Classic Beef & Bean Chili
It's rare that I have the time to take on a recipe that requires a few hours (and doesn't involve a slow cooker). This one, I had planned ahead for. I wanted to take my first stab at chili without using someone else's recipe. I did take a peek at some recipes online to get a general idea for ingredient proportions, and found some inspiration here and there from Food Network shows – and of course, my mother's recipe – but what I've come up with below is from my heart. My brain and stomach may have had some input too.
Everyone who cooks regularly has their own recipe for chili. I wanted to be included in this club. Even fictional characters have their own epic recipes (and cold opens – if you haven't seen the Kevin's Famous Chili cold open on "The Office", I must insist you follow this link). None of this is to say that I'm not going to continue to tweak and alter this recipe moving forward, though. That's the great thing about a dish like chili – it's easy to make and easy to change, and there are a ton of different ways to make it taste great. So I'm not going to try to sell chili to you in this write-up, because chances are you either already like it or already have your own recipe for it. Or both.
For my recipe, I'm getting the whole thing rolling with some bacon (is there a better way to start a dish?), and using ground beef, 80-20, for my main protein. Then some of the regular players come in – tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder. I want to clarify, when I say "chili powder" here, I'm not using straight powder from chili peppers. I'm using the type of chili powder that's a blend of other spices, because you know what? McCormick's does a great job, so who am I to challenge the professionals? Then, to complement that spice blend, I just add some extra garlic and paprika because it suits my tastes.
As this simmers on the stovetop – as everyone gets to know each other in the pot, if you will – I'd recommend making some cornbread to go with it. I've never made cornbread from scratch, but if you can find a box mix that's gluten-free, use it. This means that the mix only uses cornmeal, and no flour, which is how cornbread is meant to be made. It is, scientifically speaking, a gazillion times better that way. (However, the Krusteaz brand mix is very tasty too.)
The one thing I'm going to change about this moving forward is that I'll change out the small can of sauce I used for a can of diced tomatoes instead. I was anticipating my crushed tomatoes to have a few more pieces of tomato than they actually did. Don't get me wrong, it's delicious the way I made it this time, but I'm going to note an option below that instead of sauce, diced tomatoes would be good too.
All in all, I'm happy with my first attempt, and I think it's good enough to share (or at least to inspire someone else out there to create their own recipe too!). The husband wholeheartedly agrees, luckily. And if nothing else, we can still say I did better than Kevin Malone, because even though I don't roast my own ancho chiles... at least I didn't drop the pot.
CLASSIC BEEF & BEAN CHILI
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
3 strips bacon
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow onion
1 ½ T tomato paste
3 - 3 ½ T chili powder
1 t paprika
3 t minced garlic
2 lb ground beef
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
1 T salt
28 oz crushed tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce OR 12 oz diced tomatoes
25 oz dark kidney beans (about 1 ½ cans)
Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, green onion, jalapeño slices
Directions
On the stovetop, heat a cast iron dutch oven to medium heat. You'll need a dutch oven sized 5 quarts or larger. Cook about 3 strips of bacon, cut in half, in the dutch oven with the lid off.
While the bacon cooks, medium dice one green bell pepper and one yellow onion. When crispy, remove the bacon and set aside on a paper towel, but leave the drippings in the pot. Then toss in the diced pepper and onion, the tomato paste, and the chili powder and paprika. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes. Then add the minced garlic, and sauté for one minute more.
Next, add your ground beef and let it brown, stirring as needed. Once the beef is just browned, add water, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Mix everything in the pot together well, then add in your tomatoes and kidney beans. Roughly chop the bacon you cooked earlier, and toss that in too.
Turn your stove down to low heat, put the lid on the dutch oven, and let the chili simmer for about two hours.
When ready to serve, top with a dollop of sour cream and/or some cheddar cheese, and if you want an extra burst of flavor, add some chopped green onion or jalapeños! Serving with cornbread is highly recommended.
Happy Eating,
Natalie