Bourbon Beef and Bean Chili has a unique mixture of flavors that come from a slow cooked chuck roast, bourbon, red kidney beans and lots of roasted Hatch Chile peppers. This spicy bourbon chili is one of our favorite Hatch green chili recipes.
But I Already Have a Chili Recipe:
Just like black shoes, one can never have enough chili recipes.
I had almost a full bottle of bourbon staring at me where I used a small amount for a recipe earlier in the week. So I made an executive decision to develop a chili recipe to accommodate the spirit, using something other than ground beef. And using something other than pinto beans. And using some of my beloved stash of Hatch Chile Peppers from the freezer.
In my humble opinion the combination I put together turned out quite tasty. And the Ranch Hand gave it very strong marks. Deep and rich in flavor, with just enough spicy heat to be interesting, it was glorious with the cubed beef roast.
Sunday Supper and Super Bowl:
We all love football food. Delicious, easy finger foods, like subs, wings, burgers, potato wedges…the list goes on! And even the healthy alternatives, like cauliflower bites cleverly disguised as buffalo wings. Why not?
No matter what’s on your game day buffet, football food is something to look forward to. For this Sunday Supper, we bring you our best easy football food ideas. If you’re not familiar, the #SundaySupper Movement was started by Isabel over at Family Foodie as a project for “bringing back Sunday supper around the family table.” Who can argue with that??? Sunday Supper is a community where a food theme is picked, we as community members can choose if we’d like to participate in that theme and we post our recipes on a scheduled date. It’s fun, and the participants are top-notch and dedicated bloggers who care about quality and dependable recipes.
About this Beef and Bean Chili Recipe:
I bought a chuck roast that weighed in somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3 pounds. I trimmed the roast of connective tissue and excess fat. I then cut the roast into large bite-sized pieces, sprinkled the pieces with salt, pepper and flour.
I heated oil in my Dutch oven and seared the meat in two batches. Towards the end of the second batch, I added chopped onion and cooked for a few more minutes. Then I added back in the rest of the seared meat and the bourbon. I let that simmer for a couple of minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.
At that point the work was done and the whole thing simmered stove top for about three hours or until the meat was fall apart tender.
Simply serve with a dollop of sour cream, some grated cheese and a wedge of lime.
Bourbon Beef and Bean Chili Recipe Notes
I do not recommend using a package of pre-cut stew meat for the beef and bean chili.
Stew meat is a combination of cuts of meat that may not be as tender as you’d expect. The best cut of meat to use for the beef and bean chili is a boneless chuck roast. It’s a beefy tasting cut of meat. And you want it for tender end result. If you use a leaner cut of meat, the meat will dry out and get tough with the long simmer.
The color of this chili is deep, bold and rich. I suggest sticking with red kidney beans to follow suit.
If you don’t have access to Hatch chile peppers, poblano peppers would be a beautiful substitute. Or Anaheim. Just roast them under the broiler, or better yet, on your stove top open flame.
Chili versus Chile:
Please note that this beef and bean chili recipe uses both Chile Powder and Chili Seasoning.
Chile powder with an “e” is a single ground chile powder.
Chili (with an “i”) seasoning is a blend of seasonings that routinely consists of cumin, chile powder, Mexican Oregano, garlic, etc., used to season chili soup.
I urge you to always buy quality chili seasoning. For the single blend of Chile Powder, I used New Mexico Chimayo Red Chile powder. Ancho would also work for this beef and bean chili recipe. If you use Chipotle Chile Powder, you’ll get a smokier flavor.
Bourbon Beef and Bean Chili is a unique mixture of flavors that come from a slow cooked chuck roast, bourbon, red kidney beans and lots of roasted Hatch Chile peppers. Add a special mix of spices and you’ve got a sultry pot of spicy bourbon chili.
- 2 1/2 pound Chuck Roast connective tissue removed, excess fat removed, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3-5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1/2 cup Bourbon
- 32 ounces Beef broth
- 2 15 1/2 ounce cans kidney beans drained
- 1 15 1/2 ounce can chopped tomatoes not drained
- 2 teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder add more if you want more heat
- 1 tablespoon good quality Chili seasoning
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Pickapeppa sauce or Worcestershire
- 4-6 Hatch Chile Peppers roasted, seeds, stem and charred outer skin removed, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Remove excess fat and connective tissue from the chuck roast. Cut the roast into large bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper and coat the meat with flour, tossing with your hands.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the oil. When oil is hot, add half of the flour-coated meat. Saute until browned. Remove to a place and repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
When the 2nd batch of beef is almost done, add chopped onion and stir. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute. Add the bourbon and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add beef broth and remaining ingredients. Turn heat to low and simmer for 2 – 3 hours or until the beef is fork tender. Taste chili periodically to adjust seasoning such as salt, pepper, and chile powder.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese and a wedge of lime.
Please note that this chili uses both Chile Powder and Chili Seasoning. Chile Powder with an “e” is a single ground chile powder. Chili (with an “i”) Seasoning is a blend of seasonings that routinely consists of cumin, chile powder, Mexican Oregano, garlic, etc., used to season Chili soup. I urge you to always buy quality Chili Seasoning. For the single blend of Chile Powder, I used New Mexico Chimayo Red Chile powder. Ancho would also work for this. If you use Chipotle Chile Powder, you’ll get a smokier flavor.
