Modified Tuscon Jailhouse Chili Cwb
Submitted by pop-py
Slow cooker Tucson-style chili with ground beef, pinto beans, green chiles, jalapeños and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Classic Southwestern crockpot chili for a crowd.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
8 hrsREADY
8 hrsThis is a home cook’s twist on the legendary Tucson jailhouse chili, rumored to have been served to inmates back when prison kitchens were still allowed to cook with real flavor. The modifications tame the heat a little and adapt the whole thing to a slow cooker, so dinner takes care of itself while you’re at work.
The balsamic vinegar is the unexpected move. A single tablespoon adds a sweet-tangy backbone that rounds out the sharp edge of the chili powder and cumin. It’s the kind of addition you’d never notice if it weren’t there, but it bridges the tomato and the chiles in a way plain vinegar doesn’t.
Browning the ground beef separately and draining well matters here. Slow cookers don’t evaporate fat, so any grease left on the meat ends up floating on your chili. Drain hard, then deglaze the onions and garlic briefly to pick up the fond before everything goes into the crock.
Pro Tips
- The puree-under-the-knife garlic trick in the directions is the real deal. A pinch of salt + a flat knife blade makes a smoother, sweeter garlic paste than a press or microplane.
- Chili improves overnight. Make it a day ahead, refrigerate, then reheat. The flavors meld and the heat mellows into something deeper.
- Use dried pintos soaked overnight if you have the time. The texture is creamier and the flavor is better than canned, and you avoid the metallic tin-can aftertaste.
Variations
- Swap half the ground beef for ground chuck chuck roast chunks for a chunkier Texas-style bowl.
- Add a square of dark chocolate or a tablespoon of cocoa powder for a mole-adjacent twist.
- Top with pickled red onions, queso fresco, and a squeeze of lime instead of the classic cheddar and green onion.
Ingredients
Directions
PREPARATION Dice onion, and purée garlic.
To purée garlic, put a clove under a knife blade, hit the blade, which will remove the peel, then dice the clove, add a little salt, and crush the diced clove under the blade of a More(Y/n/=3D)? heavy knife until pureed.
Sauté onions in olive oil; when onions clear, add garlic puree.
Stir quickly (less than a minute) to avoid onions browning.
Remove sautéed onions and garlic from skillet.
Brown beef in skillet; drain well.
Add sautéed onions and garlic, stir quickly, then pour into crockpot.
Add all other ingredients and stir.
Cook eight hours on low, four hours on high.
OPTIONAL: Best cooled and re-heated.
Garnish with grated sharp Cheddar cheese and sliced green onions; serve with corn chips.
To use dried instead of canned beans, soak two and two-thirds cups (one pound) pinto or kidney beans overnight in three times their volume of water.
Add salt to the water the next morning, and slowly bring to a boil.
Boil ten minutes, cover, and let simmer for two hours until beans are tender.
Drain before using in recipe.
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