Homemade Beef Chili Recipe
This beef chili recipe is the best comfort food, made with bacon, ground beef, vegetables, beans, and a perfect combination of spices in a homemade chili seasoning. This perfectly comforting and classic dish makes a great weekend dinner.
Why It’s Best Cold Weather Food
- Chili is a great healthy dish because it’s made with lean meat, vegetables, and beans. It’s loaded with protein, fiber, and iron.
- Besides tasting great, I like adding beans to my chili because it does have great nutritional value. So if you’re debating whether to add beans to chili or not, I say go for it!
- Now, my Texas friends, don’t come after me for putting beans in the chili. Even though the original Chili Con Carne is made with meat and chilis only, the idea of putting beans in the chili has been around for a long time. In a way, it’s just as classic as the original way.
- Tradition or not, we all know chili tastes delicious, it’s comforting, nutritious, and quite versatile. There are a few uses for chili beyond just enjoying a nice big bowl of it.
How To Make This Beef Chili
- Sear the bacon and ground beef. Sear diced bacon first, until it’s mostly done and add ground beef. Beak it up as much as you can and mix and cook until most of the meat has browned. Take it all out of the pot and set aside.
- Sauté veggies. Add a little more oil if needed and sauté onions and peppers until mostly softened. Once softened, make room for minced garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant. Mix everything and add back the meats.
- Beans, tomatoes, and seasoning. Drain beans and add them to the pot. Add can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and all the seasoning. Mix everything very well and stir in the beef stock.
- Cook! Bring the chili to a low boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid but leave a small crack for the steam to escape. Cook on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remember to stir well from time to time!
Tips and Trick For The Best Results
- It’s best to use homemade chili seasoning. Chili seasoning is basically the spices and herbs that go into chili. Be generous with chili powder and make sure to add cumin, oregano, and paprika. I recommend smoked paprika for a smoky taste in chili.
- To help regulate spice level in chili, you can add jalapenos or other spicy chili peppers. Adding spicier chili peppers can increase the spice level dramatically and if you add seeds from those peppers, that will bring up the heat even more.
- I prefer to make chili ahead of time and eat it the next day. It really does taste best when it gets a chance to sit in the fridge overnight.
Recipe FAQ
Begin by browning bacon in a cooking pan, over medium heat. Add ground beef, break it all up, and cook until beef is browned. Transfer beef and bacon mixture into a Crock Pot.
In the same pan where you cooked beef, add onions, peppers, and jalapeno. Sauté veggies until softened and add smashed and minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and transfer veggie mixture onto the Crock Pot as well.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, broth, and seasoning to the Crock Pot. Stir everything well, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours. (Open and stir about once an hour.)
Of curse, if you want faster results, you can try my Instant Pot Chili Recipe!
1. If you’re making chili for a game day, creating a chili bar is an awesome idea. Chili bar is basically a spread of awesome chili and an array of toppings that people can use for their chili.
2. Make sure to keep chili warm, so keeping it in a Crock Pot is a good idea even if you didn’t cook it in it.
3. Set out plenty of bowls and extra spoons so each topping option can have its own spoon.
4. There are many topping options like:
cheese
sour cream
diced jalapeno peppers, onion, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, green onions
crackers, tortilla strips, pretzels
dried chick peas
5. Make some additional sides to go with chili like cornbread, jalapeno cornbread, dinner rolls, and/or biscuits.
Freezing Instructions
You will be happy to know that you can easily freeze chili.
After chili is cooked, you will want to cool it as quickly as possible if you plan to freeze it. This will give bacteria less chance to build and extend the shelf life of food. The best way to cool chili quickly is to place the pot of chili into a larger container filled with ice and make sure to stir it from time to time as it cools.
Once it’s cooled, portion it into smaller freezer bags, let all the air out, and close it well. Remember to label and date. Lay the bags flat on the cutting board and freeze. Chili can be frozen for up to 6 months.
