Thick Texas Beef Chili for Cold Nights

Name: Thick Texas Beef Chili for Cold Nights
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 135 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs 85/15 ground beef; 1 yellow onion (diced); 2 bell peppers (diced); 2 jalapeños (diced); 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic; 4 tbsp chili powder (add more if you like it hotter); 1 tsp cumin; 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp crushed red pepper; salt and black pepper (to taste); 1 tsp tomato paste; 28 oz crushed tomatoes; 2 1/2 cups beef broth (plus extra if needed); 1 tbsp brown sugar

Jump to Recipe

Some nights just call for a big pot on the stove.

This thick Texas beef chili is what I make when the weather turns and everyone wants something warm and filling. Ground beef, a pile of peppers, a hard hit of chili powder. No beans. Make it on a lazy weekend, because the long simmer does the work and you just stir now and then.

The first time I made it, I put the lid on. Big mistake. I ended up with a loose, soupy pot that tasted fine but ate like beef soup. I took the lid off the next round and that was that.

Why This Thick Texas Beef Chili Works

A few small moves make this pot what it is.

The lid stays off. Simmering uncovered lets the water cook out, and that’s the thickening. Cover it and the steam drops right back in. You get soup.

Spices go in before the liquid. After the beef browns, the garlic and spices hit the hot pot and get about a minute of stirring. They bloom in the beef fat. Dump them into the tomatoes instead and the chili tastes flatter, a bit raw.

Tomato paste gets a minute too. Cooked briefly with the vegetables, it loses that sharp, canned edge.

One tablespoon of brown sugar. Not for sweetness. Crushed tomatoes are acidic, and the sugar rounds that off. You won’t taste it as sugar.

Don’t drain everything. 85/15 beef leaves some fat, and that fat carries the spice. Pour off the excess if there’s a lot. Leave the rest.

Ingredients

For the base

2 lbs 85/15 ground beef
1 yellow onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 jalapeños, diced
1½ tbsp minced garlic

For the spices

4 tbsp chili powder (add more if you like it hotter)
1 tsp cumin
1½ tsp garlic powder
1½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the sauce

1 tsp tomato paste
28 oz crushed tomatoes
2½ cups beef broth, plus extra if needed
1 tbsp brown sugar

How to Make It

Heat a big pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the beef, breaking it into small crumbles. Pour off extra grease if there’s a lot.
Add the garlic and all the spices, salt and pepper too. Stir for about 1 minute, until it smells amazing.
Toss in the onion, bell peppers and jalapeños. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until they start to soften.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 more minute.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, beef broth and brown sugar. Mix well.
Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat to low. Let it simmer uncovered for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring once in a while. If it gets too thick, splash in a bit more broth.
Taste and fix the salt, pepper and heat. Serve hot.

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 2 hours 15 minutes Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes Servings: 8

My Tips

Make it a day ahead. The flavor gets deeper overnight, no contest.

Keep the lid off while it simmers. That’s how it gets thick.

Break the beef up small, smaller than feels necessary. Big chunks turn it into a pot of meatballs.

Stir the bottom of the pot, not just the top. The tomatoes and sugar want to stick near the end. I scorched a layer once and had to leave it behind when I ladled.

Taste at the finish, not before. It reduces as it cooks, so what seemed mild at the start can come out loud.

Serve it with cornbread, shredded cheddar and a spoonful of sour cream.

Variations

More heat. Add more chili powder, like the recipe says. Leave the jalapeño seeds in too.

Less heat. Seed the jalapeños and drop the crushed red pepper. Keep the cayenne, it’s only ½ teaspoon.

Beans. Skip them. They crowd out the beef, and the beef is the whole point of this pot.

Slow cooker. Do steps 1 through 5 on the stove, move everything to the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours with the lid cracked for the last hour so it can thicken.

Make-Ahead and Storage

This is better on day two. Cool it, cover it, and it keeps 4 days in the fridge or about 3 months in the freezer.

It tightens up cold, so reheat it low with a splash of broth.

What doesn’t work ahead: the toppings and the cornbread. Cheese and sour cream go on at the table. Bake the cornbread fresh, it dries out sitting around.

FAQ

What do you serve with beef chili?

Cornbread, shredded cheddar and sour cream. Cornbread is the one I’d never skip.

How do you thicken Texas chili?

Simmer it uncovered. That’s the whole answer. The long, open-lid simmer cooks the water out, and 1½ to 2 hours is enough. If it ever gets too thick, a splash of broth loosens it back up.

Does Texas chili have beans?

No.

How spicy is this chili?

Medium-hot, with a slow build from the cayenne and jalapeños. If you want more heat, add chili powder first, then taste. Cayenne gets hot fast, so I go easy on it.

How long does leftover chili last?

4 days in the fridge, or about 3 months in the freezer. Freeze it in flat bags so it thaws quicker.

Last Thoughts

Leftovers don’t need to be the same bowl twice. Spoon them over a baked potato, or crack open a bag of corn chips and make Frito pie. Same pot, second dinner.

Kima