This Chuck Roast Chili with bourbon offers a rich and complex flavor profile, combining tender slow-simmered chuck roast, bourbon, red kidney beans, and a medley of warming spices. The addition of smoky roasted Hatch Chile Peppers takes it to the next level.
Looking for more Southwestern style chili recipes? Take a look at this recipe for Anthony Bourdain’s New Mexico Chili.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
Just like black shoes, you can never have too many chili recipes.
This hearty chuck roast chili stands out with its unique flavors, showcasing the richness of Southwestern spices. We use a blend of classic chili powder, a blend of spices often found in Tex-Mex dishes, paired with a single blend New Mexico Red Chile powder. This combination creates a perfectly balanced, earthy, and slightly spicy depth of flavor. To enhance the dish, a splash of Kentucky Bourbon adds subtle notes of oak, vanilla, and caramel.
Instead of traditional ground beef, this recipe calls for chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces. As it cooks, the meat becomes fall-apart tender, soaking up all the vibrant flavors.
Believing that beans are essential for a satisfying chili, I’ve chosen canned red kidney beans. They not only complement the rustic theme of this recipe but also keep the color rich and dark.
After flouring and browning the meat, the recipe comes together effortlessly. A two-hour stovetop simmer is all it takes before you’re ready to serve up this flavorful masterpiece.
With just the right amount of spicy heat, this Chuck Roast Chili With Beans is bursting with bold flavor. Let’s dive in!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Spices To Make Chuck Roast Chili
The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it as spicy hot as you want. The recipe calls for one teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder and Hatch Chile Peppers. Choose mild , medium or hot for these.
- Pickapeppa Sauce: Search it out on the condiment aisle. It’s a Jamaican sauce that’s a cross between Worcestershire sauce and steak sauce. From their web site: “A unique blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, peppers and spices”. I use it in all of my savory soup recipes.
- Kosher salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
- Chili seasoning with an “i”. Use a good quality chili seasoning, which is a blend of spices used to make Texas style chili’s.
- Honey
- Red Chile Powder: A single blend chili powder, preferably from New Mexico.
- Hatch Chile Peppers: Choose mild, medium or hot. Depending on your heat level tolerance.
Ingredients For The Chili
- Canned Tomatoes: Petite diced tomatoes recommended. They’ll break down easier during the cooking process for a more pleasant texture.
- Red Kidney Beans: Or you can use canned Pinto Beans.
- Onion: Sweet or yellow onion.
- Neutral Oil: Avocado, vegetable or canola oil will work well here.
- Bourbon: Use a good Kentucky Bourbon please. I used Forester brand.
- Flour: To dust the chuck roast pieces before searing.
- Beef Broth or Beef Stock
- Fresh Garlic
- Beef Chuck Roast: Cut into bite sized pieces.
How To Make Chuck Roast Chili – Step by Step
- Step 1: 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. Coating the meat with flour will not only serve to thicken the chili a bit, but the starch in the flour will caramelize quickly for a deeper color and flavor.
- Step 2: Heat a large skillet or a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ½ 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.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip searing the meat. This is a crucial step in getting the most flavor out of this meal. Searing creates what is technically called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created. Simply stated, it’s responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or seared burger taste charred. It’s a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.
- Step 3: 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 30 seconds.
- Step 4: Remove the chuck roast and onions to a plate. Add the bourbon to deglaze the pan, scraping with a sturdy spatula. Then simmer for 3 minutes to cook off the alcohol, stirring often.
- Step 5: Add beef broth and remaining ingredients to a large Dutch oven. Turn heat to low and simmer for 2 – 3 hours, partially covered, or until the beef is fork tender. Taste chili periodically to adjust seasoning such as salt, pepper, and chile powder.
Toppings For Chili
- Simply serve with a dollop of sour cream, some grated cheese and a wedge of lime. Pepper Jack, cheddar or even Cotija cheese works well here.
- We also like to serve Chuck Roast Chili with some crushed corn chips.
- A little dollop of Chunky Guacamole would add a nice touch.
- Sliced fresh jalapeno peppers, or even Pickled Jalapeno Peppers would add additional color and heat.
- What To Serve it With: A slice of homemade Cheesy Cornbread would make a perfect partner.
Questions You May Have
The best cut of meat to use for chuck roast chili is a boneless chuck roast. It’s a beefy tasting cut of meat. Choose a chuck roast with good marbling for a tender chuck roast. If you use a leaner cut of meat, like a bottom round roast, the meat will dry out and get tough with the long simmer.
Yes. Start by browning the meat, onions and garlic stovetop. Transfer all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours, and low for 6 hours.
If you skip the flouring step for browning, this chili will be gluten free. The starch in the flour simply help to caramelize the beef chunks for deeper flavor. You can sear the meat without it.
