Shredded beef chili is a thick and hearty chili loaded with fire-roasted tomatoes, chunky vegetables, and slowly simmered tender shreds of beef.
My shredded beef chili recipe is packed with the flavors of traditional chili, but features shredded chuck roast rather than coarse ground beef, for a more luxurious mouthfeel.
One pot of chili is enough to feed my family dinner, while typically having some leftovers. Repurpose the leftovers by using them in a Frito Pie or a Chili Cheese Dip.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Beef chuck roast - You can also make chili with beef brisket or any stew meat.
- Cooking oil - Olive oil is great to use.
- Red onions - Yellow onions are a good substitute.
- Green bell pepper
- Jalapeno pepper - Substitute poblano peppers for less heat.
- Garlic cloves
- Canned fire-roasted tomatoes - Fire-roasted tomatoes are often found in the health-food/organic aisle of your grocery store. You can substitute regular diced tomatoes instead.
- Canned tomato sauce
- Canned tomato paste
- Canned chili beans - You can make chili without beans.
- Unsalted Beef stock - Beef broth can be substituted.
- Brown sugar
- Homemade chili seasoning - kosher salt, cumin, oregano, onion powder, smoked Paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, fresh ground black pepper.
How to make it
Make this shredded beef chili recipe by first trimming excessive pieces of fat off the chuck roast. Then portion the roast into six large chunks.
Add oil to a large Dutch oven or pot, set over medium-high heat, and sear the beef roast on all sides. Remove the beef pieces and set aside.
Reduce to medium heat and add the bell peppers and chopped onion. Saute until tender. Then add the beef stock, and return the seared beef to the pot along with all of the remaining ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon, loosening any cooked-on brown bits from the bottom of the pot into the sauce, and bring to a simmer.
Tip: The key to developing maximum flavor in this chili is to sear the beef and saute the vegetables prior to adding everything to the pot. Searing the beef is particularly important because the brown crust that forms on the exterior is loaded with flavor.
Simmer the chili for at least 3-4 hours, but longer is absolutely fine. Simmering is the key to making a great chili, particularly with shredded beef. While the chili simmers moisture evaporates from the pot, concentrating the flavors and thickening the chili.
The reason a long simmer is very important for pulled beef chili recipe is because your chuck roast needs time to tenderize and break down into shreds. Chuck roast is a tough cut of beef, but as it simmers in the chili the connective tissues break down making it increasingly tender as it simmers.
Serve your chili with a side of buttermilk cornbread muffins and your favorite toppings, such as the following:
- Chopped onions
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Cilantro
- Corn chips
- Hot sauce
Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker?
Yes, you can absolutely make this recipe in a slow cooker. Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and set on low for 8 hours, or high for 5 hours. It is done when the beef is easily shredded, but you can cook it longer if desired.
Less moisture will evaporate from the chili when using your crockpot than when making it on the stovetop, so I would cut back the 4 cups of beef broth to 2 cups, and adjust as needed prior to serving.
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
Shredded beef chili is a great meal to make in advance because the flavor continues to meld as it rests in the refrigerator. Be sure to store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerator for up to one week.
Leftover chili can be warmed back up in the microwave or reheated on the stovetop until heated through.
Shredded Beef Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
Chili
- 2 ½ pounds chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 medium red onions (chopped)
- 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 jalapeno pepper (diced)
- 4 Garlic cloves (minced)
- 28 ounces canned fire-roasted tomatoes *
- 15 ounces canned tomato Sauce
- 6 ounces canned tomato Paste
- 30 ounces canned chili beans (undrained)
- 4 cups beef stock (unsalted)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Chili seasoning
- 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim chuck roast of any excessively large chunks of fat and chop into approximately six large pieces.
- Add oil to a large soup pot set over high heat and sear the beef until a brown crust forms.
- Remove beef from pot, reduce heat to medium and add peppers and onions. Saute until tender and beginning to brown.
- Add beef broth to the pot and scrape any burnt off bits on the bottom of the pot so they incorporate into the liquid. Return the beef chunks to the pot and add all remaining ingredients along with the chili seasoning.
- Simmer uncovered over low heat for 3-4 hours, or until beef is tender. Remove beef from chili, shred with a fork and place back in the pot and serve.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on February 12, 2020.
Will
My comment yesterday was meant to reply to Nathalie.
Will Frater
Let me give my opinion. It's a matter of personal taste. His recipe calls for canned chili beans, which I assume means pintos. Canned beans are already cooked. They only need to be brought up to temp so 15 minutes should be enough. However, if you prefer the creamy taste of beans to blend into the sauce instead of stand alone, a longer cook works. Kidney beans hold up to longer cooking times than many other canned beans, so they can stand up better to longer cooking. Another consideration is texture. There are many ways to thicken chili. One is cooking longer with the cover off to evaporate. Another is to add a thickening agent. Cooking beans until they dissolve or mashing them or using refried beans works too. Personally, I use corn flour (like masa harina flour, or instant grits/polenta, or even cornbread/muffin mix) to thicken. I add my beans about 30 minutes before the end.
Nathalie
Hi, thanks for the recipe. Usually, I cook chili con carne with ground beef and few years ago, when it was possible to travel😏, we had chili with shredded beef in Utah and we loved it.
My question : You let the beans cooked with the meat during 4 hours?
Nathalie ( from France)
Sharon
Doesn't this chili have chili powder?
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes and no. Chili powder is just a blend of seasonings, the same as what is called for in this recipe. Store-bought chili powder/seasoning can vary in quality and flavor so it is always best to retain control of the seasoning yourself, if possible. If you like the simplicity of having it pre-mixed and ready to go, you can make up a batch of my own homemade chili seasonings recipe.