To Thaw: Make sure to slow-thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
More Chili Recipes To Try
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The Best Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz raw bacon
- 2 lbs ground beef 85%-15% lean to fat ratio
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 bell peppers – various colors
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers
- 2 tomatoes
- 4-6 large garlic cloves
- 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 oz tomato paste
- 16 oz can low sodium pinto beans or other beans you love
- 16 oz can low sodium kidney beans
- 1 cup beef stock or broth
- 2 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tbsp salt more or less to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time by dicing bacon, onion, tomatoes, and peppers. Measure the stock and seasoning, drain the beans, and mince garlic
- Preheat a 2.5-3 quart pot over medium heat and add a little bit of oil.
- Add diced bacon and cook until browned and most of the fat is rendered.
- Add ground beef, season with some salt, and cook, breaking up all the clumps of meat as much as possible. Continue to cook until the meat is mostly brown. Take meats out of the pot and set aside.
- Add diced onion, jalapenos, and bell peppers to the pot and sauté until softened.
- Make some room in the middle and add minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and mix it into the veggies.
- Add meats back to the pot, stir, and add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, and seasoning. Stir everything well and pour in beef stock.
- Bring the chili mixture to a low boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid but leave a crack for the steam to escape.
- Cook for about 1.5-2 hours and make sure to stir from time to time. Take the lid off half way through and cook the rest of the time uncovered.
Video
Notes
- Storing: store cooled leftover chili in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator. Remember to use a clean ladle each time to take some out. Properly stored, homemade chili will last 3-4 days.
- More or less spicy: Love it spicy? Use spicier peppers like serrano or habanero. Your chili will also be spicier if you keep the seeds in the chili peppers.
If you just want to use jalapeno peppers, you can control the spice level on them as well. If you want spicier result, use jalapenos that have some veins in the skin and keep the seeds. Choose smooth, firm jalapenos for less heat and discard the seeds. - Additional veggies: Feel free to load your chili with veggies like carrots, celery, more bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, corn, winter squash, and avocado for topping.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January, 2019.
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Categories:
Beef Recipes, Chili Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Fall Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes, Most Popular Recipes, Super Bowl Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I loved the bacon addition! We will definitely be making chili dogs with the leftovers!!
I’m so glad you loved the bacon addition—it really does add a special touch, doesn’t it? Chili dogs with the leftovers sound amazing!
can i make this in my crock pot
Hi Lynda,
Yes, if you scroll up to the recipe FAQ I go over how to cook it in the crockpot. Hope you enjoy it!
I make this every fall into winter. I made it tonight with rice. Best chili I’ve ever eaten. My husband loves it. So tasty, real comfort food. ❤👍
I am so glad you like the recipe, Darlene!
Hi! This has always been my favorite go-to recipe for chili. I made it last night and it tasted differently than normal- but still delicious! The website says the recipe was updated recently- can you say what ingredients were changed?
What tastes different about it? I didn’t change the recipe at all it was just the post that was updated like the questions and tips, not the recipe card.
I made this last night and didn’t change one thing about it! I really loved it & look forward to using more of your recipes in the future! I also made the jalapeño cornbread! Omg! Chili during fall is a staple in my home & this is my new favorite chili recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Kayla! I am so happy you liked it!
I make your recipe with ground turkey, and the bacon makes all the difference- the meat isn’t dry and bland! I use about a pounding turkey, then add more beans (black and kidney). This is now my favorite go-to chili!
Yum! I am glad you liked it, Jackie!
Just made this recipe as recorded to try before making for a group gathering. The bacon and the ancho chili brings this recipe to the top. Very tasty and favorable! Thanks for sharing.
One question… Are the beans supposed to be drained before adding?
Great chili recipe very delicious
Thank you! I am glad you liked it!
I’ve been making chili for yearsssss and this was by far the best! I added a little brown sugar and cocoa. don’t even know if that made a difference so still, thank you!!
Your so welcome, Heather! I really am so glad you like it!