Generic Chili Recipe

This chili strips the recipe down to bare essentials: meat, onion, garlic, spices, tomatoes, and beer. No beans, no fancy ingredients, no complicated technique. Brown the meat, add the seasonings, dump in the tomatoes and beer, then let it bubble on low for one to two hours while the flavors concentrate.

The beer adds a malty depth that water or broth can’t match. Some cooks swear by flat beer, which has lost its carbonation and integrates more smoothly into the sauce. Either way, the alcohol cooks off during the long simmer, leaving behind just flavor.

Chili meat is coarsely ground or cubed beef sold specifically for this purpose at butcher counters, especially in Texas. If you can’t find it, stew meat or soup meat cut into small pieces works. The long simmer breaks down tougher cuts until they’re fork-tender.

Two hours uncovered is where this recipe pays off. The liquid reduces, the tomatoes break down, and everything thickens into a rich, spoonable consistency.

Kitchen Tips

• Brown the meat in batches if your pot isn’t big enough. Crowding steams the meat instead of searing it, and you lose that caramelized flavor.
• Add more beer or water as needed during the simmer. The chili should stay loose enough to bubble gently, not thick enough to scorch.
• Taste and adjust the cumin and chili powder after the first hour. Flavors mellow during long cooking, so you may want to bump up the spices.
• This freezes well in quart containers for up to three months.

Variations

• Bean version: Add a drained can of kidney or pinto beans in the last 30 minutes.
• Smoky depth: Stir in a tablespoon of smoked paprika or a minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
• Turkey chili: Swap the beef for ground turkey and use a lighter beer like a pilsner.