stick dutch oven brown diced bacon or bacon ends. The original recipe called for applewood smoked bacon, I’ve used the applewood smoked bacon and regular bacon, I really couldn’t tell the difference, in the end, product.
When bacon is almost done, add in chopped onions and bell pepper, and cook until the onions look done. Next add in the minced garlic and spices. Add the raw ground beef to the pot, and cook until no longer pink.
Finally, it’s time to add in a can or bottle of beer, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed red kidney beans, and black beans.
This is what the chili looks like at this point. Now it’s time to bring it up to a low simmer, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours.
While simmering, if your chili needs more water add a little. During the first hour of simmering the chili, I like to stir the chili every 10-15 minutes. For the last half hour of cooking, I’ll stir the chili every 8-10 minutes. If you aren’t using a non-stick dutch oven, you may need to stir the pot more often.
This is what the chili looks like after simmering for 1.5 hours.
.5 to 1.5 tablespoons chipolte powderUse 1.5 tablespoons if you like it spicy
2teaspoonsdried oregano
2teaspoonssalt
.5 teaspoon cayenne powderoptional
3poundsground beef
1can or bottle beerI use Coors Light
1 - 14ouncecan black beansrinsed and drained
1 - 14ouncecan red kidney beansrinsed and drained
1 - 24ouncecan crushed tomatoes
1 - 24ouncecan diced tomatoes
Instructions
Cook diced bacon over medium heat in a large non-stick dutch oven or pot. When bacon is almost done, add in diced onion and bell peppers and cook until softened.
Add in minced garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, chipolte powder, dried oregano, salt, and cayenne powder. Cook a minute or two until aromatic.
Add in ground beef to bacon-onion mixture. Cook until ground beef is no longer pink.
Stir in can of beer, rinsed and drained beans, crushed tomatoes with juice, and diced tomatoes with juice.
Cover and simmer on low (for me it's #3) 1.5 hours. Add in a little water, if necessary. The first hour stir the pot every 10-15 minutes, and the last 30 minutes stir the pot every 5-10 minutes. You may need to stir more often depending on your pot and how hot your burner gets.
Taste of salt.
Recipe inspired by Pat Neely’s homemade chili recipe.
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Instead of adding water to your chili, add some more flavor with chicken or beef broth, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, or even beet or wine. Each one of these options brings out different notes and levels of sweetness that will enhance your culinary creation.
Chili cooks low and slow, so you need enough liquid to tenderize the meat and keep everything from drying out. That liquid should also add flavor to the chili, so use chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or beer.
The best chili meat is a combination of meats, often a mix of ground chuck, ground sirloin, brisket, diced tri-tip, and/or some bacon or sausage. Do your best to mix smaller pieces with larger pieces to stack textures and make it your own! Happy cooking!
Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.
The brown sugar gave it a sweet/tangy flavor that reminded me of BBQ-sauce! Th chili was so good - it was hard to stop eating it! I did had some extra veggies (1 cl. garlic, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, 1 bell pepper, 1 hot pepper) and used a can of diced tomatoes rather than tomato juice.
Cooking is often about finding a balance between these basic taste sensations, which is why apple cider vinegar can be exactly what you need to make your pot of chili a little brighter. Acids enhance the salty, umami-rich flavors already present in chili, and round out the sweetness, adding intricacy to the dish.
In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, and red pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the beef and increase the heat to high; cook, stirring with wooden spoon to break the meat into ¼-inch pieces, until the beef is browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
However, canned beans are soaked in a canning liquid that can throw off your dish's seasoning and texture, so it's best to drain and rinse your beans before pouring them into your pot of chili. Canning liquid can also water down and dilute the flavors of your chili.
The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.
When making chili, former Southern Living Test Kitchen Director, Robby Melvin, recommends using a mix of ground chuck and ground sirloin. "It's the best of both worlds," he says. "You get a balanced lean-to-fat ratio from the chuck and the hearty, beefy leanness from the sirloin."
Tomato paste is a great way to add bonus tomato flavor, and thickness, to a chili recipe. To get the best flavor it needs to be browned. Add a couple tablespoons (or a whole can if you want a thicker soup base) directly to the pan after cooking the meat and onions.
The most popular form of paprika is sweet paprika, meaning it has no heat. This spice is a rich red color, and is used to add sweet and earthy flavor to meals. Common dishes that use paprika range from authentic Hungarian goulash, to chicken paprikash, rice dishes, chili con carne, eggs, soups, and stews.
Cinnamon. The beauty of ground cinnamon is that it brings a warmth to your chili, without being spicy. It works well with other flavors commonly found in chili (like tomato, cumin and chile powder) so you only need a little bit to achieve the desired balance.
Cocoa powder, bacon, cinnamon, ground coffee and tomato paste will all add a rich sweet & salty flavors that are sure to surprise and delight. Warming spice blends, like Garam Masala, Ras el Hanout or Baharat are another simple and delicious way to add layered flavors to this simple one-pot meal.
For an extra tangy, rich bite, incorporate a dollop (or five) into your batch. This is already common practice in many white chili recipes (which, ironically, are often made with green chiles), but a dollop of stirred-in sour cream can benefit red chili, as well.
Though it may be an unusual choice, coffee adds an earthy richness to the existing flavors and plays well with spices like cumin and cayenne pepper. Plus, it's a flexible ingredient – while we typically reach for instant espresso powder, you can also add in brewed coffee, making this dish the perfect use for leftovers.
Oregano is an important herb in chilli con carne. The oregano that you'll most commonly find is the Mediterranean kind, commonly found in Greek and Italian cooking.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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This really is the best homemade chili recipe and I absolutely love this chili recipe! For 20 years we’ve always used Carroll Shelby’s Chili Mix and it’s fantastic, but the mix isn’t always easy to find. For about the past five years or so, I’ve been trying to do away with spice mixes (taco season packs, salad dressing packs, etc.) but I was always reluctant to try a “real” chili recipe. I figured why bother? I’m so glad I stumbled upon Pat Neely’s chili recipe, because with a few tweaks, it’s amazing!
