Your search for the best chili recipe is officially over! This is the best darn chili you will ever eat. Hearty and seasoned to perfection with some seriously delicious ingredients, it’s sure to exceed all your chili expectations.
I’ve always been obsessed with chili and then Brandon created this chili recipe and obsessed is now an understatement. I’m so in love with this chili I crave it constantly, dream about it in my sleep and beg Brandon to make it pretty much every weekend so I can eat the leftovers all week long. I could eat it for lunch and dinner every day of the week and it would never get old. So delicious!
We call it BDC because it is without question the Best [email protected] Chili we personally have ever eaten.
It’s got it all going on, but in such a thoughtful and balanced way. Brandon has tested and retested the amount and combination of each ingredient to insure that they all compliment each other perfectly. It’s a recipe you fall in love with at first smell, sight and bite.
Sure it requires more ingredients than your quick-fix powdered packet seasoned chili recipes and might take a little more effort to prepare, but trust me, it’s soooo worth it. The taste and texture are the real deal.
It gets its comforting heartiness from ground sirloin, beef chuck and kidney beans.
It’s perfectly seasoned and spiced. Sweetness from brown sugar, a little bitterness from the espresso and unsweetened cocoa, slightly boozy from the beer and optional bourbon, and as much kick as you’d like from the jalapeño pepper seeds.
A chili eating experience like none other.
We hope it becomes as much of a family favorite for you as it is for us. Be it for comfort on a cold winter night, for a crowd-pleasing meal during the big football game, or for that neighborhood potluck supper, it’s a guaranteed winner!
Enjoy!
xoxo,
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1.5 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of fat & cut into cubes (about ½ to 1 inch in size)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark stout beer
- 1 cup strong brewed espresso (or coffee)
- 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3½ tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
- 4 fresh jalapeños peppers, seeded and chopped (we put in ½ the seeds for spice)
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic until onions are tender and remove from saucepan. Add ground sirloin and cubed beef chuck and cook for 10 minutes, or until the meat is well browned. Add onions and garlic back into saucepan with the meats.
- Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer, coffee, tomato paste and beef broth. Season with brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt and black pepper. Stir in 2 cans of the beans and the chopped jalapeño peppers. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining 2 cans of beans and simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Stir in the bourbon just before serving.
- Salt to taste. The amount of salt you add will depend on the saltiness of the beef broth you use. You'll want to add quite a bit of salt to bring out all the flavors.
Morgan says
January 25, 2018 at 9:13 pmI’ve been wanting to try new chili recipe! Thank you for posting. Silly question, sorry, but when you say hot chili peppers are you talking jalapeños? I would also love to know which beer he liked the best.
Maegan says
January 26, 2018 at 2:15 pmHi Morgan! You’re sure to love this chili! We most often use jalapeño peppers, but red chile peppers work great too. And he uses whatever dark stour beer we have on hand. Usually something local, like Revolver. Enjoy! 🙂
Stephanie says
February 3, 2018 at 9:38 pmI made this today! It was so good and so easy! Thanks for the recipe! Best dang chili!
Maegan says
February 5, 2018 at 11:13 pmYay, Stephanie! Brandon will love hearing that you made and enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing! xoxo
Kandace says
April 17, 2018 at 6:41 pmMade this tonight for dinner. I am from Texas, so I have a pretty high standard for chili. I have to say that this is one of the best chili recipes I have ever had. It is soooo good!
Deborah Breecher says
September 3, 2018 at 12:20 pmThis chili is absolutely delicious…….and I didn’t put in the jalapenos! The color also, is rich and luscious!
Kelly Lofdahl says
October 7, 2018 at 9:22 amCan you make this in the crock pot?
Maegan says
October 8, 2018 at 4:26 pmHi Kelly! I would recommend doing the first step in a saucepan and then you can certainly transfer it to the crockpot to finish it off. Enjoy!
David says
October 10, 2018 at 2:16 pmcan you use this recipe and cook it long and slow in a slow cooker and how long do you cook it in a crock pot
Maegan says
October 16, 2018 at 12:15 pmHi David! I would recommend doing the first step in a saucepan and then you can certainly transfer it to the slow cooker to finish it off for at least an hour and a half. Enjoy!
