Chuck Roast Chili with Bourbon

Bowls of chuck roast chili topped with sour cream and a wedge of lime.

This Chuck Roast 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.

Course Soup, Stews and Chilis

Cuisine Southwestern Mexican

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 20

Servings

Calories 392kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

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

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.

Nutrition