RECIPE: Beef, Beer & Black Bean Chili | ~ Texas Homesteader ~ (2024)

FAQs

What does adding beer to chili do? ›

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?

Use lean beef, but not super lean meat. The best ground beef for chili has some fat, so 85% lean is ideal. Don't be tempted to use extra-lean beef or drain off the fat after browning the meat. The fat bastes the meat during cooking, which adds richness to the sauce and keeps the meat moist.

The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.

What primarily distinguishes Texas chili from other chili recipes you might find is a lack of beans, but it also doesn't feature any tomatoes. It is, largely, a ground beef dish that's seasoned with a spicy chili paste made of dried peppers.

Stout is a perfect base ingredient for stew, so it's also a natural ingredient for chili. Hey, chili is a kind of stew, right? And we know that beef goes well with stouts. You can go for the rich malts of a time-honored favorite like Guinness, but imagine the possibilities.

A cup of strong, brewed coffee will work wonders for your pot of chili, imparting a deep, roasted flavor that will make the chili taste like it simmered away all day long. For maximum flavor, reduce the coffee along with a blend of tomato paste, aromatic veggies and spices like we do in our Spicy Vegetarian Chili.

Only Add Flavorful Liquids

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.

Chili is rich, deep and often spicy, so adding a sweet ingredient is a great way to create balanced flavor. We've found that adding diced carrots is the easiest way to add natural sweetness, but you can also use vegetables like sweet potatoes or winter squash.

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.

Sweet Onion

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.

Do you drain beans for chili? ›

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish.

"The packing liquid can sometimes muddy the final presentation, depending upon the packing liquid. If you are adding cooked canned beans to soup or chili, then you should not need to rinse them if you plan to allow the liquid to season the preparation."

If you go pretty much anywhere in Texas you will find chili ingredients simple and rarely differing: meat, sauce, peppers and spices. Carol Hanco*ck, President and CEO of the International Chili Society, told Texas Living there is a specific reason why Texas chili contains no beans: it's tradition.

But stories are spread that the beef was too valuable and was limited to be used as food on the cattle drive, so extra protein came from a pot of beans along side the chili pot. The cowboys then mixed the chili and beans together in a tin plate.

Go on, spill the beans — we won't tell!) Here's a secret we'll share with you: beer is the perfect drink to pair with chilli. Cold and thirst quenching, it refreshes your palate between each hot, savoury bite. What style of beer to choose depends on what's in the bowl.

Beer can add depth and complexity to chili recipes, providing a rich and malty flavor that complements the savory and spicy elements of the dish. It can also help tenderize the meat and add a subtle sweetness to balance out the heat of the chili peppers.

Chili cooks low and slow, so you need enough liquid to tenderize the meat and keep everything from drying out. That liquid should also add flavor to the chili, so use chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or beer.

Adding a bottle of beer to homemade chili can add some additional flavor and depth to the dish, but whether it makes the chili taste better or not depends on personal preferences. The addition of beer to chili can add some maltiness, bitterness, and sweetness to the flavor profile.