This Brisket Chili has chunks of tender meat, lots of beans, and a smoky spicy flavor thanks to poblano peppers.
I love making chili. I think of it as a social event. I always make enough to feed a crowd. We will invite friends over for dinner and still have enough left over to freeze. This recipe easily makes 12 servings; you can cut it in half if you like, but the preparation time won't change significantly.
I've become known for making exceptional chili. Here is my chili philosophy:
- Buy great meat. In this case, I got 3.5 pounds of Slagel Farms brisket. It was $40 - that's ok - I made enough chili for a small army.
- Don't rush it. Chili is best when it cooks low and slow. Let the brisket chili simmer for 4-5 hours, until the meat is incredibly tender.
- Serve it with Fritos Scoops.
I have been making this recipe for years. It's always a hit. Sometimes I add in some boneless short rib. The short rib is seasoned, seared, and cooked in the simmering chili for 4-5 hours until tender. Then I remove it from the chili, shred it, and return it to the pot.
Brisket Chili Secret Ingredients:
People love to talk about secret ingredients that make their chili the best. I firmly believe that the best secret ingredient is the brisket itself. I think the chunks of meat are so much better than ground meat.
I also think that adding roasted poblanos gives a boost. They are smoky, spicy, and add depth of flavor. If you are pressed for time, you could skip the step of roasting the peppers and sauté them instead.
Another secret? Prepare the chili a day in advance. It's always better the next day. When you refrigerate the chili, some fat may rise to the top and harden. You can simply remove this excess fat before reheating the chili.
I have experimented with other classic secret ingredients: chocolate, cocoa powder, and beer, but haven't noticed a significant difference.
Chili Toppings:
I always serve chili with Fritos scoops, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Sometimes friends add chopped jalapeños, onions, or cilantro.
Brisket Chili Recipe:
Brisket chili
Ingredients
- 4 Poblano Peppers
- 3-3.5 lbs of Brisket
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Large Yellow Onion diced
- 4 cloves of Garlic pressed
- 2 Bell Peppers chopped
- 1 Jalapeño Pepper chopped
- 3 cups Beef Broth
- 1 15- ounce can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 1 10- ounce can of Rotel original
- 1 6- ounce can of Tomato Paste
- 1 16- ounces of Salsa
- 2 15- ounce can of Black Beans
- 2 15- ounce can of Kidney Beans
- 1 15- ounce can of Pinto Beans
- 1 ½ tablespoons Chili Power
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
Instructions
- First, roast the poblanos. You can either do this in the oven under the broiler, or you can put them directly over a gas burner. I like to use the gas burner method. Place the peppers over the burner, rotating with tongs as necessary, until the skin has charred. Place the peppers into a large bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. This lets the peppers sweat, making it easier to peel off the charred skin. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin and seeds, and chop the peppers.
- Next, chop the brisket into 1-inch cubes. Cut away any large pieces of fat. Season the cubed brisket generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Brown the beef in batches. Once the beef has browned, remove it from pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Leave the drippings in the pot, and then add the onion and sauté until translucent. Then add the garlic, and let cook for 1 minute. Next, add the bell peppers and jalapeño pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Return the beef to the pot, and add the beef broth, poblano peppers, diced tomatoes, rotel, tomato paste, salsa, black beans, kidney beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, chipotle chili power, cayenne, and paprika. Start with adding a small amount of the spices, you can always add more to taste.
- Bring the mixture to a slow and steady simmer, and let it simmer for at least 4 hours. You want the meat to be very tender.
- At the end of the cooking process you may want to add more spices to taste.
