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    Home » Recipes » Entree

    Steak Chili

    Published: Sep 11, 2019 · Modified: Nov 30, 2022 by Fox Valley Foodie · This post may contain affiliate links

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    This hearty steak chili is perfect comfort food! #beef #chili #steak #dinner

    This hearty steak chili is loaded with meaty bites of beef swimming in a boldly seasoned sauce, and simmered to luxurious perfection!

    I don't waste time, ladies and gentlemen. The calendar flipped off of August and I grabbed my Dutch oven before the AC has even been retired for the year. As far as I am concerned, it is fall, which means chili season! So grab your favorite sweatshirt, yard rake, and pumpkin flavored everything - we are making steak chili! Oh, but don't use the yard rake or pumpkin flavored anything in your chili...

    Steak chili

    Steak Chili

    So what is the difference between a classic chili and a steak chili? Traditional chili is made with coarsely ground beef, whereas steak chili uses meaty hunks of bite-sized tender steak. I use the word "tender" fairly loosely, because you can use a tougher cut of steak for this chili and let it simmer into tender perfection during the long cooking time.

    The chili is loaded with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and beans in a aggressively seasoned sauce using my homemade chili seasoning recipe, and slowly simmered until thick and saucy.

    Best Cut of Steak for Chili

    You have a number of options when choosing the best cut of steak for your chili. Sirloin is a popular choice because it is relatively tender and doesn't contain large chunks of fat. However, sirloin is more expensive than the other options I am going to list, and you aren't gaining anything for the extra money.

    Round steak is my favorite steak to use for chili. It is lean like a sirloin, but costs a few dollars per pound less! What is the trade-off? Round steak is tougher than sirloin. However, that is a needless concern because the chili simmers long enough to transform the round steak into the most tender bite of steak you have ever put in your mouth!

    Honorable mention: I will give the chuck steak an honorable mention. It is one of the toughest cuts of beef, but it will also transform into luxuriously tender bites by the time you are done simmering the chili. The fat will also give additional flavor to the sauce, but you will need to be more careful about remove any larger hunks of fat prior to serving.

    Leftovers: As good as the round steak is any leftovers you have in your refrigerator. Don't spend $12/lb on a t-bone steak for chili, but if you have some sitting in the fridge from last night's cookout, chop it up and throw it in the pot! Bonus points if your leftovers were grilled over charcoal!

    How to make steak chili

    How to Make Chili

    I have published a lot of chili recipes on this website, from venison chili to slow cooker turkey chili, and there are a few keys I try to stick to in order to get my chili just how I like it.

    I keep the 'bones' of my chili relatively the same in each recipe, meaning I use a similar ratio of meat, tomato products, liquid and chili beans. This ensure the final consistency is just right. I also prefer to use a Dutch oven, over a soup pot. The reason for this is the Dutch oven has a wider opening, allowing for better evaporation. You can still use a soup pot, but every kitchen should have a Dutch oven (affiliate link).

    However, the fun comes in changing up the flavor by swapping out different liquids, such as using beer, or even sweeteners like maple syrup if you prefer. You can transform the flavor further by roasting or grilling your vegetables, or even swap out smoked meats like brisket for the steak. Finally, it is important to let your chili simmer long enough. Simmering allows liquid to evaporate, thickening the chili as it cooks. It also gives the flavors more time to meld together.

    Steak chili recipe

    Chili with Beans or No Beans

    There is a big debate whether beans belong in chili. You will find me firmly in the pro-beans camp, and it isn't even because I care about the taste of beans. It is the precious liquid in the can of beans that I swoon over!

    For years I made chili without beans and I could never achieve the perfectly saucy consistency I was after. However, as soon as I tried using a can of chili beans, I realized what I was missing. The thick liquid in the can of beans fortifies the chili sauce, transforming it from a seasoned broth to a silky gravy. Heck, even if you don't want beans in your chili, I still recommend pouring in the liquid.

