Fair enough. I'd been making the same type of chili for at least five years now, so it was time to try something new.
I discovered that Jamie Deen (one of Paula Deen's sons, of course) has a very popular award-winning chili recipe.
And his cookbook Jamie Deen's Good Food: Cooking Up a Storm with Delicious, Family-Friendly Recipes, has some really great reviews on Amazon, including ones calling it "normal food for normal families" and "delicious and didn't have me searching all over town for obscure and expensive ingredients!"
Jamie Deen's Good Food: Cooking Up a Storm with Delicious, Family-Friendly Recipes
Y'all Come EatThe Deen Bros. Take It Easy: Quick and Affordable Meals the Whole Family Will Love: A Cookbook
Need to Freeze Your Chili?
One of the great things about chili is that you can make extra (and this recipe makes a lot!) and freeze some or all of in portion sizes for future meals.
One of the things I like to do is wake up one morning about a month later, dump the frozen leftovers into the crockpot, and turn it on low. Pretty easy way to make dinner, huh?
The only problem is that packing up and storing those leftovers can be kind of a pain.
Big Tupperware-like containers take up too much space in the freezer (and I've even had some containers crack from the cold temperature).
Freezer bags work better, but getting the chili into the bag is usually a two-person job that ultimately makes a mess no matter how I do it.
That's why I was excited to find these really cool plastic racks for filling storage bags.
No-Spills Adjustable Baggy Rack Stands
No-Spills Adjustable Baggy Rack Stands
It makes the job much easier -- and a whole lot less messy! You fasten the freezer bag under the clips, which makes the bag "stand up" and stay open so you can easily pour your chili in.
If you give these a try, be sure to check out this advice from Amazon reviewer LV:
For those of you that reviewed about it not being strong enough to hold a sandwich baggy. I had this problem in the beginning. Then it dawned on me!! The base between the arms is to HOLD the contents.
Place your baggy and adjust the clips low enough to where the bottom generously covers the base.
Now when filling, the cups and arms hold the baggy up and the base holds the weight. Just like in the seller's picture. Should have looked earlier!! Genius!!
One extra bonus -- if you like to clean and re-use your baggies, it also doubles as a drying rack!
What Does Adding Beer to Chili Do?
The idea of using beer in a chili recipe was intriguing to me: not only did it sound like something that would be tasty, but it also struck me as something that "cool people do."
But other than sounding cool ("Hey, there's beer in this chili!"), what does the beer actually do?
According to this forum, beer is used in cooking for the same reason that wine usually is.
When you're making a pot of chili, you're doing what's called a "reduction" (thickening and intensifying the flavor of a liquid mixture).
You already have plenty of water from the cans of tomatoes, so adding more water would be ... well, kind of boring.
The beer adds a "malty" flavor, and its sugars that give the chili a deeper flavor.
So what kind of beer should you add?
Basically, whichever kind you like!
I use Sam Adams Boston Lager, because that's what Rob drinks and we typically have it in the house.
I've also heard Dos Equis recommended as a good "chili beer."
The more flavor your beer has, the more it will impact the flavor of your chili.
What Gives Chili the Best Flavor?
My family always jokes about how when you find a recipe online, the comments will say something like:, "This is a great recipe! Instead of butter, I used coconut oil. Also, I cut the amount of sugar by half, used cloves instead of nutmeg, doubled the amount of cinnamon, and added some ginger. We all loved it."
If you're the kind of person who likes to experiment with recipes, here are things you might want to try adding to your next batch of chili:
- Cinnamon (I've done this and love it, but other family members do not)
- Cocoa Powder
- Molasses
- Soy Sauce
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Mangoes (yes please)
- Sriracha (no thank you)
- Honey (ooh boy, would my family hate that)
- Olives
- Barbecue Sauce
Also, I bet it would be interesting to substitute coffee for the beer, although I have not tried it.
If you do, let us know how it came out in the comments!
We topped our chili with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and Fritos. Rebecca made mini corn muffins on the side.
We also like to make rice to go with our chili.
For one thing, my oldest daughter Rachael loves rice and will eat an entire bowl by itself and call it a meal.
Plus I like the fact that it's an inexpensive way to make stretch the chili out and make it last longer.
I use the Aroma 8-cup rice cooker.
One thing that's nice about the rice cooker is that it has a delay timer, so you can set up your rice, and then begin making the chili and forget all about the rice, knowing it will ready when you need it.
Almost everyone in my family agreed that this was better than my usual chili.
The one exception was my middle daughter, Rebecca. However, Rebecca dislikes sausage (for some crazy reason), so that could be why she didn't care for it as much.
If you have someone in your home who isn't a sausage fan, I'm sure you could just substitute more ground beef, or even ground turkey, if you wanted to.
