We've found that this beer chili is a crowd-pleaser. Certain recipes, like cornbread and chili, come with strong opinions. Should cornbread be sweet or not? Should chili have beans or just meat? Should it be hot or mild? Should the beef be shredded or ground?
After years of experimenting and the efforts of our daughter Karen, we have settled on a recipe that seems to make everyone happy, family or not! The best things about this beer chili are that it's really easy to put together and is even tastier on the second or third day! Reheating makes it better and better, and it freezes beautifully!
This recipe starts with two or three pounds of ground beef, depending on how meaty you want it to be. When we're feeding the men and boys, there is no option! More beef, happier guys!
Brown and crumble the hamburger with instant minced onions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. My Pampered Chef Mix and Chop utensil is the best tool for this process! I can't brown hamburger without it! Pampered Chef has reengineered this indispensable gadget, and the new design is great, too!
I love my big round LeCreuset Dutch oven for this recipe! It holds over six quarts and many times, I have increased the quantities of this beer chili recipe and filled it nearly to the brim!
Nothing heats as evenly or retains heat better than this Dutch oven, and nothing cleans up as easily as my LeCreuset; it's so beautiful that I keep it on my stove just for its good looks! It is a cherished gift from an amazingly generous friend, and I use it often!
Once the hamburger is browned and crumbled, add the chili beans, the V8, the drained and rinsed kidney beans, the undrained petite diced tomatoes, the beer, and the brown sugar. Add the chili powder and cumin as listed or to taste.
Stir it all and let your beer chili simmer for at least thirty minutes, and longer if you have time! It just gets better and better. Hint: I like to make chili the night before, let the chili with beer simmer, and refrigerate it until I'm ready to reheat it and serve it the next day!
Beer is an essential ingredient in making a good chili. You don't have to be a beer drinker to use it in chili; all the alcohol cooks away. Beer adds a unique flavor to chili; there are sugars and malty flavors in it that you won't find in other ingredients. Use your favorite beer or non-alcoholic beer, or experiment with different beers. I used a light beer because that was what we had in the fridge from making beer bread!
We have found that V-8 juice adds much more flavor than plain tomato juice because of all the other vegetable juices it contains! It's also a nutritional powerhouse! Every good cook understands that great dishes have many interesting flavor layers. This beer chili is a great example!
The little bit of brown sugar plays well with the acidic content of the tomatoes and V-8 juice, gently "rounding" and mellowing the sharp taste. Please don't leave it out!
Fritos, either regular or chili cheese! You can limp along with crushed saltines or oyster crackers, but a handful of crunchy Fritos is the ultimate topping for a tasty bowl of chili with beer.
Sharp cheddar cheese, whether you shred some on top of your chili or have cheddar cheese cubes or chunks of sharp cheddar cheese, the tanginess of the cheddar with the gently spiced chili is a marriage made in heaven.
Crisp mellow apple wedges, like Fujis, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Golden Delicious, are a sweet counterpoint to the cheese AND the chili!
Beer; it goes without saying beer is a natural beverage to serve, especially with this chili.
Cinnamon rolls! The best combination, you've got to try it! It's a Nebraska thing! Look for my special buttery cinnamon roll recipe!
One more hint. When you get to the last bit of chili, spoon it over cooked spaghetti, and add chopped onion and shredded cheese for a wonderful meal similar to Cincinnati Chili!! The last bowl can become a meal for two or more! You've got to try it!
Soup season is in full swing! There's nothing better than a comforting bowl of soup or chili when the cool evenings roll around. Get out that big old soup pot and get your favorite soup cookin'! Some of our most popular soup recipes are Instant Pot Beef Noodle Soup and Easy Split Pea And Ham Soup.
Here's a recipe for a mildly seasoned family-style chili recipe that's easy to make, reheats, and freezes beautifully!
We shift into soup mode when the nights get cooler and the days get shorter. I love how I can cook once, and we can eat twice when I make soup. Another soup recipe I think you will enjoy is White Bean And Italian Sausage Soup With Spinach And Parmesan. What are your favorite soups?
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My recommendation is to use crushed tomatoes instead diced. We use a small can of Rotel as well and use several varieties (colors) of chili ready beans. I look for those almost empty salsa jars and use a tsp and taste. That sweetness might lessen the need for additional sugar and it adds some zip.
So one version of chili is often never to be repeated. Love the beer idea.
You are truly my type of woman! I bet you'd be a great neighbor. I cook by the seat of my pants a lot and things never turn out exactly the same every time. The hardest part of being a food blogger is exact measurements because precision has never been my gift! Happ New Year, Deb!!
The beer imparts great malty flavor and of course the alcohol all cooks out!!