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.
The Best Chili Recipe
I’ve always been obsessed with chili. Then Brandon created this Best Darn 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!
Everything a Chili Should Be
We call it BDC because it is without question the Best Darn 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 complement 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.
Watch Me Make the Best Darn Chili
Join me in a kitchen to make a pot of this hot, hearty, amazing chili.
What is in Chili, Anyway?
What’s supposed to be in chili always stirs a ton of debate. Get it? Stirs? Generally, chili (or chili con carne) is made up of meat in a tomato-based stew-like sauce. But does chili have beans? Y’all know I live in Texas and the official answer here is…no.
So if that’s how you like it, my Simple No-Bean Chili might be your thing!
But I was born and raised in Oklahoma where the chili rules are less strict. So I haven’t let anything stop me from being creative with chili recipes. Like this Easy Chicken Chili Recipe and my Green Chicken Chili.
Brandon’s Best Darn Chili recipe calls for kidney beans and it really is the best chili I’ve ever eaten.
Comforting and Hearty
This flavorful chili 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.
It truly is a chili eating experience like no other.
More Hot and Hearty Soup Recipes
There’s no better way to warm up on a cold day than with a bowl of soup. My Hot and Hearty Soup Recipes are flavorful, filling and the perfect one-pot dinner everyone will love.
What Do I Need to Make The Best Darn Chili?
(see recipe card for measurements and details)
- Vegetable oil
- Onions
- Minced garlic
- Ground sirloin
- Beef chuck
- Canned peeled and diced tomatoes with juice
- Dark stout beer*
- Espresso (or coffee)*
- Tomato paste
- Low sodium beef broth
- Dark brown sugar
- Chili powder
- Cumin powder
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Dried oregano
- Ground cayenne pepper
- Ground coriander
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Canned kidney beans, drained
- Fresh jalapeños peppers
- Bourbon (optional)
- Large pot or Dutch oven
*If you don’t want to use beer or espresso, you can substitute them with equal amounts of more beef broth.
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How to Make The Best Darn Chili
- 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 10-20 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and all grease has evaporated. 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. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low and let 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, if desired, 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.
How to Serve Chili
Serve with shredded cheese, sliced green onion, sour cream, and cornbread or corn chips (we love Fritos!).
How to Store Chili
Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring often, until heated through. Or reheat in the microwave until heated through.
To freeze leftover chili, let cool completely and then place in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and enjoying!
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!
If you make the Best Darn Chili and post a pic to social, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see! 😍 I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the ideas I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Best Darn Chili
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 mins
- Yield: 8-10
- Category: Meals
Description
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.
Ingredients
- 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 1/2 inch size cubes)
- 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 low sodium beef broth
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 and 1/2 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
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
- 4 fresh jalapeños peppers, seeded and chopped (we put in 1/2 the seeds for spice)
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
Instructions
- 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 10-20 minutes, or until the meat is well browned and all of the grease has evaporated. 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. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low and let 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.
Notes
If you don’t want to use beer or espresso, you can substitute them with equal amounts of more beef broth.
Made these meatballs and added two hot sausages for an extra kick. They were amazing.
I’ve made a lot of similar recipes in my slow cooker. I wouldn’t be able to survive with out my slow cooker. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Wow, you have such stunning photos! And these stuffed bell pepers – YUM! These have been on my bucket list for so long – thanks for pushing me to finally give it a try.
This was a COMPLETE fail for me in spite of following the recipe to a tee. I did not add bourbon or coriander and used all ground sirloin instead of part beef chuck. I just could not get beyond the overwhelming cocoa flavor. I couldn’t taste anything else. I’m so disappointed bc this recipe came recommended to me from a friend and I had a loaf of corn bread I was going to serve with it but it’s not edible. Maybe my tastebuds are wired differently. But I’ll go back to my previous chili recipe.
Hi Lynn! I’m sorry to hear this. Are you sure you measured the cocoa and other ingredients correctly? It just calls for 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder and balances the flavor of the chili so deliciously. I highly recommend the coriander to bring out the full flavor of the chili, but I’m still shocked you got a strong cocoa flavor with just 1 tablespoon.
My Mom and I decided to make some chicken and dumplings. Your recipe stuck out to us as we were surfing the web. We followed your instructions exactly. The outcome was DELICIOUS! I had a newly purchased box of Bisquick flour which helps, I think. In addition, we grow fresh herbs and used our garden parsley! I really enjoyed going through your blog and I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes. I’ve been gluten free for health reasons for over 7 years. It has made a huge difference in my life. I had lots of hip pain and bloating and YUCK… A few months after I started really working at it (when I was done crying about pizza crust) I felt an amazing difference.
Hi Ashley! That’s so great to hear! Thanks for sharing. Continue to enjoy and best wishes!
I just made up a batch o’ this but with 5 cloves of garlic (cuz vampires, LOL)…. It’s DELICIOUS!!
Hi.
What do you eat with this chili? Rice, fries, salad or just as it is?
Im from Denmark and usually we get something with our chili..
im looking forward to try this chili….
Tanja
Hi Tanja! We usually eat our chili with cornbread (https://thebakermama.com/recipes/sweet-and-simple-cornbread/) or chips and dips. We’ll also serve it build-your-own chili bowl style like this: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKIOf68LMxN/ Enjoy!
I’ve made this recipe a few times before and I LOVE it! It is my go to for chili. I’m planning on making this for the Super Bowl but am thinking I’ll need a double batch this time. For a double batch is it safe to just double all ingredients or are there some I should cut back on? Also for the beans should I do 4 cans at the start and 4 with 30 mins left and will this change the cook time at all?
Hi Jason! So happy to hear you love the chili as much as we do! You can just double the ingredients and follow the instructions as is and it will turn out just as great. We do it all the time! Continue to enjoy!
I’m making this today and was wondering if we need to cover the chili during the simmer time? Thank you!
Hi Naomi! No need to cover the chili while it simmers. You actually want it to reduce a little bit so leaving it uncovered will allow the extra moisture to escape. Enjoy!!
Great recipe. Just made it fit the fam and they loved it.