Southern beef and bean chili
A tomato-forward household chili with finely crumbled ground chuck, kidney beans, green pepper, celery, and Worcestershire.
Research-based original adaptation informed by Beef. It's What's For Dinner's ground-beef chili method and Southern Living's classic beef-chili profile
Ingredients
Written for a 6 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Chili
- 20 ml neutral oil rounded
- 800 g ground chuck or 15 to 20% fat ground beef rounded
- 250 g yellow onion, diced rounded
- 200 g green bell pepper, diced rounded
- 150 g celery, diced rounded
- 3 garlic, chopped rounded
- 800 g diced tomatoes rounded
- 400 g tomato passata rounded
- 40 g tomato paste rounded
- 480 g kidney beans, drained rounded
- 400 ml low-sodium beef broth rounded
- 20 ml Worcestershire sauce rounded
- 24 g mild North American chili powder blend rounded
- 6 g ground cumin rounded
- 3 g smoked paprika rounded
- 2 g dried oregano rounded
- 8 g fine salt, divided rounded
- 2 g black pepper rounded
- 15 g packed light brown sugar rounded
Method
- Keep raw beef and its equipment separate from ready-to-eat food. Heat oil over medium-high and brown beef in two batches, breaking it below 1 cm. Check dense clusters reach at least 71°C; colour is not a safety test. Drain excess fat, leaving about 30 ml.
- Cook onion, green pepper, celery, and half the salt for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and lightly browned. Add garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste, chili blend, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and black pepper. Stir 90 seconds until brick red.
- Add tomatoes, passata, broth, Worcestershire, sugar, beef, kidney beans, and remaining salt. Simmer uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring more often near the end.
- When glossy and thick enough to mound on a spoon with tender vegetables and no watery rim, rest 10 minutes and adjust salt. The sugar balances acidity; the chili must not taste sweet.
Ingredient substitutions
- Ground chuck is preferred. In Germany use Rinderhack with 15 to 20% fat, not Hackfleisch gemischt. In Canada medium ground beef is closest; lean beef works with the full oil amount but is less rich.
- For 24 g mild blend in Germany use 14 g sweet paprika, 3 g ancho, 3 g garlic powder, 2 g onion powder, and 2 g oregano. Canadian supermarket blends are practical; pure cayenne or hot chile is not equivalent.
- Worcestershire commonly contains anchovy and thus fish; check for gluten. Soy sauce is not equivalent, introduces soy and possibly wheat, and lacks the tang.
- Use 480 g drained beans, not a tin count, because German and Canadian tins drain differently.
Notes
- Scaling above 1.5 times requires a larger pot and batch browning.
- Cool promptly in shallow containers within 2 hours, cover cold, refrigerate at 4°C or below, and use within 3 days. Freeze cooled portions for up to 3 months. Reheat only the needed amount to a rolling boil and 74°C throughout; store toppings separately.
Sources consulted
- Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner: Beef Chili
- Southern Living: Classic Beef Chili
- Health Canada: Safe internal cooking temperatures
- Health Canada: Food safety tips for leftovers
Sources consulted
From Christoph Mayer