Easy Warm Crockpot Chili

Easy warm crockpot chili strips the dish down to its bones: cubed round steak, onion, chili powder, water, ketchup, salt, and pepper. No beans, no tomatoes, no canned soup. It is the kind of recipe you can stir together before the school run and forget about.

Round steak is the smart cut here. Lean enough to keep the chili from going greasy, but with enough connective tissue that four hours of low, moist heat breaks it down into fork-tender chunks instead of dry shreds.

The ketchup does double duty, lending sweet-tart depth and a little body so the broth thickens without flour or cornstarch.

Kitchen Tips

• Cut the round steak into uniform cubes (about an inch). Even sizing means even cooking and no chewy outliers.
• Bloom the chili powder in a dry pan for thirty seconds before adding to the pot. Toasting the spice wakes up its smoky, earthy notes.
• Stir occasionally if you can, especially in the first hour. Beef likes to clump on the bottom of a slow cooker before it tenderizes.

Variations

• Add a can of drained kidney beans and a small can of diced tomatoes in the last hour for a chunkier classic-style chili.
• Swap round steak for ground beef or ground turkey for a faster-cooking, more familiar texture.
• Stir in a chipotle in adobo for smoky heat, or a square of dark chocolate at the end for richness.