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Winter is “Chile Season”. And, I have created the best spicy chili recipe this year. Of course, I am biased! But really, this is an easy to make, hearty and delicious chili to add to your winter dinner menu.
Spicy chili is not to be confused with hot chili. This spicy chili recipe has a slow heat that lingers a little on your lips after you have eaten a few spoonfuls. We are not trying to burn your mouth off here! Simply melding together some simple ingredients to give a warm and hearty bowl full of deliciousness. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
All Kinds of Ways to Make Chili
The most wonderful thing about chili is, it can be made in so many different ways. In other words, there is no right or wrong way to make chili. Sorry, Texas, but my spicy chili recipe has beans!
And that is the cool thing about chili. The definition of chili and the ingredients in chili are unique to each individual that makes or eats it. This is the great thing about creating chili recipes. There are so many different varieties and combinations. And, they are all delicious in their own special way!
Make Chili-Mac with the Leftovers
Also, one of my favorite things to do with the leftover spicy chili is to mix it with mac and cheese. Yep, chili mac is awesome! Talk about hitting all the comfort food buttons in one dish! Honestly, it is the bomb! If you haven’t tried it, you need to!
Let’s Get Cooking
So, let’s get started. The first thing I do is get all of my ingredients out and ready. I cut up all my veggies, measure out my seasonings, and heat a large pan. I have an 8-quart pot that I bought from Williams Sonoma several years ago, and it works perfectly.
Making spicy chili is all about layering flavors. So, with that in mind, I begin by adding olive oil and butter to the heated pan. Once the butter begins to melt, I add the onion, green pepper, salt, and pepper. Sauté until softened.
Add in the ground pork and beef or bison, This will take a little work to get the meat to break up into smaller pieces, so be patient. The pork especially tends to stick together. Once the meat is cooked thoroughly, I like to use a turkey baster to suction out the fat. You don’t want your chili to be oily. So, make sure you don’t skip this step.
Everyone in the Pool
Now for the fun part, add in the seasoning mix, tomatoes, beans, Hatch Chili Sauce (or other hot sauce) and tomato paste. Stir well to combine all the wonderful ingredients. Then, let it simmer for about an hour so the seasonings can create the spicy chili depth of slow heat flavor.
When it is ready to serve, add in the steak. This recipe calls for a new york steak, which we usually use our leftover steak from our Friday Night Steak Dinners (that’s a topic for another post). We cut the leftovers into cubes and add them at the very end.
But you can also grill the steak or cut it into cubes and stir fry it in a skillet, or even sear it and finish it in the oven. Or, you can leave it out. Spicy chili is very forgiving and is what you want it to be. So, it’s ultimately up to you as to whether you add it or not.
Add Some Cheese and Salsa
Now that the spicy chili is done, serve it up! I like to dress up my chili with shredded cheese, chopped onion, jalapeños, salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips. But, again, it’s up to you with how you serve/eat your chili. But, it is really, really good when it is all dressed up too!
Enjoy!
Spicy Chili
Ingredients
Seasoning Mix
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Smoky Paprika can sub with regular Paprika
- 2 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder can sub with regular Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp Butter unsalted
- 1 Yellow Onion, Large diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper diced
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
Meats
- 1 pound Ground Pork
- 1 pound Ground Bison can substitute with ground beef
- 1 New York Strip Steak boneless
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 can Rotel Tomatoes 10 oz, diced
- 1 can Tomatoes 14.5 oz, diced
- 2 cans Dark Red Kidney Beans can sub with light red kidney beans
- 2 tbsp Rotel Hatch Chili Sauce can sub with any hot sauce if needed
- 2 1/2 tbsp Tomato Paste
Optional Toppings
- 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 Red Onion diced
- Salsa
- Pickled Jalapeños
- Tortilla Chips
Instructions
- Make the Seasoning Mix and set aside.
- Heat a large sauce pan or dutch oven on medium high. Once heated, add olive oil and butter. When butter has melted, add onion, green pepper, salt, and pepper. Sauté until softened.
- Add ground pork and ground bison/beef and cook thoroughly. Drain any fat, if desired, using a spoon or meshed metal colander.
- Add seasoning mix and stir to combine.
- Do not drain the liquid from the tomatoes and red kidney beans, this adds flavor to the chili.
- Add tomatoes, kidney beans, Hatch chili sauce, and tomato paste.
- Simmer for about an hour.
- Once chili is done, season the steak with salt and pepper; grill until it is medium rare. Let sit a few minutes.
- Dice the steak into bite size cubes and add to the chili.
- Garnish with shredded cheese, red onion, jalapenos, salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Hatch Chili Note: See my Hatch Chilies Post to learn how to make your own Hatch Chili Sauce. Steak Note:
- You can grill or sear and bake the steak, or even cube it and stir-fry it in a skillet – you want it to be medium rare when you add it to the chili. This will keep it from being tough.
- Feel free to substitute the steak with a pound of ground beef if desired, or increase the ground pork and bison/beef to 1 ½ pounds each.
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