The best chili recipe ever to come from my kitchen, guys! I know, I know, it’s a huge claim. I think I’m picky about chili. This recipe has 2 things that make it unique: tender, fall-apart shredded beef instead of ground beef, and Mexican Masa Harina. The smell of this chili simmering may actually knock you out. Try it with my favorite Cornbread recipe! Originally published on October 24, 2018.
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One of my food blog friends Denise from Sweet Peas and Saffron mentioned on Instagram the other day that she’s been practicing intermittent fasting, and has seen great results. She lost all her baby weight! She eats ice cream every day!
I still haven’t lost all my baby weight, and the baby is now two. Is this the part where you tell me that my baby is not a baby anymore, and also my baby weight is now just weight? Like, the regular kind??
So intermittent fasting sounds like a great idea, right?? I mean it’s all down to calorie intake. Just don’t eat past 8pm, and don’t eat before noon. Easy peasy! I’m not a huge breakfast person anyway, and usually end up eating a very late brunch-ish meal once the kids are off to school anyway.
Well let me tell you, guys. There is NOTHING that will make you hungrier in the morning for some bacon and eggs and maybe some pancakes too, than telling yourself that you can’t eat until noon every day.
The inevitable and unfortunate result of denying myself breakfast is that by 10am the first thing of the day I am craving is not bacon and eggs. It’s the leftover cookies from my photo shoot yesterday. (What? No, you’re addicted to sugar.) They are killing me, guys. (It’s a new recipe; well, a riff on an old recipe. I added white chocolate and cranberries to these Texas Cowboy Cookies. I am SUPER excited to share them with you! (UPDATE: here is the recipe for White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies!)
Maybe if I had this chili waiting for me every day, I could wait until noon? YES. See this chili is solving all of my life’s problems.
Featured Comment
“I made this with some tough pot roast I thought I ruined. This recipe saved the meat and was the best chili ever with the perfect amount of spice. Will be my go to from now on!” – Sarah
Best Chili Recipe Ingredients
Jump to the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- Stew beef (you’ll need 3-4 pounds of roughly chopped chuck roast or another stew beef of your choice)
- Salt and pepper
- Oil
- Onion, celery, and garlic
- Jalapeños
- Seasonings (chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin seed, oregano, garlic powder, and brown sugar)
- Beef broth
- Masa harina
- Tomato paste
- Crushed tomatoes
- Kidney beans
- Bay leaves
- Garnishes (sour cream, shredded cheddar, finely chopped onions, cilantro, tortilla chips)
How to make the Best Chili Recipe Ever
There are two things that make the best chili recipe especially unique: we are using super tender, fall apart, melt-in-your-mouth beef. This chili is too good for ground beef. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a girl who loves her ground beef. I’m low brow like that. (How about this Chili Mac and Cheese Recipe made with ground beef? Or these Cheeseburger Egg Rolls?? YUM.) But I’m telling you, shredded tender beef makes for some AMAZING chili. It lends the perfect beefy flavor and after simmering in the slow cooker all day it is super tender and completely irresistible:
Just look at all that beefy beefiness.
The second thing that makes this the best chili recipe is that we are stirring in some Masa Harina. Masa Harina is very finely ground corn flour, infused with lime. It’s what they use to make corn tortillas. I LOVE adding it to Mexican soups and chilis. (Like this Chicken Enchilada Soup. I need to reshoot that recipe and share it again! The world needs to know! Seriously, if you buy Masa Harina to make this chili, add this soup to your menu, you will not regret it.)
Technically you can skip the Masa Harina. It will still be great chili. But that corny flavor lends itself so well to beefy chili (why do you think we all love cornbread with our chili?) that I highly recommend adding it. (How many more times do you think I can work in the words beefy and corny?
How to make the Best Chili Recipe in a slow cooker
One way to turn a regular chili recipe into the best chili recipe is to SIMMER. Long hours over low heat brings out all that flavor and gives the ingredients time to marry. That means it is perfect for the slow cooker, and perfect even for making ahead of time. If you make it a few days before you need it and let it sit in the fridge, the flavor is only going to intensify and be even more delicious. Obviously it’s also amazing straight out of the crock pot after 8 hours on low. This is also a great meal to freeze for later, just toss it in a ziplock.
Best Chili Variations & Substitutions
- Make it vegetarian. Just leave out the meat and use veggie broth instead of beef broth. Add more beans or veggies if you like!
- Switch up the beans. Black beans, pinto beans, or a blend of different beans will work just as well.
- Add more veggies. Bulk your chili up by sautéing more veggies with the onion and celery. Add diced bell pepper, diced carrot, you name it.
