Chili made with beer has amazing flavor, making it a must-have summer menu item. This will go excellent as a side to those grilled burgers and dogs if you bring a big ol’ thermos of it to a picnic or other warm-weather gathering. All you need to do is keep some insulated cups on hand, along with some spicy sauce, and you’ll be good to go. But regardless of the time of year, I do hope you try this beef, bean, and beer chili soon.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons ground ancho chile powder
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 (12 ounce) bottle beer
- 2 cups water, or as needed
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 (12 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed well
- ⅔ cup diced poblano pepper
Instructions
- Place a large pot over high heat; drizzle in oil. Cook and stir ground beef, onion, and salt in hot oil until beef is crumbly and browned and any released liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add chile powder, garlic, cumin, paprika, black pepper, and cinnamon. Cook and stir until mixture begins to darken, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour in beer. Add water, tomato purée, cocoa powder, oregano, and cayenne; stir well. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.
- Stir in beans and poblano pepper. Simmer until peppers are tender and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes; add more water if chili becomes too thick.
- I used ancho chile powder, but any high-quality ground chile pepper will work.
- I used poblano pepper, but a combination of jalapeño and green bell pepper also works great.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 649 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 129 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Sodium | 1388 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 44 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
my go to!
A ‘homerun’ recipe. I have determined that if the recipe is “Chef John’s” you can pretty much count on it being great. We have not had a bad experience and this Chili was no exception. I made no changes except to reduce the amount of water. I used crushed tomatoes and perhaps that added more liquid; I did not find the end result to be too thick. I am so curious about the reviewer who talked about the cinnamon. 1/8 tsp of cinnamon is the equivalent of one pinch. Not sure how that could possibly overpower the entire pot of chili. (Honestly can’t say we detected cinnamon at all. ) This will be my go-to and on repeat in the colder months. Thank you again “Chef John”.
Deep, rich flavor, even without beer. I substituted coffee for the beer. I also only used 1 tsp salt, and it’s still a little salty for our taste.
Yummy and easy
The best. I do add more chili powder, cumin, beer instead of water and a little extra cocoa. Easy and when it sets it is thick.
Best chili I’ve ever made! There was none left and my nephew also said it was the best he’s ever had. I did everything by the recipe, including skimming off some of the fat later on while cooking. I was out of cayenne though, so used a little Tabasco and some red pepper flakes. Also picked up a bottle of German lager from a local liquor store and that was great in the chili! Thanks to Chef John, who always inspires me!
Excellent!
Easy and yummy. Two of my favorite things! Thanks Chef John!
Like most soup and chili recipes, they taste better the next day. I made this chili last night and initially thought it was just ok. I had most of the the ingredients and a tall can of beer. After cooking for about 30 minutes I had a small bowl. Boy, was it hot with pepper, but I like a little heat. I added a dollop of honey to it and put in the fridge. Today I had a bowl for lunch and it is fantastic! All the flavors married together beautifully. Also it thickened on its own without adding anything. I cannot taste the cayenne anymore, so will add a little to each serving. This recipe is a keeper, for sure. I did not like the ale I chose for drinking, but it was perfect for this recipe. Thank you, Chef John!
This is a great flavorful Chili recipe that I have made I don’t know how many times. It is very scalable, easy to adjust to make your own and very forgiving of substitutions. The only thing I will say is that the liquid released by the meat while it is cooking never fully evaporates for me. I don’t know if it is because I am using a different ratio beef or what. It doesn’t effect the final product though. Where the recipe calls to keep cooking the meat until the liquid evaporates, about four minutes. I just keep cooking for probably closer to ten. At that point there is still liquid in the bottom if you push the meat to the side but its not visible otherwise. I think that fat really helps to bind the initial seasoning addition to the meat and onions. This is another one that Chef John has hit out of the park!
Best Recipe Ever, I used two cans of diced tomatoes in this recipe and it was soo delicious and good and the kilted Harley Scottish ale made it so good.
Added some Italian sausage and tossed this in the crock pot.
Loved it. Fun flavors with the beer and cocoa mixed with the other spices. I was skeptical of the lower beans to meat ratio, but ended up liking the recipe more for it. You could always throw another can of beans in if you preferred. I put the chili over some mustard vinaigrette-dressed mesclun greens and added roasted beets. Kind of a weird variation, but healthier and good! I will definitely be playing with this recipe again. Thanks, Chef John!
Disappointing. I find Chef John’s use of water in these savory dishes strange. The flavor was thin, even though I was generous in the seasonings. Needed some thickening up. I’ll go back to my old favorite, never failing chili.
Amazing recipe. Used grass feed beef and doubled the cocoa powder along with a few canned chipotle peppers.
This is my go to chili recipe BUT I omit the cinnamon and cocoa. I prefer savory and not a hint of sweet in my chili. I tried it ONCE and it was not for me.
Talk about YUMMY! We are avid hunters, so we always have a bounty of wild game. This recipe is excellent for the lean cuts of meat. You never let me down Chef John!
So flavorful! You can taste every single ingredient. Whole family loved this.
I used this as a guideline really – I’m not a measurer unless I’m baking – but the cocoa, beer and cinnamon really made this chili extra special! Will definitely make it again!
I LOVED this chilli. I served with peanut butter sandwhiches. It had a little heat, but even my 4,3, and 2 ye at old ate it all up. I did garnish with sour cream so that may have cooled it down a bit for the kids (spice wise). Delicious!
OMG! The BEST chili recipe. The flavor is insane. For the tomato puree, I didn’t use a canned product – I pureed some roma tomatoes which made a thin product. I used the suggestion of a reviewer to add some brown sugar at the end- about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Thank you chief John. Not difficult to make and definitely a keeper!