Tips for Success
- Purchase a chuck roast and cut it into bite-sized pieces yourself. I do not recommend using a package of pre-cut stew meat. Stew meat is a combination of cuts of meat that may not be as tender as you’d expect.
- 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. Or purchase cans of chopped Hatch Chile Peppers on the Mexican aisle of the grocery store.
- Chile and Chili: Please note that this beef and bean chili recipe uses both Chile Powder and Chili Seasoning. Chile powder is a blend of spices used to make Tex-Mex style chili soups. Chile (with an “e”) is a single blend red chile powder. To learn more take a look at my article Chili vs. Chile.
Storage
Store this Chuck Roast Chili in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days. It will also freeze well and keep for three months.
To reheat, thaw the chili overnight in the refrigerator. Re-heat in a sauce pan or in individual bowls in the microwave.
Recipe for Chuck Roast Chili with Bourbon
More Chili Recipes
And if you’re soup lovers like us, don’t miss my Soup Category. You’ll find lots of great recipes including the most popular chili recipe on my site for Hatch Green Chili.
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Chuck Roast Chili with Bourbon
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pound Chuck Roast connective tissue removed, excess fat removed, cut into bite sized pieces
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion sweet or yellow, diced
- 3 clove garlic Chopped. About 1 tablespoon
- 1 Cup Bourbon
- 32 ounces Beef broth or Beef stock
- 2 15 ½ ounce cans kidney beans drained
- 1 15 ½ ounce can chopped tomatoes not drained
- 1 teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder add more if you want more heat
- 1 tablespoon Chili seasoning good quality
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon Pickapeppa sauce or Worcestershire
- 1 Cup Hatch Chile Peppers roasted, seeds, stem and charred outer skin removed, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- 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 large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ½ 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 30 seconds.
- Remove the chuck roast and onions to a plate. Add the bourbon to deglaze the pan, scraping with a sturdy spatula. Then simmer for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol, stirring often with the spatula.
- Add beef broth, seared chuck roast and remaining ingredients to a large Dutch Oven. Turn heat to low and simmer for 2 – 3 hours, partially covered with lid ajar, 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.
Notes
- Purchase a chuck roast and cut it into bite-sized pieces yourself. I do not recommend using a package of pre-cut stew meat. Stew meat is a combination of cuts of meat that may not be as tender as you’d expect.
- 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. Or purchase cans of chopped Hatch Chile Peppers on the Mexican aisle of the grocery store.
- Chile and Chili: Please note that this beef and bean chili recipe uses both Chile Powder and Chili Seasoning. Chile powder is a blend of spices used to make Tex-Mex style chili soups. Chile (with an “e”) is a single blend red chile powder. To learn more take a look at my article Chili vs. Chile.
Nutrition
Chuck Roast Chili with Bourbon … It’s What’s For Dinner
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and believe that everyone should try to cook as often as they can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
I need to make this soon
Sounds great.
Lea 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!
I’m a fan of spice and spicy foods. Definitely looks flavorful and filling. Good combination of ingredients, Lea!
This is such a heartwarming meal, looks so flavorful!
Thank you so much Hadia
So many exquisite ingredients. I love love that you used chuck roast. So much flavor!! xo
I love that I used Chuck Roast. I’ve never done that before and it made a great chili. Thanks so much.
LOVE chili! And chunky chili is the best way to make — and eat! — it. Yours looks terrific — thanks.
Thank you so much John.
Now 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.
The 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.
This is such a unique and delicious bowl of chili! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Sheena.
My 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!
If you give it a try, let me know what you think. And absolutely, it was even better day 2.
I love this chili recipe! Definitely a fan of Hatch chiles, and the bourbon is a nice touch.
Gotta love those Hatch. Thanks David
Love the idea of both using chuck roast and bourbon – yum!
We sure thought it was good.
Not limited to game day, this would make a delicious dinner 🙂
I agree Trang. I’ll be making this one on a regular basis.
Chili is the best and adding bourbon is such a unique twist.
Thanks Laura. Now I’m trying to come up with more bourbon ideas.
This 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!
I was the same way Christie. This is my first time ever making chili without using ground beef.
Le Ann this sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you Nikki
Yeah, 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!
Wow. This would make me pack up my Chili Cook-Off dreams and concede. 🙂
You are so kind! But I doubt you’d be packing up – you’re more competitive than that!! 🙂
Such a wonderful combination of flavors! I especially love your addition of the roasted Hatch Chile peppers.
I’ve got a freezer full, so as you can imagine they find their way into many dishes around here. 🙂
Looks and sounds very good Lea Ann – nice explanation about chile/chili powder
Thanks Larry.