Ground Beef Chili
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes | Serves: 8
Who doesn’t love chili on these wintry nights? I’m sure everyone has their favorite recipe or takeout chili that just hits the spot.
Even though my absolute favorite chili is what is called “A Bowl of Red,” I do love a quicker version with ingredients that are yummy and a little more convenient. Here is a chili recipe using ground beef and a lot of spices to bring some serious chile flavor.
Chili spelled with an “i” does have a different meaning than chile with an “e”. Also, chile powder is not the same thing as chili powder. Here’s a great article by The Spruce Eats to read for explanations instead of me boring the life out of you.
Use whichever fat percentage of ground beef you would like. I am currently using 93% lean due to being on Weight Watchers. When you’re browning the beef, leave some big chunks if you’ll be serving some carnivores at heart. They may appreciate that.
Since the spice list is quite lengthy, let me put a plug out there for using newly opened spices. Sure, we probably all have the spices in our pantry that are years old, but dry spices lose their potency over time. The general consensus is that spices last up to 6 months for best results. One year may be pushing it, but I’ll admit, I don’t do a clean-out every six months. However, if we are having guests, I will purchase a new jar if necessary just bring the best flavors to the table.
I have unsalted beef stock listed in the ingredients for liquid. I use unsalted because of the addition of a beef base concentrate, which is quite salty. You can always add salt, but it is a bear trying to help restore a dish from extreme sodium. An extra note here, beef bone broth would be very good and healthy as a substitute for the beef stock.
The nice thing about chili is that it is adaptable. You can use more onion, or omit if you despise them; add more of certain spices (or less) if they turn you off to chili. I put these flavors together with purpose, so I wouldn’t go too far off the reservation, which then you’d be making your own Chili recipe. Hey, if my recipe is inspiration, go for it!
Enjoy!
Ground Beef Chili
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven with a lid
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (avocado, vegetable, etc.)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin, see Notes
- 1/4 cup dark chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, hot or mild
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
- 2 cup unsalted beef broth
- 1 heaping tablespoon roasted beef base, my favorite brand
- 1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- kosher salt, to taste
Optional Toppings:
- Diced red onion
- Sliced green onions
- Sliced jalapenos, fresh, pickled, fermented, etc.
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc.)
- Chopped cilantro
- Saltine Crackers
- Tortilla chips
- Hot sauce
- Cornbread
- Corn chips, such as Fritos
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a large Dutch oven (that has a lid) over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain well. Set aside.
- Over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to the pot. Saute the onions until very soft. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, dark chili powder, ancho chile powder, chipotle chile powder, coriander, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powders, and black pepper. Stir until very fragrant, and is darkening in color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes, crushing by hand as you add them to the pot.
- Add the oregano, beef stock/broth, and beef concentrate. Stir to combine and allow the concentrate to dissolve throughout the mixture.
- Add both kidney beans and stir. Taste and adjust any seasonings and the salt.
- Turn the heat down to a low, gentle simmer. Place the lid slightly ajar (about 1” opening) on the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir, taste again (careful; chili will be hot), and adjust any seasonings.
- Serve very warm with any preferred toppings.
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