Braised Beef Bacon Chili Recipe
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When the ground crunches beneath your feet and you can see your breath dance in the air, there’s nothing better than warming up inside with a bowl of homemade chili. This one-pot Braised Beef Bacon Chili will knock the chill right off. Packed with flavor, this chili, along with a batch of Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread, is the perfect meal for serving a hungry crowd. It’s a fork-worthy chili that will surely please the beef-eater.
Braised Beef Bacon Chili is a dish made with beef, kidney beans, a bit of bacon, tomato, onions, peppers and warm spices. Not only does the beef make it a hearty dish, but nutritional Bush’s Beans kidney beans add texture and more flavor to make this a totally satisfying stick-to-your-ribs chili. Beans are great for adding to soups, stews, and chilies to extend the serving amount without adding more fatty proteins. They can also be mashed or pureed to help thicken stock bases in a flavorful, yet lean way, instead of adding cream or other thickeners.
Instead of cooking this chili in a crockpot, as the original recipe called for, I prepared it in a dutch oven and let it simmer stove top on low until the beef was fork tender, about 3-4 hours. It could also be popped in a 300°F oven and left to cook away until tender. We also cut the beef into larger cubes for a hearty chili that’s more like a stew, but you could certainly cut smaller cubes and adjust the recipe consistency to your own preference.
This Braised Beef Bacon Chili refrigerated and reheated nicely so it would work well for making a day or so ahead. I’m thinking it may make a reappearance at our home for the Super Bowl, along with that cornbread.
Braised Beef Bacon Chili Recipe
Braised Beef Bacon Chili
A hearty chili great for a crowd.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 pounds trimmed beef, cubed (brisket, chuck roast, or boneless short ribs would be nice)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, sliced into wedges and separated
- 1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper, chopped
- 1 small green pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 (16 ounce) cans BUSH’S® Kidney Beans, drained
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Heat oil in a dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook 2 minutes. Add beef and brown with garlic, onion, jalapeño and green pepper.
- Add seasonings and tomatoes, beans, chicken stock and lime juice. Combine well and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook 4 hours on low, or until beef is tender.
Notes
Adapted from Bush's Beans.
*To prepare in a slow cooker, once beef is browned with garlic, onion, jalapeno and green pepper, transfer to a slow cooker, add remaining ingredients, cover and cook on low for at least 4 hours, or until beef is tender.
Normally your photos look mouth watering and make me want to try, but the look of this chili doesn’t entice me. I think I will pass this one on. The meats look a little scary to me….I love your blog by all means. Just not this recipe. Some how the recipe looks like there are too many Bush kidney beans, not enough chili flavoring or tomato, not Chili saucy enough for a chili’s sake…..
Hello Ordinary J,
It’s so nice to hear from you, again. I prepared this chili to my husband’s liking, who, not scared of meat, prefers to eat food with a fork. You can certainly adjust the beef cubes and consistency as you like in this very flavorful recipe.
Have a lovely day!
Hey, Amy! This looks tasty to me! I love big pieces of beef in chili like this! I know Curtis would love it! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Hey Amy!
This looks pretty darn awesome to me. I love the photos and all the beans! I could totally dig right into this bowl! Thanks for the recipe!
Amy, this looks and sounds delicious! Only thing that I might change would be to substitute the kidney beans for pinto beans. Definitely will be trying this dish!
Hey there! I saw that you said this recipe was originally for a crock pot. What would be different in this recipe to make it that way? (such as the temp and time) Thanks a bunch; it looks wonderful!
Hello Michelle,
It’s basically the same. Of course it will depend on what cut of meat, and the size of the beef cubes, but cook on low for at least 4 hours. I did update the recipe to include the slow cooker instructions. Happy cooking!
Yum! I love big chunky soups, stews and chilis like this. It looks so comforting and with a big hunk of cornbread – oh my goodness! Perfect!
Mmmmmmmm! Boy does this fabulous hearty chili hit the spot on a cold dreary day! Makes my mouth water just looking at it!! YUMMY!!!!!
My mouth started salivating when I saw this picture. It is SOUP TIME!! I have having a ball getting ready with all of your great recipes. I guess like any recipe, we adjust to our tastes but most of the time, I just go with yours. Keep ’em coming!!! Happy Fall.