Americas Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Weeknight Beef Chili Recipes

SLOW-COOKER CHILI

Steps:

• Mix the tomato paste and coffee in a small bowl; set aside. Toss the meat with the chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in the beans (with their liquid), the coffee mixture and the tortilla chips.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook on low until the beef is tender, 8 hours. Season with salt. Serve the chili with the rice; top with cheese, scallions and avocado.

SLOW COOKER CHILI

Steps:

• Brown the meat: In a large saute pan heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, add the beef and season with salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the meat browns, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to a large mixing bowl.
• Brown the vegetables: In the same pan, stir in the onions and the remaining oil. Add the garlic, chiles, bell pepper, tomato paste, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook until the vegetables start to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Cook the chili: While the vegetables are cooking, to the slow cooker add the tomatoes, chili powder, bay leaf, cumin, allspice, red pepper flakes, and 2 cups of water; stir to combine. Add the vegetables to the bowl of meat and stir to combine, then add to the slow cooker. Stir in the vinegar. Cover and set the cooker to low; cook for about 8 hours. Check after a couple of hours. Stir and taste for seasoning. Thirty minutes or so before serving, turn the slow cooker to high and stir in the black beans and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
• Serve: Allow it to "rest" for about 15 minutes before serving. Stir in the scallions. Taste for seasoning. Serve with any or all of the following: cheddar, sour cream, avocado, scallions, lime wedges, and tortilla chips.

SLOW-COOKER WEEKNIGHT CHILI(COOK'S COUNTRY)

Steps:

• 1. Toast chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cayenne, and pepper flakes in large Dutch oven over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer toasted spices to bowl. Add bacon to Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to plate lined with paper towels and pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from pot. Return pot to medium heat, add onions and bell pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• 2. Add beef, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, using wooden spoon to break up beef into 1/2-inch pieces, until just slightly pink, about 5 minutes. Drain beef and vegetables in colander.
• 3. Add tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and toasted spices to empty pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Return drained beef and vegetable mixture and bacon to pot, stir to combine, and bring to simmer. Transfer contents to slow-cooker insert.
• 4. Set slow cooker to low, cover, and cook until tender, 6 to 8 hours, stirring in beans during last hour of cooking. (Alternately, cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.) Adjust seasonings and serve. (Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months.).
• Make Ahead: If you'd prefer to just dump the chili ingredients into the slow cooker before running off to work, you can do all the work the night before. Follow the recipe through step 3, but continue to simmer the assembled chili for 10 minutes. Transfer the chili to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, simmer the chili in a Dutch oven for 10 minutes, then transfer it to your slow cooker and proceed with step 4.

SLOW COOKER BEEF CHILI

Steps:

• In a small skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper, celery and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. , Transfer to a 1-1/2-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

SLOW COOKER CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef and garlic, season with salt and cook, breaking the beef into crumbles with a spatula, until the beef has lost its pink color, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until slightly darkened and caramelized, about 1 minute. Stir in all the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beer and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the beef mixture into a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, beef bouillon paste, cocoa, beans and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. (The chili can hold well on warm for an additional 2 hours.)
• When ready to serve, stir in the Worcestershire sauce. If the chili is too thick, stir in a bit of water until the texture is to your liking. Season to taste with salt. Serve in bowls and pass the toppings at the table.