Secret ingredient makes easy crock pot chili extra thick and satisfying

Aimee Blume, Evansville Courier & Press
Updated ·3 min read
This thick, extra rich and beefy chili is wonderful on its own, as a topping or a filling.
This thick, extra rich and beefy chili is wonderful on its own, as a topping or a filling.

EVANSVILLE – On a cold day, one of the most satisfying things you can eat is a big bowl of thick chili.

Chili is good for so many things. Enjoy as is, or top it up — with cheese, sour cream, onion, salsa, crushed corn chips or whatever you like. Chili can be a topping itself, used on hot dogs, baked potatoes, nachos or fries to name just a few. And a good thick chili can be a filling — put it inside a burrito or stuffed pepper with rice, or inside a quesadilla with cheese.

We’ve got an easy, delicious, super thick chili recipe for you that’s made in the slow cooker. We brown the meat and onions in a skillet, but if you use an Instant Pot, you can brown them right inside.

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We especially love chili with chunks of simmered beef instead of ground beef, and we like to use smoked chili powder or a mixture of chili powder and smoked paprika for flavor.

The beef needs to be a cut that’s right for long cooking. It could be brisket, shank, or chuck. Be careful with packages of beef stew meat — this could be trim from any cut and you might get something that’s not great for soup. If you do get stew meat, look for dark red pieces with plentiful fat marbling. Paler, all-lean cuts could be dry and felty if cooked in a crock pot.

Now we get to our secret ingredient. To make a chili thick, rich, and even more nutritious than normal, we like to add red lentils. They have no skins and break down into the broth, adding a subtle peppery flavor and giving great substance to your stew.

Adaptions – we kept this recipe pretty straightforward, but it’s easy to adapt. For a spicier chili, add some red chili flakes, cayenne pepper, or diced jalapeno peppers. The texture on this is purposefully very thick, but if you like a little more juice, cut back on the red lentils and add extra beef stock or a can of tomato juice instead of the paste. Like veggies? Toss in some diced red or green bell pepper.

The ingredients for our chili include beef chunks, chili powder and other spices, tomato paste, beef broth, beans and red lentils.
The ingredients for our chili include beef chunks, chili powder and other spices, tomato paste, beef broth, beans and red lentils.

Thick and Chunky Beef and Bean Chili recipe

Serves 6-8 as an entrée

INGREDIENTS

  • Roughly 2.5 pounds beef brisket, shank, or chuck

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 tablespoon fat

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 3 cups beef stock (or three cups water plus beef base as directed on the package)

  • 3 tablespoons smoked chili powder, or two tablespoons chili powder and one tablespoon smoked paprika

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

  • 3 16-oz cans dark red kidney beans, drained

  • 1 cup red lentils

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

DIRECTIONS

1. Trim the beef of extra fat and connective tissue and cut into roughly 1-inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. In a wide skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil, or bacon fat, or render some of the beef fat trim. Add beef in a single layer and brown all sides over medium high heat, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and brown, about a further 10 minutes.

3. Place the beef and onions into a crock pot and use a little of the beef stock to deglaze and lift brown bits from the pan, and add that to the crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients and stir well.

4. Cover with the lid and cook on high heat for 5-6 hours or low heat for 8 hours. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Thick beef and bean chili recipe for the crock pot