Larry says
January 28, 2018 at 6:13 amLooks and sounds very good Lea Ann – nice explanation about chile/chili powder
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 6:01 amThanks Larry.
Tara says
January 28, 2018 at 7:52 amSuch a wonderful combination of flavors! I especially love your addition of the roasted Hatch Chile peppers.
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:59 amI’ve got a freezer full, so as you can imagine they find their way into many dishes around here. 🙂
Debra Eliotseats says
January 28, 2018 at 8:56 amWow. This would make me pack up my Chili Cook-Off dreams and concede. 🙂
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:59 amYou are so kind! But I doubt you’d be packing up – you’re more competitive than that!! 🙂
Liz says
January 28, 2018 at 10:49 amYeah, this certainly trumps my ground beef, toss whatever I think of into the pot version! Love the idea of using tender bourbon flavored pieces of chuck in chili. So yummy!
Nikki@soulfullymade says
January 28, 2018 at 12:06 pmLe Ann this sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try this!
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:57 amThank you Nikki
Christie Campbell says
January 28, 2018 at 12:16 pmThis chili looks so hearty and delicious. We are big chili eaters in our house. Even making some tomorrow. But we haven’t made a beef that’s not ground. I”ll have to try that!
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:57 amI was the same way Christie. This is my first time ever making chili without using ground beef.
Laura Dembowski says
January 28, 2018 at 3:09 pmChili is the best and adding bourbon is such a unique twist.
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:56 amThanks Laura. Now I’m trying to come up with more bourbon ideas.
Trang says
January 28, 2018 at 5:20 pmNot limited to game day, this would make a delicious dinner 🙂
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:55 amI agree Trang. I’ll be making this one on a regular basis.
Caroline says
January 28, 2018 at 8:03 pmLove the idea of both using chuck roast and bourbon – yum!
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:55 amWe sure thought it was good.
David @ Cooking Chat says
January 29, 2018 at 5:33 amI love this chili recipe! Definitely a fan of Hatch chiles, and the bourbon is a nice touch.
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:55 amGotta love those Hatch. Thanks David
Barrie says
January 29, 2018 at 6:42 amMy husband would love this- he’s always asking for chili and the broth base instead of tomato would be perfect- probably better on day 2 as well!
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:54 amIf you give it a try, let me know what you think. And absolutely, it was even better day 2.
Sheena says
January 29, 2018 at 3:05 pmThis is such a unique and delicious bowl of chili! Can’t wait to try it!
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:53 amThank you Sheena.
mjskitchen says
January 29, 2018 at 7:57 pmNow this is my kind of chili! I’m not a big fan of ground meat chili, but I do love the beefy, meaty chili with more of a thick sauce. This looks just perfect! Hum…I might have to rethink my weekend menu.
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:52 amThe sauce on this was really thick and full of flavor. That’s the only way I’ve ever made chili was ground beef. Nice to step out of that box.
John / Kitchen Riffs says
January 31, 2018 at 8:21 amLOVE chili! And chunky chili is the best way to make — and eat! — it. Yours looks terrific — thanks.
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:51 amThank you so much John.
ally says
January 31, 2018 at 2:12 pmSo many exquisite ingredients. I love love that you used chuck roast. So much flavor!! xo
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:50 amI love that I used Chuck Roast. I’ve never done that before and it made a great chili. Thanks so much.
Hadia says
January 31, 2018 at 3:54 pmThis is such a heartwarming meal, looks so flavorful!
Lea Ann Brown says
February 1, 2018 at 5:50 amThank you so much Hadia
Andre Casey says
February 1, 2018 at 11:44 amI’m a fan of spice and spicy foods. Definitely looks flavorful and filling. Good combination of ingredients, Lea!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
February 1, 2018 at 4:48 pmLea Ann, you’re so right about the “black shoes and chili recipes!” And this one sounds like just what I’m in the mood for right now. You reminded me of how when I was in my 20s I would buy packaged precut stew meat because I was squeamish about dealing with meat. I’m still squeamish, but I just get out my big sharp knife and “go to my happy place” (imagination) and cut up that big old piece of meat!
Christine says
February 1, 2018 at 6:41 pmSounds great.
The Food Hunter says
February 2, 2018 at 7:55 amI need to make this soon
Lynn Elliott Vining says
February 2, 2018 at 10:53 amPerfect for gameday! Crowd pleaser for sure!
Shea says
February 2, 2018 at 7:40 pmOh my WORD! I love this. Putting it on my list to make next week. So much creativity in this chili recipe!!
Michele @ Bacon Fatte says
February 3, 2018 at 12:56 amYou’re so right… You can never have too many chili recipes! I’m totally in love with the “sultry” flavors in this beautiful recipe!
Steve @ the black peppercorn says
February 3, 2018 at 8:58 amLove this! Ideal for a super bowl party!!
Ron Szudejko says
January 5, 2019 at 1:46 pmMade this closely following the recipe but added my very secret ingredient which I will share if you pinky swear to try sometime before passing judgement, ok? I added sauerkraut with the liquid to the mixture…it gives it a tartness that is surprisingly uniquely good to this polish chef. Enjoy The Polish Chef
Lea Ann Brown says
January 8, 2019 at 5:41 amBeing a sauerkraut fan, I adore your addition. Thanks for sharing your idea.