Chuck Roast Chili
Chuck Roast Chili holds a special place in my bulk meal lineup. It’s a great stretch meal and can be portioned for whole bowls of chili or smaller amounts to pour over a starch (e.g. baked potato, rice, tater tots, mac-n-cheese, etc.). Plus it’s perfect for a cozy bowl of meat and bean chili in the winter or a bright flavorful summer pot luck option. Aside from a blender for the chili paste, this entire recipe can technically be made in one pot. I love a good Dutch oven chili recipe. The heat retention and versatility of Dutch ovens is top notch. And they make for easy transport.
What makes this chili recipe special? This specific chuck roast chili recipe uses homemade chili paste, made from several different dried peppers (see FAQs for a chili chart with info and subsitutions), whole spices, and chicken stock alongside seared and chopped chuck roast. As always there are a number of secret ingredients to enhance the depth of flavor and richness of the dish. Speaking of, I know this says it’s a chuck roast chili, because that’s the cut of meat I use most often. However, it also makes an incredible short rib chili if you use that cut of beef instead. (see FAQs)
Get the Recipe: Chuck Roast Chili
Ingredients
- 2 dried pasilla peppers
- 3 dried ancho peppers
- 3 guajillo peppers
- 1-2 morita peppers
- 1-2 chiles de árbol
- 5 cups chicken stock, (divided into 1.5c/360ml and 3.5c/.8L)
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 anchovy filet
- ½ tablespoon mushroom powder, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon natural cocoa powder
- ½ tablespoon achiote/annatto paste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ tablespoon marmite, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon Tamari or soy sauce
- 1 poblano
- 1 med/lg yellow onion
- 3½-5 lbs Chuck Roast
- 2 tablespoons neutral, high smoke point oil
- 1, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3, 15 oz cans kidney beans, light or dark
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons masa harina
- 1 tablespoon vodka, (very optional)
Equipment
- disposable gloves (optional, but highly recommended)
- set of tongs
- 1 high-powered blender
- 1 Small Sauce Pot and/or sauteé pan (optional, for toating peppers and heating stock)
- 1 large Dutch oven (at least 5+ quarts or 4.8+ liters)
- 1 chef knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 flat bottom spatula
- 1 can opener
Instructions
- If you plan to wear gloves, put them on before handling the dried peppers. Over a sink, plate, or garbage can, pull the stems off the dried peppers and open them up. Toss the stems and remove all of the seeds as well. Once cleaned, rip the peppers into smaller pieces for toasting and set aside. Measure out the cumin and black peppercorns and set those aside as well.
- First, toast the peppers in a sauté pan, small pot, or in your Dutch oven on medium. Use tongs to move the peppers around and flip them while toasting. When the peppers become fragrant (1-3 minutes), move them to the blender. Then, toast the cumin and the peppercorns, the same way as the peppers, until you can smell them (another 1-3 minutes). Pour the toasted spices into the blender with the peppers. Next, pour 1½ cups (.4L) of chicken stock into the small pot, sauté pan, or the Dutch oven and turn the heat to medium/medium-high, to bring it to a low boil.
- When the stock boils, pour it over the peppers and spices and push the spices under the liquid line to hydrate. Add the garlic cloves, anchovy, marmite, molasses, mushroom powder, achiote (annatto) paste, tamari (or soy sauce), natural cocoa powder, and tomato paste to the blender while the peppers soak. After about 15-20 minutes of the peppers rehydrating, all of the other ingredients should be added and it’s time to blend the paste.
- Blend everything and scoop the chili paste into a bowl for later use. If it looks like more liquid is needed to blend, add a little more of the chicken stock to loosen it up. (the paste gets cooked again a bit later, so it’s important that it remains thick. Don’t add too much.)
- Next, remove the stem and seeds to the poblano pepper and small dice the pepper. Set the pieces aside and small dice the onion as well. Lastly, prep the chuck roast by removing any large pieces of fat or silver skin. It’s okay if it produces smaller or oblong pieces of roast. Once trimmed, slice the chuck roast into ¾-1 in (2-2.5cm) strips. Pat the pieces dry and lightly coat them in 1 tbsp of neutral oil and 1 tsp (2.4g) kosher salt. Set those aside as well.
- At this point, the paste, veggies, and meat should be ready. Measure out the oregano and the rest of the chicken stock and open the can of crushed tomatoes. Set them with the rest of the chili components. Time to start cooking.
- Place an enameled Dutch oven on your stove top. Turn the burner to medium/high heat and add in the rest of the neutral oil. Working in batches, add 3-4 pieces of chuck roast to the heated pot. Let the meat sear until the side touching the bottom of the pot browns and releases from the pot’s surface. Flip the pieces of meat to all sides until they are all seared. Remove the chuck and add in the next batch. Repeat the searing process until all of the beef has been browned. (If any browned bits develop on the bottom of the pot and look or smell like they are getting close to burning, pour some of the water 1 tbsp (15ml) at a time into the pot where it’s getting dark. Scrape the fond (browned bits) up or move the meat around to collect it.) Set the seared meat aside once again.