- Swap the meat. Feel free to swap the chuck roast out for ground beef or another meat. Chicken or turkey are also great options. In my opinion, these don’t make the BEST chili, but your best chili and my best chili can be different ;-)
- Make it creamy. Make your chili into a creamy soup by adding a splash of half-and-half or heavy cream right before serving. You can also melt cheese directly into the soup to thicken it up and make it creamier.
How to serve Chili
You really can’t go wrong with a bowlful of chili and some Sweet and Moist Honey Cornbread! << (my favorite cornbread recipe ever.) It’s a match made in heaven!
If you are not into cornbread, here are some other ideas to serve with your chili:
- Garlic and Rosemary Skillet Bread
- Ultra Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
- Sweet Corn Casserole
- Literally the Best Mac and Cheese I’ve Ever Had
- One Hour Yeast Rolls
- This would go great on top of some baked potatoes, of course, too. I’ve got one recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes you could adapt to include this.
- Another option would be something fresh like My Favorite Coleslaw, this Easy Broccoli Bacon Salad, this Apple Gorgonzola Salad, or just a nice green garden salad.
Also, my husband told me recently that on Fridays in the cafeteria at his elementary school, they always served chili and cinnamon rolls. Like, apparently that’s a thing?? Have you heard of this?? Here’s a One Hour Cinnamon Rolls recipe you could try, if you’re into Montana school lunches.
Do you guys make chili around Halloween every year? My church always has a harvest festival with a chili and cornbread cook off. It’s just classic! It is the perfect meal for Halloween night. A valiant attempt to fill yourself up with some stick-to-your-ribs food before you make yourself sick eating your kids candy. (What? Only me??)
P.S. Update! This will forever and always be my favorite chili, but I recently made a Quick and Easy Chili Recipe that you will also love! It’s got a secret ingredient that surprised me. And it’s way faster than this recipe. Sometimes you just gotta git ‘er done!
How to store Chili
Leftover chili will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can also be stored in the freezer for 3-4 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm on low on the stove until heated through. Add a splash of broth to thin if needed.
Chili cook off champions!
What is the secret to competition chili? Make this award-winning recipe! Some of you guys have commented with your successes and I love it! Check it out (and comment below if you win!):
- From KT: “Made this for hubby’s work Halloween chili cook off. And WOWZERS! He almost had to take a can of chili instead. This was AMAZING! And yep….he won!”
- From Angela: “Just won a chili competition today with this amazing recipe!”
- From Eric: “Great chili! Made this for a chili cook-off and WON! Crazy good…especially after a day of flavor melding.”
- From Victoria: “This recipe won me a chili cook off!”
- From Sally: “Just won a chili cook off with this recipe! It was by far the best chili I’ve ever made!”
- From J: “This is THE best chili I’ve ever made. It might be the best anything I’ve ever made. It got rave reviews at a chili cook-off!”
- From Courtney: “The chili cook off was a success. I won 2nd place!”
World’s Best Chili FAQ
A soup can be classified as a chili if it’s made with tomatoes, meat, and beans seasoned with chili powder and other seasonings.
There are a couple of special ingredients I like to add to this chili to make it the best chili recipe ever. First, brown sugar. The sweetness of the sugar helps combat the acidity of the tomatoes and creates such great flavor. I also like to add a finely ground corn flour called masa harina. It’s optional, but adds a delicious corn flavor that you won’t find with other recipes!
The key to that classic chili flavor is the chili powder. But it doesn’t stop there. We’re flavoring our chili with a combination of chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin seed, oregano, garlic powder, and a little bit of brown sugar which helps to offset the acidity of the tomatoes.
Yes! There are definitely authentic chili recipes that don’t contain beans (I’m lookin’ at you Texans). However, I love to add the beans to bulk it up and add more flavor and texture.
Let it simmer! Seriously. The longer the chili sits, the more the flavors from the seasonings release into the soup and the more all the delicious chili flavors meld together. The longer simmer time also allows the beef to get so tender.
Other easy dinner ideas you’ll enjoy
- Chili Mac and Cheese Recipe (30 minute dinner!) >> this is so fast and SO GOOD!!
- Cream Cheese Chicken Chili >> this is an open-the-can-and-dump chili, and it’s delicious. How can you say no to cream cheese??
- Chipotle Chili with Steak >> another chili recipe with steak instead of ground beef! I’m telling you it’s so good!
- Cowboy Pinto Bean Soup >> my mother in law has been making this recipe for decades
- Pozole Rojo like Abuela’s >> so much flavor in this amazing Mexican classic!