Jerry says
October 13, 2018 at 10:35 amI know we all have different taste preferences, but this chili did not do it for me. It has some adventurous ingredients, which I have no issues with … but, I found this recipe to be cloyingly sweet … and, frankly, lacking in a depth of flavor. I’d certainly suggest cutting back the brown sugar by at least half … I’ve spent the last half hour trying to counter the sweetness and add some flavor depth. As it was, it was like if I ordered a mocha and they decided to toss in some meat and beans. I appreciate that many apparently like this, but it wasn’t my cup of meaty mocha. But, this won’t stop me from trying other recipes on here!
Maegan says
October 16, 2018 at 10:58 amThanks for your feedback, Jerry! We definitely all have different tastes, but I’m wondering why yours turned out so sweet. A very slight sweetness should come through but nothing too noticeable. The 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cocoa are there to add depth and richness with all of the other savory and spiced ingredients. Did you follow all of the ingredients and measurements exactly?
Stephen says
October 25, 2018 at 3:59 pmI’ve made his multiple times, and it comes out phenomenal each time. I used filet mignon in place of the chuck and will continue to do that, made it even better. Very good recipe for a quality chili. Thanks.
Pete ForemanPete says
January 5, 2019 at 10:02 amWill try this later this week.
Maegan says
January 10, 2019 at 8:12 amEnjoy!!
Laura says
January 23, 2019 at 8:44 amMade this last night and it was SO good! We did step one on the stove and finished in the crockpot. Amazing!
Great job, Brandon!!!
Amber says
January 28, 2019 at 11:45 amThis was by far the best chili recipe I have ever made… and believe me I have tried! The ingredients make this a flavor profile that keeps people guessing ‘what is that I’m tasting’? Thank you – delicious!
Elowen says
February 1, 2019 at 2:57 pmHello! Making this for Superbowl Sunday. How big/small did you cube the meat (beef chuck that’s not ground)? I can’t recall if I’ve ever had a chili with noticeable chunks aside from the ground me but wondering how it would be in the chili. Thanks!
Maegan says
February 1, 2019 at 3:21 pmHi Elowen! The beef chuck should be cut into about 1/2-inch cubes. The tender chunks of meat are a game changer when it comes to chili. You’re sure to enjoy! 🙂
Bonnie says
February 2, 2019 at 7:29 pmIs the beer really necessary. I don’t use beer. Can I sub beef broth for the liquid?
Maegan says
February 2, 2019 at 11:39 pmHi Bonnie! You don’t have to use beer, you can certainly sub beef broth, but watch the salt. If you use low sodium beef broth, you should be great. Enjoy!
John says
February 3, 2019 at 10:51 amHalf-inch cubes of meat would be really small. Did I read that measurement right?
Maegan says
February 3, 2019 at 11:22 amHi John! About 1/2 to 1 inch is great. We don’t measure each cube exactly, but certainly wouldn’t recommend any bigger than an inch. Enjoy!
John says
February 4, 2019 at 10:36 pmThank you, Maegan, for an excellent recipe! I made it on Super Sunday, and loved it. One thing I added was some crumbled Cotija cheese on top. Nice combination.
Maegan says
February 4, 2019 at 10:50 pmYay! So happy to hear! I can’t wait to try cotija on it next time we make it. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Mark says
February 10, 2019 at 2:01 pmHello my name is Mark and I never leave replies, but I have to this time there is no choice. This was a one off that I was trying for a work cook off, now it’s tomorrow but I have to tell all of you stop looking it’s the best hands down i was skeptical at 1st after reading the ingredients and my wife was also like no way . You made us believers wow just wow thanks and even if I don’t win we have real cooks I’m going against I will never cook chili another way
Jake says
February 15, 2019 at 1:18 pmAny suggestions on which bourbon/beer to use? Thanks for a great recipe!
Maegan says
February 24, 2019 at 2:48 pmHi Jake! It truly doesn’t matter which bourbon so just use whatever you have on hand. For the beer, we tend to prefer a darker beer, like a porter if you’re buying one specifically for the chili. Enjoy!