Why I Love This Chili
Is there any better feeling than walking into your house, when it’s dark (already) at 5pm, and smelling the juicy, spicy, richness of Texas-style chili in the slow cooker?
This chili is rich and hearty, simple and uncluttered. No beans, no veggie chunks – just saucy chunks of juicy, tender beef that shreds apart with the lightest pull of a fork.
My friend Ang made this recipe for us years ago, and we’ve always laughed about this recipe that she used because the 2010 Food Network original that she was working from has a full 3/4 cup of chili powder in it.
We are not doing the 3/4 cup of chili powder thing, but I did using that old, nostalgic-to-me recipe to build this version.
The chili is beef, savory, rich and dark, but it’s also mild enough that my two littles love it, especially when dolloped with sour cream, which is one of their favorite food groups.
Final pro-tip: I’ve made this into a casserole on more than one occasion, topped with cornbread buttermilk biscuits, and I’ll get that recipe onto the internet very soon.
How To Make This Slow Cooker Texas Chili
1
Brown the beef.
Coat the beef with the salt; sear it in a hot skillet and brown the beef. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2
Cook the onion and garlic.
Brown them right in all that rendered fat from the beef. Flavor! Yummy!
3
Add spices, tomatoes, and chiles.
Get all your other stuff in the pan and let it cook for a few minutes. Again, flavor!
4
Move to the slow cooker.
At this point I like to move it over to the slow cooker to let it hang out on low for 6-7 hours.
5
Shred the beef.
I usually just pop the forks right in there and pull the meat apart gently to get big, tender chunks.
6
You’re Done! Yum!
Shred and serve with cheddar cheese, cornbread, sour cream, and green onions!
Slow Cooker Texas Style Chili
Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
Description
This shredded beef Texas chili is rich and hearty, made with 8 simple ingredients! Just saucy chunks of tender beef that shreds apart with the lightest pull of a fork!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Slow Cooker Texas Style Chili:
- 1–2 tablespoons avocado or vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch cubes
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt (1 teaspoon per pound of meat, more to taste)
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- two 4.5-ounce cans green chiles
- one 14-ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
Toppings:
- Green onions
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese
- Chips or cornbread
Instructions
- Prep everything: Chop, measure, get everything all set up first.
- Brown the beef: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Toss the cut beef chunks with salt. Add the beef to the pot and let it cook, undisturbed, for a few minutes on each side until it gets nice and browned. You may need to do this batches depending on the size of your pan. Remove beef chunks and transfer to the slow cooker.
- Saute onions and garlic: Add onions and garlic (and a bit more oil if needed); sauté until golden and softened. This process should lift a lot of yummy browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add spices: Add the brown sugar and spices; sauté for 3-5 minutes until nice and fragrant.
- Add tomatoes and chiles: Add green chiles and crushed tomatoes; simmer for 3-5 minutes until bubbly and delicious.
- Cook low and slow: Pour tomato mixture into the slow cooker over the beef chunks; gently nudge them around so they are surrounded in the sauce. Cook on high for 4-ish hours or low for 8 hours.
- Serve: Shred the beef into big tender chunks (you should be able to do this directly in the slow cooker) and season with more salt to taste. Serve with sour cream, cheddar, green onions, and cornbread.
Notes
Chili Powder: Every chili powder tastes a little different as they all use their own unique blend of spices. I like the Simply Organic chili powder, but have enjoyed this with honestly all of the chili powders I’ve used during testing. I think as long as your chili powder smells good and tastes good to you, it’ll be spot on.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: texas style chili, chili recipe, beef chili recipe, slow cooker chili, slow cooker dinner recipe
Frequently Asked Questions For Texas Chili
Regular beef chili uses ground beef, sometimes beans, and often extra veggies (like this one – so good). But Texas chili is shredded beef chili that’s traditionally made with just beef, chiles, and spices. No beans, no chunks of extra veggies. Traditionally it’s made with no tomatoes – the dried chiles and the spices are what makes the saucy base of it. I am using a can of tomatoes here, plus canned chiles instead of dried ones, so this is more of a Texas-style chili vs. a full blown Texas chili.
Yes, it will work. I’ve done it and cooked on high pressure for about 60-70 minutes. But I much preferred this in the slow cooker. It just thickens differently, tenderizes the meat differently, and just generally works better.
Yes, you could bake this in a pot (ideally a Dutch oven), add a cup of water, and bake for about 3 hours at 300 degrees, with the lid slightly ajar. I haven’t done this personally, but judging by the other recipes out there, this should work! (If you try it, leave a comment to let us know!)
Here’s a recipe for my favorite vegetarian chili!
Yes! You can freeze this before or after cooking.
Yes. I’ve done it and it’s still delicious! I think for max flavor, the browning is ideal. But if you don’t have time, just toss it in the slow cooker and go!