Easy Beef and Beer Chili Recipe - Cooking For My Soul (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to a good chili? ›

Stout is a perfect base ingredient for stew because it combines the flavors of several "secret" chili ingredients into one, easy-to-add package: beer, coffee, and chocolate. An Irish stout like Guinness Draught Stout is particularly well-suited here because of the beer's roasted flavor and creamy texture.

Not only does beer work to cut the heat and spice of a proper bowl of red, but the residual sweetness in most beers nicely complements the caramelized meat. Since it's the perfect thing to drink with chili, plenty of people consider adding beer to their chili recipe, but which beer style should you choose?

Raw meat and pot of chili are two things that just don't belong together. If the recipe includes any type of ground meat, bacon, chorizo, or cubes of beef, it should always be browned first. Try this: The first order of business before adding anything else to the pot is to brown any meat in your recipe.

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.

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.

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!

And to me, beer is an essential ingredient. What I've found over the years is that different styles of beers can add different flavors and textures. What I do is just choose the beer I want, pour in a twelve ounce bottle once all the other ingredients are there and the chili is ready to simmer.

Sweet onions are great for caramelizing due to their higher sugar content. You can cook them into your chili, serve them raw over top, or even elevate your chili with a sophisticated caramelized onion topping! Some of my favorite sweet onions are Walla, Walla, Maui, and Vidalia Onions.

Chili's Popularity and Recipe Adaptations

The ICS defines Traditional Red Chili as "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients. Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed."

Can I use any beer in chili? ›

A darker beer (Stouts, Porters, Browns) will add more body and make for a more savory chili. That said, save your lagers and pilsners for drinking. These brews are too light to add anything to the chili as the spices and seasonings will overpower any flavor they bring to the table.

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.

Sautéing onions, garlic, and other veggies first coaxes maximum flavor out of them.

Many chili recipes call for ground chili powder, which is a mix of dried ground chiles and other spices like garlic and onion powder. But that doesn't mean you should skip using fresh garlic and onions in your chili. They add a depth of flavor the dried stuff can't match.

The base of your chili determines the success of the dish! This flavor foundation plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall flavor. Instead of using plain water (please, never just use water), consider using stock, broth, or bone broth as your base to add richness and depth.

If you want more of a smoky flavor, add cumin, Spanish paprika, ancho chili powder, or a combination. If you are looking for more heat, add cayenne, crushed red pepper, or Hungarian paprika. If it's too spicy add a little brown sugar and some sweet paprika.

You know the saying, “save the best for last?” To keep your beans nice and plump, add them about 20 minutes before you finish cooking. This will give them plenty of time to impart that perfectly seasoned chili flavor to your recipe without overcooking.

Keep things subtle by soaking dried guajillo chilies in hot water for 30 minutes, pureeing the peppers and adding it to your chili. Or go a little spicier by using sliced fresh jalapenos or serrano peppers. Finally, you can add ground cayenne pepper or canned chipotles in adobo to create a really spicy kick.

Canned tomatoes with green chiles, chili powder, ground black pepper and cayenne all add varying amounts of heat to the chili. If you want to really turn things up, use hot chili powder and the full amount of cayenne pepper. Also, make sure your spices are fresh.