American · Lunch or dinner

Chili

Brooke Mason's chili, grass-fed beef, Rotel and chili magic shortcut.

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Chili, plated, photographed from above.
Prep
20 min
Cook
70 min
Makes
6 servings
Skill
Comfortable
Heat
Medium, adjustable
Halal
Maui says

Brooke's move: drop the tomato paste and the full spice mix in WHILE the onions are still cooking - not after. The spices toast in the fat with the paste, which is what gives this chili its depth versus a sad pot where the spices taste raw. Don't skip the chili magic - it's the shortcut that gives the smoky, slightly-sweet campfire base flavor that you can't fake with raw spices alone.

Ingredients

Everything below makes 6 servings.

  • 3 lbgrass-fed ground beef
  • 2 mediumyellow onionchopped
  • 1 mediumgreen bell pepperchopped
  • 2jalapeñochopped
  • 2 tbspminced garlic
  • 1 can_6oztomato paste (canned)
  • 15 oz cantomato sauce (canned)
  • 1 can_10ozRotel hot (canned diced tomatoes and green chiles)
  • 1 can_10ozRotel mild (canned diced tomatoes and green chiles)
  • 15 oz canchili magic campfire style (canned)Brooke's signature shortcut - adds smoky base flavor
  • 15 oz canchili kidney beans (canned, in chili sauce)drained
  • 4 tbspchili powder
  • 1 tbspkosher salt
  • 1 tbspblack pepper
  • 1 tbspsmoked paprika
  • 1 tbspgarlic powder
  • 1 tbsponion powder
  • 1 tbspdried oregano
  • 1 tbspground cumin
  • 1 cupshredded sharp cheddarfor serving
  • ½ cupsour creamfor serving
  • 3green onionsthinly sliced, for serving

In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.

Nutrition

Per serving, as written.

  • 895calories
  • 69gprotein
  • 77gcarbs
  • 37gfat

Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.

Instructions

Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.

Before you start
  1. Chop the yellow onions, green bell pepper, and jalapeños.
  2. Measure out the spice mix in a small bowl: 4 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp each of salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and cumin.
  3. Drain the chili kidney beans. Crack open the Rotel cans (1 hot and 1 mild), chili magic, tomato paste, and tomato sauce.
1

Brown the beef

Heat the dutch oven over medium-high. Add the grass-fed ground beef and brown 8-10 min, breaking it apart. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside. LEAVE THE GREASE in the pot - that's the cooking fat for the aromatics.

9 min · hands on
2

Sweat aromatics and bloom spices

Add the chopped onions, green pepper, jalapeños, and minced garlic to the leftover beef grease. Cook over medium 4 min. Stir in the tomato paste and the full spice mix (chili powder, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin). Keep stirring 2-3 min as the onions finish softening - the spices toast in the paste and fat, which is where the chili gets its depth.

7 min · hands on
3

Build the chili

Once the onions are translucent, return the browned beef to the pot. Add tomato sauce, Rotel hot, Rotel mild, drained chili kidney beans, and the can of chili magic. Fill the chili magic can halfway with water and pour that in to rinse and thin.

3 min · hands on
4

Simmer 1 hour

Bring to a simmer, then drop the heat to low. Simmer uncovered 1 hour, stirring every 15 min, until thickened and the flavors meld. Taste and adjust salt at the end.

60 min · hands off
5

Serve

Ladle into bowls. Top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and sliced green onions.

2 min · hands on

Make it yours

Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.

Instead of grass-fed ground beef Ground turkey

Add 1 tbsp extra oil - turkey is leaner and will dry out.

Instead of grass-fed ground beef Lentils (vegan)

Skip brown step; add 1.5 cups dry brown lentils with the tomatoes and 1 extra cup water. Saves about 10 minutes.

Instead of served plain in a bowl Over rice

Start rice 25 min before chili finishes. Adds about 20 minutes.

Instead of served plain in a bowl With cornbread

Bake cornbread alongside during the simmer. Adds about 25 minutes.

What keeps

Chili gets better day 2 - the spices bloom. Keeps 5 days in the fridge, freezes 3 months.

Reheat low with a splash of water to loosen.

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