In this article
Every family that makes chili has an argument built into it, and the argument is beans. One side puts them in. The other side says a person who puts beans in chili would put sugar in cornbread. The chili below was made by the bean side, on the first cool Sunday of every September, in a big enamel pot that sat on the stove from noon until the fourth quarter.
What makes it good has nothing to do with the beans. It is browning the beef hard so it picks up color, and then stirring the chili powder and cumin into the meat for a full minute before any liquid goes in. Dry spices toasted in fat taste twice as strong as spices dumped into a pot of liquid. After that it is time: two hours on low with the lid half on, a stir when you walk past, and a spoonful of masa at the end to thicken it and give it the flavor of a proper Texas bowl.
Why this homemade beef chili works
- Spices go in dry. A minute in the hot beef fat blooms the chili powder and cumin. This is the step most recipes skip and the reason most homemade chili tastes flat.
- Browned hard, not grey. Ground beef cooked in two batches over high heat gets real color. Grey beef makes grey chili.
- Two hours, lid half on. Long enough for the tomatoes to lose their sharpness and the flavors to settle; the half-open lid lets it reduce.
- Masa at the end. A spoonful of masa harina or fine cornmeal thickens the chili and adds the faint corn note that makes it taste like it came from Texas.
Ingredients
Makes about 3 quarts, 8 generous bowls. US cups with grams in brackets.
- 2 pounds ground beef, 80/20 (900g)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (28 ounces, 800g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 small can (6 ounces, 170g) tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth (480ml)
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
- 2 tablespoons masa harina or fine cornmeal
To serve
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped white onion
- Saltine crackers or cornbread
- Sour cream, if you like
Chili powder here means the American blend (ground chiles with cumin, garlic and oregano), not pure ground cayenne. If your blend is mild, add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne with the spices.
How to make homemade beef chili
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add half the beef, break it up and let it sit without stirring for 2 minutes so it browns, then stir and cook until no pink remains. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the rest. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Return the beef to the pot. Sprinkle over the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and stir constantly for 1 full minute, until the spices smell toasty and coat the meat. Do not add any liquid yet.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low so the chili barely bubbles. Set the lid half on and simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so and scraping the bottom. Add a splash of broth or water if it gets thicker than you like.
- If you are using beans, stir them in for the last 30 minutes.
- Ten minutes before serving, sprinkle the masa harina over the surface and stir it in well. Simmer uncovered until the chili thickens and looks glossy. Taste and add salt.
- Serve in bowls with cheddar, chopped onion and crackers on the side.
Tips that make the difference
- Chili is better the next day, every time. Make it Saturday and reheat it slowly on Sunday.
- If it tastes sharp or tomato-heavy, it needs more time or a teaspoon of brown sugar, in that order.
- Keep the simmer gentle. A hard boil breaks the beef into mush and scorches the bottom.
- Let the pot sit off the heat for 15 minutes before serving. The fat settles and the flavors round out.
Variations
- No beans, Texas style. Leave the beans out and use 2 1/2 pounds of beef. Some cooks swap half the ground beef for cubed chuck; give it 3 hours if you do.
- Slow cooker. Brown the beef and toast the spices on the stove as written, then transfer everything to the slow cooker for 6 hours on low. Stir in the masa for the last 30 minutes with the lid off.
- Smoky. Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika with the spices and one chopped chipotle in adobo with the tomatoes.
- Chili mac. Stir 3 cups of cooked elbow macaroni into 4 cups of chili and top with cheese. Every child’s favorite version.
Storage and make-ahead
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days. It thickens as it cools; loosen with a splash of broth when reheating gently on the stove.
Chili freezes perfectly for up to 3 months. Freeze in meal-sized containers, leaving a little headroom. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or reheat from frozen over low heat.
Leftovers make the best Frito pie, baked potato topping and chili mac you will have all year.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this chili in the slow cooker?
Yes. Do steps 1 through 4 on the stove so the beef browns and the spices toast, then cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3. Add the beans for the last hour and the masa for the last 30 minutes with the lid off.
What can I use instead of masa harina?
Fine cornmeal works nearly as well. In a pinch, crush 6 tortilla chips to a powder and stir them in. Or leave it out and simmer 20 minutes longer uncovered to thicken.
Is this chili spicy?
With a standard American chili powder it is warm, not hot. For real heat add cayenne or a chopped jalapeño with the onion, or serve hot sauce at the table so everyone chooses.
Why does my chili taste like tomato soup?
Usually too much liquid and not enough time. Simmer uncovered for the last 30 minutes, add the masa, and make sure the spices were toasted in the fat rather than stirred into the liquid.
Beans or no beans, the pot is the same and the afternoon is the same. Start it at noon, stir it at every commercial break, and by the fourth quarter the whole house smells like cumin.
Homemade Beef Chili (Sunday Stovetop Chili, Beans Optional)
A big pot of Sunday stovetop beef chili: ground beef browned hard, spices toasted into the meat before any liquid, two hours on low, and the beans left to you. With the masa trick that thickens it and makes it taste right.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can (28 ounces, 800g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 small can (6 ounces, 170g) tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cans
- 2 tablespoons masa harina or fine cornmeal
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped white onion
- Saltine crackers or cornbread
- Sour cream, if you like
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add half the beef, break it up and let it sit without stirring for 2 minutes so it browns, then stir and cook until no pink remains. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the rest. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Return the beef to the pot. Sprinkle over the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and stir constantly for 1 full minute, until the spices smell toasty and coat the meat. Do not add any liquid yet.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low so the chili barely bubbles. Set the lid half on and simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so and scraping the bottom. Add a splash of broth or water if it gets thicker than you like.
- If you are using beans, stir them in for the last 30 minutes.
- Ten minutes before serving, sprinkle the masa harina over the surface and stir it in well. Simmer uncovered until the chili thickens and looks glossy. Taste and add salt.
- Serve in bowls with cheddar, chopped onion and crackers on the side.
