Three Meat Chili - Aunt Bee's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the most flavorful meat for chili? ›

The best chili meat is a combination of meats, often a mix of ground chuck, ground sirloin, brisket, diced tri-tip, and/or some bacon or sausage. Do your best to mix smaller pieces with larger pieces to stack textures and make it your own! Happy cooking!

Use lean beef, but not super lean meat. The best ground beef for chili has some fat, so 85% lean is ideal. Don't be tempted to use extra-lean beef or drain off the fat after browning the meat. The fat bastes the meat during cooking, which adds richness to the sauce and keeps the meat moist.

Texas Chili - Chuck

Most chili lovers will tell you that this is the ideal cut of meat for stew and chili. Chuck is initially a very tough cut of beef, but when you consider the fact chuck is highly marbled, it turns out this is perfect for the low-and-slow way to cook the perfect Texas chili.

The best type of beer for chili is typically a darker, maltier beer such as a stout, porter, or brown ale. These styles of beer have a robust flavor profile that can enhance the overall taste of the chili.

What Is In the Wendy's Chili? Made with our delicious beef, a hearty helping of vegetables and (of course) chili beans, this is a tried-and-true classic. What makes it so classic, you ask?

Sweet Onion

Sweet onions are great for caramelizing due to their higher sugar content. You can cook them into your chili, serve them raw over top, or even elevate your chili with a sophisticated caramelized onion topping! Some of my favorite sweet onions are Walla, Walla, Maui, and Vidalia Onions.

Cook, stirring with wooden spoon to break up the meat, until the beef is browned, 10 to 12 minutes. The beef will release a lot of fat and liquid — do not drain it; you'll skim the fat off at the end.

What primarily distinguishes Texas chili from other chili recipes you might find is a lack of beans, but it also doesn't feature any tomatoes. It is, largely, a ground beef dish that's seasoned with a spicy chili paste made of dried peppers.

The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.

Ground beef

This is the quickest and least expensive type of beef to use for chili. Yes, the dish still simmers for a while, but you don't have to worry about tenderizing the meat.

Why do you add vinegar to chili? ›

With only about 1 tablespoon per pot added toward the end of the cooking process, the vinegar will make the flavors more vibrant without overwhelming the dish with its biting tang. Through just a splash, everything becomes a little brighter, and the chili's flavors are more balanced.

Add the chili powder to the hot oil at the end (to bloom the spices), and toss in the meat, their collected juices, and the beer, not quite to cover, maybe 3/4s of the way up the meat. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan! Simmer 2ish hours (you want the big pieces of meat to be all but falling apart).

The most popular cheese to serve with a steaming bowl of chili is cheddar cheese, personal preference would dictate whether it be mild, medium or sharp cheddar. Monterey or pepper Jack cheese would be another good choice. And, then there are slices of American processed cheese that melts like no other cheese around.

3. Brown Your Meat First. To enhance the flavor of your chili, brown the meat before adding it to the pot. This step not only caramelizes the meat, but gives your chili more texture, adding a depth that cannot be achieved by simply simmering it in the chili.

The Ribeye is generally considered to be the most flavourful steak. These steaks are cut from the ribs and contain a lot of marbling throughout. The muscle from where the Ribeye is cut, isn't used often so the meat is very tender.

Beef chuck works well because it cooks in a reasonable length of time and makes a good looking glossy gravy. A good cut is the chuck tender, which is sometimes known as a “mock tender”. When sliced, it is called chuck steak. Chuck roast also can be used.

You could also try stout, which Perrins adds to the brisket chilli she makes in her restaurant: “It brings it all together. I haven't tried it in a vegetarian chilli, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.” A longer cooking time will help concentrate the chilli's flavour.