My hubby, my chili.
Jump to RecipeKevin, AKA “KB”, is my husband. He is a beautiful and wonderful husband in so many ways. Kev loves his family like no other. He is a man of his word and a loyal friend. Most importantly, he makes a killer beefy steak chili 🤣!! It’s hearty, a cozy spicy, with steak in every bite that is so tender it crumbles when you eat it. It feeds the soul and the hangry Man. (they may beat their chest like “man” eating this)
I’ll be honest, when I saw him in the kitchen making dinner, I may have hesitated. It’s not his typical thing…maybe a grill master but not so much Chef Boyardee. I was scared(mainly of parasites) and annoyingly critical of his techniques but he proved me wrong 😅! He nailed it. Quite frankly, I think this cook would like to see that 👉cook more often. Not many cooks in my kitchen–hey good lookin’ (wink, wink, growl)! 😂. Nice to see ya.
Good time to Chili time.
I’m loving the cooler nights and lighter days lately. Kevin and I have started sitting on the front porch and rocking the night away (attempting to forget all the “to-dos” of the night 😁). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, despite allllll that the kids need. It’s nice just to sit for a minute.
Nonetheless, let’s make some chili!!
How to make KB’s Chili…
You will first start with a large (preferably cast iron) pot.
- Brown the chili meat, drain, and put it to the side.
- then, (with a drained pan, but still the drippings) brown the Steak meat (or stew meat) on high heat to just brown the outside of the meat. Drain but leave a small amount of oil to cook the onions.
- sautee onions with leftover grease until translucent, add garlic at the end.
- and put the meat back into the pot.
- add all the spices and bloom them (until fragrant)
- now add the beef stock, maza, tomato paste, onions, (possibly a jalapeno or two), and bouillon cubes
- drain beans from the can, and rinse them. Add to the pot
- add 4 cups of water
- and bring to a boil.
- reduce heat to low and cover with a tight lid for about 30 minutes.
- Chili is READY when the STEAK is TENDER 😍
How to Crock-Pot it:
You know what I just realized? Why is it called a crock pot? Is it a bunch of crock? is it crockish? What makes it crock? Oh man, don’t leave me in a room alone. I’ll come out crazier than I went in as. 😳
Here is my favorite crock-pot. It can saute, braise, and sous-vide! ugh, dreamy!!
If you want to INSTA POT, the same rules apply, yet it’ll be a 1/4th of the time. Historically, I have been scared of my Instapot, but once I got the whole “release the steam” part down (and moved my arm quickly) I felt A LOT more comfortable. 😂
To slow cook:
- Follow the directions in the recipe as usual, yet…
- you will make your meat –and PLEASE UNDER COOK IT (by the time you slow cook it it may be rubber if you don’t); just make sure it’s broken up as you need and DRAINED OF FAT. So the ground meat will be slightly pink and the stew meat will be too, but dark on the edges.
- sautee the onions (can add a jalapeno here, if desired)
- throw the MEAT and ONIONS in the crock pot
- add the spices, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, beef stock, beans, bouillon, and 4 cups of water to cover everything
- put the pot on low and let simmer for at least 4-6 hours (I do this overnight).
The longer it cooks, the better, and more tender the steak will be.
The Recipe
KB’s Chili
Course: dinner, lunchCuisine: americanDifficulty: easy6
servings10
minutes40
minutes300
kcalIngredients
2 lbs of chili meat (3 lbs if steak is not added)
1 lb stew meat/steak (optional)
1 tbl. vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
3 tbl. tomato paste
2 garlic cloves
2 tbl. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
2 tbl. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/3 cup chili powder
1 large can diced tomato (optional)
1/3 cup maza (for thickening, optional)
3 bouillon cubes (optional)
4 cups beef stock
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
Fixin’s such as sour cream, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, Fritos, limes, or green onions.
Directions
- In a large stock pot, brown chili meat. Drain and put on a plate to the side.
- In the same pot, brown the steak (stew meat) in the old chili meat oils. Brown the outside on high heat.
- With the leftover oil in the pan, sautee the diced onions until translucent.
- Add garlic, then tomato paste. Add the meat back to the pot.
- Add all spices including (2 tbsp)oregano, (1 tsp.) cumin, (2 tbsp.) paprika, (1/2 tsp) cayenne, (1/3 cup) chili powder, (1/3 cup) maza. Stir well until spices bloom and become aromatic.
- Add a can of diced tomato, (3) bullion cubes, (4 cups) beef stock, drained black beans, and the other can of drained and rinsed kidney beans, and (2 cups) of water.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid for at least 30 minutes.
- Add fixin”s such as Fritos, sour cream, shredded cheddar, jalapenos, Fritos, limes, or green onions
Notes
- To crock pot:
- Follow the directions in the recipe as usual, yet…
- you will make your meat and PLEASE UNDER COOK IT (by the time you slow cook it it may be rubber if you don’t); just make sure it’s broken up as you need and DRAINED OF FAT. So the ground meat will be slightly pink and the stew meat will be too, but dark on the edges. HINT: sometimes I make the ground beef the next day and add it so the meat is still very fresh and tender.
- sautee the onions (can add a jalapeno here, if desired)
- throw the MEAT and ONIONS in the crock pot
- add the spices, tomato paste, beef stock, beans, bouillon, diced tomato, and 2 cups of water to cover everything
- put the pot on low and let simmer for at least 4-6 hours (although, I do this overnight).
You can feed a feast of people with this chili!!
Y’all!! Have you seen my White Chicken Chili?? Ugh, to die for!!
Tell me what y’all think 🙂
Love to you all!
Farmer Franny
Truly delicious!