📖 Recipe
Jamie Deen's Award-Winning Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 8 ounces Italian sausage, casing removed
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 4-ounce can tomato paste
- 12-ounce bottle beer
- 42 ounces of canned diced tomatoes
- 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- Sour cream, cheddar cheese, olives, tortilla chips, and other optional toppings
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the onions and peppers and saute until soft, about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute until just fragrant.
- Stir in the beef and sausage, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until browned, about 6 minutes.
- Drain the beef mixture through a colander. Add it back to the Dutch oven and stir in the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Stir the tomato paste into the beef mixture; this will “toast” it and give the chili more flavor.
- Add the beer and stir up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Bring to a simmer, and then add the diced tomatoes and beans.
- Simmer on medium-low for 2 hours, stirring on occasion to keep the bottom from sticking.
- Serve over rice, if desired, with toppings of choice
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jon drobnitch says
can this recipe be made in a slow cooker, and if so how long should I leave it cooking?
Jen at Three Kids, Three Cats, and a Husband says
Excellent question! I love using the crockpot too.
I found this conversion table.
So if I'm understanding correctly, at the end you would transfer it to the CP for 4-6 on High.
Liz says
Does the bitter taste from the beer get less intense after the 2 hours of simmering? I did use a stout so that may be my fault.
Jen at Three Kids, Three Cats, and a Husband says
Liz, I've made this many times and never thought it tasted bitter, or (more importantly) had complaints from my family that it tasted bitter.
Anyone else wanna chime in?
MWall says
I make this delicious chili and instead of the beer I use Dr Pepper
Jen at Three Kids, Three Cats, and a Husband says
Now THAT is interesting!
I would love to see how tastes, but I know my husband and oldest child would probably hate it. They don't like "sweet meat." I have another chili recipe I really liked with cinnamon, but I stopped making it because they kept complaining!
Nancy says
My new favorite chili recipe! I took it to a chili cook off and every last bit of it was eaten. Thankfully I had saved a bowl for myself.
Missy says
Hi there! I am attempting your chili for our Christmas Eve get-together. Is there any way to make the chili a bit less thick without losing the flavor? TIA
Jen at Three Kids, Three Cats, and a Husband says
Hey Missy, sorry it took me so long to respond. I don't have any ideas for that ... anyone else?
Chris says
Add. Ore beer
Regina says
I pour in tomato juice. My family likes a soup consistency
Sidney Kaplan says
I just finished making this to serve to friends on NYE. I used low sodium tomatoes and boy, that was a mistake! It lacked any depth of flavor. The flavor totally changed when I added some much needed salt!
I only had Carona beer, I don't know if that also contributed to the lack of flavor. I'll let it develope flavor in the fridge for 3 days , check the salt again and hope that everyone enjoys it!
Melanie Wooden says
So, a full 42 ounces of diced tomatoes?
Diana says
My Chile recipe is a lot like this one. I use beer and coffee and I also use a jar of salsa. My family loves my chili.
Dotti Higley says
Bland. Tasteless. What a disappointment. After one taste I busted out my seasonings and got to work doctoring this recipe. It wasn't horrible but O won't make again.
Jen at Three Kids, Three Cats, and a Husband says
Sorry you didn't like it Dotti! I would agree that people who like their chili very spicy would need to doctor it up.
Tina says
I have made this a lot! It is so good! Has anyone ever used Mexican sausage instead of the Italian sausage?
Samantha says
I LOVE this recipe! My family all enjoy it I've been making this for years. Only 1 out of 8 is not a huge fan because she does not like sausage, but she still eats it. The only thing I do change is the beer, I use Gluten free beer (because we have to lol) and add a little lime juice. I add the lime juice because the gluten free beer can be really bitter. I always at least double the recipe and freeze all the left over. I wait for it to cool a bit then put it in gallon ziplocks and freeze them flat after they freeze I change them into food saver bags and put them in the deep freezer. They last up to 6 months at least. Possibly more but we always eat it faster then that lol.
I think I might use a few of the other suggestions from the comments as well .
Dave Crego says
I see this chili recipe calls for a 42oz can of diced tomatoes and a 14oz can of diced tomatoes making that 56 ounces total. But I saw a reply to a comment that said 42 ounces total. Please advise. Can’t wait to try this chili.
Claudia Myles says
This recipe came out so Delicious, I also added some Worcestershire sauce sugar & red wine vinegar.. My friends Loved it so much. Will be making this again on Labor day. Thanks Jamie.
Betty says
hi,
just wondering when simmering, is the lid on during this time?
Annie says
Is it really 1/4 cup chili powder?
Angel dusenberry says
think your recipe forgot to say add tomato juice,if I missed it then I'm sorry but I looked three times,it calls for it but in directions I believe it skips out the juice