    Steak chili recipe

    Steak Chili

    This hearty steak chili is loaded with meaty bites of beef swimming in a boldly seasoned sauce, and simmered to luxurious perfection!
    3.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 3 hours
    Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 401kcal
    Author: Fox Valley Foodie

    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs round steak (chopped into ¾" cubes)
    • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
    • 2 medium yellow onions (chopped)
    • 2 jalapeno Peppers (chopped)
    • 1 green pepper (chopped)
    • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
    • 1 ½ cup beef broth (low sodium)
    • 12 ounces dark beer (such as a porter or stout)
    • 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
    • 30 ounces canned chili beans (do not drain liquid)
    • 15 ounces can Tomato Sauce
    • 6 ounces can Tomato Paste
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
    • ¼ cup flour
    • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
    • Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for serving

    Chili Seasoning

    • 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
    • 1 ½ tablespoons Cumin
    • 2 teaspoons Oregano
    • 2 teaspoons Ancho powder (can substitute chili powder)
    • 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoons smoked Paprika
    • 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • In a large pot, or your Dutch Oven, add cooking oil and place over medium high heat. Add steak chunks and sear until exterior forms a brown crust.
    • Remove steak and add peppers and onions, along with additional cooking oil if needed. Reduce heat to medium and saute until tender. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
    • Sprinkle in chili seasonings, flour, and maple syrup, then stir to evenly coat.
    • Add beef broth to deglaze the bottom of the Dutch oven, scraping up any stuck on bits of cook and letting them incorporate into the liquid. Then add all remaining ingredients.
    • Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 2 ½ hours, or longer.
    • Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped onions.

    Notes

    Tip: This recipe can be made in advance. The flavors actually continue to improve as it melds in the refrigerator overnight.
     
    If you liked this recipe try my Slow Cooker Chicken Queso Chili recipe too!

    Nutritional Information

    Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 2936mg | Potassium: 1640mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1215IU | Vitamin C: 38.4mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 8mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kathy

      October 22, 2022 at 6:00 pm

      2 stars
      I wish this chili looked like the photo! Mine turned out more like soup. Way too much tomatoes. Diced yes, but skip the tomato sauce and paste, it is not needed. I am thinking I will have to serve over rice. I am hoping it sets up overnight. Also, instead of dumping in the flour with the seasonings, why wouldn't you just dredge the meat in the flour to brown? Cook the flour to add flavor. I wanted to try something new, but I will go back to my old standard.

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        October 25, 2022 at 8:08 am

        I am sorry you had issues. I have made this recipe multiple times without the issues you are describing. Would you mind clarifying if you made any changes to the recipe or made any ingredient substitutions? If it were simmered for two and a half hours I am surprised you would still describe it as soupy.

        Reply
    2. Susan Gregorio

      May 31, 2022 at 6:33 pm

      4 stars
      This is my first time making this recipe... I love your 2nd best chili recipe, as well as the Brown Sugar Meatloaf, and Italian Sausage Meatballs... to name a few! I had to modify this recipe since I only had 1 pound of steak cubes, I added 1 lb of ground chuck. I cooked it on the stove for about 1 1/2 hours, then put it in the crockpot for about another 4 hours on high. This chili tastes delicious, but it is more like a soup, rather than a thick chili. I went back over the ingredients to make sure I did not make a mistake, and I did not.... so hopefully when I reheat it tomorrow, it will thicken up a bit.

      Reply
    3. Flavs

      December 28, 2020 at 10:59 pm

      Thanks for your recipe! I am excited to try this for New Years'. I am excited about the beer addition, but I wonder if this will make the chili a bit on the sweeter side? If I don't want it as sweet, should I only add half a bottle of beer?

      Reply
    4. Scott

      September 17, 2019 at 4:35 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! Whole family loved it. This is the chili recipe I'm sticking with from now on.

      Reply
    5. Heather Richards

      September 13, 2019 at 8:03 am

      This sounds delicious! I don’t like chunky tomatoes in my chili. Do you have a suggestion for a substitute?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        September 13, 2019 at 8:14 am

        You can omit them entirely or purchase petite diced tomatoes, for smaller chunks. Since the canned tomatoes contains liquid, you may need to add more liquid (such as beef broth) to get the ideal consistency if you omit the tomatoes, but you can play that by ear and adjust as needed.

        Reply
    6. Norman Rivkim

      September 11, 2019 at 2:48 pm

      I wish you had recipe's for 2 people since we ore only 2 people

      Reply
      • Nee Skylar

        September 12, 2019 at 6:58 pm

        Chili is one recipe that freezes well. Eat two servings then divide the remaining chili into individual or two servings. Bon appetite!

        Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        September 13, 2019 at 8:11 am

        The recipe can be scaled up or down to fit any crowd, otherwise, like Nee mentioned, you can always enjoy the leftovers later.

        Reply

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