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili from All Mindful Mom
- Sweet Chili Shrimp Tacos from Reluctant Entertainer
- White Bean Chicken Chili from Play Party Plan
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Best Chili Recipe
Ingredients
For the chili
- 3-4 pounds stew beef, roughly chopped chuck roast
- generous salt
- generous pepper
- oil, for browning meat
- 2 large onions, chopped*
- 2 cups celery, about 4 stalks, chopped well
- 6 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 tablespoons cumin seed**
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 cups beef broth***
- 1/4 cup masa harina****
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (15-oz) cans kidney beans
- 3 bay leaves
To garnish
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese
- finely chopped onions
- cilantro, chopped
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Begin by browning the meat. Dry off the beef with paper towels if it is very wet. Sprinkle all over with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
- Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat.
- Brown the meat in batches. Place each piece in the skillet with about an inch of space around it. Do not crowd the meat or they will steam each other, which will not give you that sear you are going for. Sear=flavor! After 1-2 minutes, when it is nice and brown on the bottom, use tongs to flip each piece of beef. Sear the other side for another 1 minute or so, until brown.
- Remove the beef to a large crock pot. Continue searing the rest of the beef, adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Adjust the heat lower if the pan starts to get black on the bottom, but keep it above medium.
- Once all the beef is seared, add more oil to the pan if there is not enough, you need about a tablespoon. Add the chopped onion and celery. (Turn the heat off and remove the pan from the heat if your veggies are not chopped yet.)
- Saute the onions and celery over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. They should be all brown and delicious looking, picking up all that beef flavor.
- Add 6 cloves of minced garlic and 2 chopped jalapenos.
- Add chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin seed (or powder), oregano, garlic powder, and brown sugar.
- Stir it all together and let the spices toast into the veggies for a couple minutes.
- Add the beef broth and scrape up the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly pour in 1/4 cup of masa harina, stirring constantly. Break up any lumps right away.
- Pour the mixture into the crock pot.
- Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, the can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans of drained kidney beans, and 3 bay leaves to the crock pot. Stir it all together.
- Put the lid on the crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8-10 hours. The longer you leave it in, the better, because the beef will just get more tender and delicious.
- When it’s time to eat, use a wooden spoon to break up the chunks of beef. Or you could remove it to a plate and shred with a fork, then return to the pot.
- Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, finely chopped onions, and cilantro.
Just a quick correction in your description of the masa harina in your recipe. You state the masa harina is finely ground corn flour that is “infused with lime”. When in fact, it is corn that is treated with calcium hydroxide, which is often referred to as slaked lime. There is no lime (citrus) used in the making of masa harina. It’s a common misconception.
I always use masa harina as a thickening agent when making chili. I love the corn flour flavor it adds! Love your recipe!
Made this yesterday, it was delicious and definitely keeping recipe. Thank you
This was so good! Loved all the extra meat, and it was tender. Ours turned out nice and thick, and super hardy. I’m guessing the people who say theirs was soupy didn’t spend enough time on the stove part thickening when you put the maseca in. You really have to let it simmer. I did feel it needed a tad more flavor but I also left the jalapeno out for my kids so it could’ve been that. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Can I omit the celery due to an allergy?
Definitely Sara! It will still be amazing chili. Enjoy!
Hi! I made this recipe for an annual chili cook off event and beat out 7 other recipes by a long shot! It was a huge hit, thank you!
Can this recipe be made in an instant pot?
Hi Veronica! We haven’t tested this chili in an instant pot yet, but if you try it, come back and let us know how it turns out!
I make my chili in the instant pot. Do all the sauteing as stated. Throw remaining ingredients in. Manual set for 20 minutes and let set for 15 minutes. When instant pot says L15 release pressure. Meat is so tender!
Ah thank you for these notes Stacy! Good to know it’s a success!!! Thanks for sharing!
Followed the recipe to a “T”..it was very soupy and although we loved the meat the seasonings we did not care for at all. This is the 1st recipe I haven’t liked on your site..😥
This chili is so good, the shredded beef is the difference! One question, could cornmeal be substituted for the masa harina?
Hey Perry! You can but it won’t be quite the same! Missing that lime flavor, and it’s a bit more grainy. So glad you’ve enjoyed it so far!
Flavor was amazing tasted like a cross between a chili, Mexican pot roast…all those flavors in one. Really good but wasn’t “chili” like consistency. It was more soup and yes I followed the recipe exactly. There isn’t anything wrong with soup but I wanted thicker. I think next time I will reduce the amount of broth and add another can of beans, maybe even a different type of bean.
Would this work using a pork shoulder or butt in addition or instead of beef? I am planning for a large crowd and thinking of cost.
Hi Steven! We haven’t tried this chili with a pork shoulder/butt before, but if you do, come back and let us know how it turns out! I recommend cutting the pork shoulder into bite-sized chunks and browning them as recommended for the stew meat in steps 1-4. Can’t wait to hear if you like it!