- Next, turn the heat down and add the paste into the Dutch oven. Scrape it around the pot with a flat-bottomed spatula for 1-2 minutes. The paste should cook and darken a bit before it also begins to stick to the pot. Toss in the diced onion and sprinkle about ½ tsp (1.2g) of kosher salt over the top, while stirring and scraping. Once the onions begin to soften, add in the poblano pepper and the oregano and stir those around for another 4-5 minutes or so. (At any point, if the bottom is in jeopardy of burning, even with the aromatics added, pour a little bit of water where it’s too dark and scrape.)
- Fully deglaze the pot with the rest of the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pot until ALL of the fond built up there comes up and incorporates into the sauce. (Any food left stuck to the bottom of the pot will burn over the course of cooking, even with liquid in the pot, so make sure you are thorough.) Lower the stovetop temperature to medium-low and pour in the tomatoes.
- Next, cut the seared and rested chuck roast into bit sized pices. It’s up to you for how big you would like them to be. I prefer ½in (1.3cm) chunks. Then, add in seared meat and any liquid that escaped the beef during resting.
- At this point, open the cans of beans. Place a colander in the sink and use it to strain and rinse them. Once cleaned, dump the beans into the chili. Then, measure and add in the apple cider vinegar and masa harina. Give the chuck roast chili a good mix, lower the temp a bit, cover the pot with a lid, and let it come to a simmer for 30 minutes. After the bit of time cooking, give the chili a taste and add any additonal salt or balancing ingredients to taste. (see FAQs for balancing flavor). Re-cover the chili and let it cook for another 1.5-2 hours. When the meat has softened but stays intact, add in the vodka (optional) stir and simmer for another 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- As long as you have a ratio of 65-70g of dried peppers per 1-1½ cups (240-360ml) of heated liquid, you have a chili paste. See FAQs for pepper options and flavor profiles. Mix and match to your heart’s content!
- This chuck roast chili’s spice level is between very mild and mild. (what can I say? I have kids). Add either fresh habanero (fruity) or serrano(s) (vegetal) at the same time as the poblano and/or some ground cayenne to the paste to spice things up.
- I use homemade stock that is relatively low in sodium. If you use store bought stock, make sure to buy low sodium stock. Substituting the chicken stock with beef stock, will give the chuck roast chili a deeper, meatier flavor. But, it will also hide a lot of the other flavors in the chili. Up to you on which to use.
- Instead of crushed tomatoes, whole tomatoes hand crushed or blitzed down in the blender or with a stick/immersion blender will also work.
- The vodka is a quick trick to create more aroma for your internal olfactory senses to pick up. Alcohol evaporates faster than water and makes the chili more flavorful with only the one step. The closer it’s added to the end of your cook time the more aroma it will have. (It takes about 4 hours to cook alcohol out of a dish. )
- Store the chili in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and up to 2 months in the freezer. Reheat in a pot on your stove top or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
The key to choosing the right cut of beef for stewed or braised dishes is finding a good balance between intramuscular fat and cost.
The key to flavor in beef is good amounts of intramuscular fat or marbleization. The more marbled a cut of beef, the more flavor there is. So, first, let’s consider fatty cuts of beef. Things like rib roast, ribeye, short rib, oxtail, chuck roast, picanha steak, flat iron steak, flap steak, skirt steak, and brisket.
Next, comes cost. Typically beef cuts with the most connective tissue are the best suited for stews because they shine under long cook times and are much cheaper than more tender pieces. Prime rib, ribeye, and most of the more tender steaks are imediately out when it comes to price. Sadly, oxtail is up there in cost now as well. This leaves short rib, chuck roast, and brisket as the best options.
Among the three options, Chuck roast will be the best balance between flavor and cost. But that doesn’t mean you need to use it for chili. If you’d like a little more flavor and are fine with an increase in cost, short rib chili is excellent. The fat marbalization in short ribs are typically more uniform and prevelant than in chuck roast, so the pieces of meat individually will taste better. Brisket is the last option, it’s a good choice if you plan to make a bunch of different dishes, because of the amount of meat that comes in a single piece. The cost is good and the meat flavorful, though it is less fatty than the other two options. If I use brisket, I usually make burgers with the leftovers.
Nope! I like the stovetop because I can check in on the chili easily while it cooks. To keep the meat tender, it’s important that the chili never goes over a simmer. (a few bubbles here and there with little change in surface tension.) However, the versatility of Chili in a Dutch oven means that it can also braise in the oven, once all of the ingredients are added. Preheat the oven to between 175-200℉ (79-93℃). Place the Dutch oven on a baking tray and into the oven for 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender.
Of Note: Adding vodka is still optional. Add it after the chili comes out of the oven. Stir and wait ten minutes before serving.
I did everyone a solid and supplied a list of dried chili options, brief description of what each chili is and what it tastes like as well as some spiciness information. Hopefully this is enough to help pick chilis and substitute for others if you don’t have access to the ones in this recipe.
Remember, the chili paste recipe ratio is 60-75g of dried chilis to 1-1.5 cups of chicken stock. If you’d like more heat, I recommend adding more chiles de arbol. And say you want some added smokiness to your chili. Replace some of the pasillas or moritas with dried chipotle peppers. Additionally, if you do not have access to ancho chilis, California are a good substitute. Use the chart for those kinds of questions and substitutions. Good luck!
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