A quarter cup of cocoa and a bottle of beer give this ground beef chili a dark, rich flavor that a pantry ingredient list has no business producing. It feeds eight from one pound of beef and two kinds of beans, which makes it the pot to put on when the whole crew is coming over for the game.
Cooling the pot for an hour before it goes back on a low simmer gives the chili powder and cocoa time to settle into the beef and beans, so the first bowl tastes like day-two chili.
Table of Contents
🔪 Ingredients for Easy Beef Chili
- Dried black beans: soaked overnight or simmered 90 minutes; canned works.
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Chili grind ground beef: a coarser grind that holds its shape; regular 80/20 ground beef works.
- Canned kidney beans
- Beer: a lager or amber; skip anything very hoppy, it turns bitter.
- Crushed tomatoes
- Ketchup
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Chili powder
- Salt and black pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Worcestershire sauce
- Toppings: avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, red onion, scallions
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Thermapen
📝 How to Make Easy Beef Chili
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Add the onion and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until just soft.
- Add the ground beef and brown 7 to 10 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains and it reaches 165°F.
- Stir in the black beans, kidney beans and beer and simmer 30 minutes, until the beer has reduced a little.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, ketchup, cocoa, chili powder, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Worcestershire and stir well.
- Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring now and then, until thick.
- Take the pot off the heat and let it cool at least 1 hour, then bring it back to a low simmer to serve.
- Ladle into bowls and top with avocado, sour cream, cheese, red onion or scallions.
🔄 Substitutions
- Ground turkey for beef; brown in a little extra oil, same 165°F.
- Pinto beans for either bean, one for one.
- Beef broth for beer; you lose a little malty depth but nothing else changes.
- Ancho chili powder for regular for a smokier, milder pot.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Brown, don’t gray. Give the beef room and time to pick up color; that browning is a big part of the flavor.
- Spoon off extra fat. If your beef throws a lot, leave a tablespoon or two and spoon out the rest before the beans go in.
- Cocoa won’t taste like chocolate. It adds a slight bitterness that rounds out the tomato and chili powder.
- Make it the day before. Reheat it over low in a slow cooker the next day and set a topping bar nearby.
- Set your heat level. Leave out the red pepper flakes for a milder pot, or add a dash of cayenne for a spicy one.
🍽️ What to Serve with Easy Beef Chili
- A smoked baked potato, split open and buried in chili.
- Cast iron french fries for chili fries.
- Skillet cornbread with honey butter.
- A crisp green salad with lime vinaigrette.
🧊 Leftovers and Storage
- Refrigerate in airtight containers up to 4 days.
- Freeze up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat on the stove over medium-low, stirring, until it’s bubbling and steaming, adding a splash of water if it’s thick.
More Chili Recipes
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Easy Beef Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup dried black beans cooked, see note
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion minced
- 1 lb chili ground beef
- 19 oz kidney beans canned
- 12 oz beer
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire
Toppings
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Red onion
- Scallions sliced
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven, bring the olive oil to heat over medium high heat.
- Saute the onion 3 to 5 minutes, until just soft.
- Add the ground beef and brown, another 7 to 10 minutes, until no pink remains and it reaches 165°F.
- Add the beans to the pot along with the beer and simmer for 30 minutes longer.
- Add in the crushed tomatoes, ketchup, cocoa powder, chili powder, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir to combine.
- Simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
- Allow the Dutch Oven to cool for at least one hour before returning to a low simmer to serve.
- Serve with toppings such as sliced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, minced red onion or sliced scallions.
Notes
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Quick Summary
Onion and 1 lb ground beef browned in a Dutch oven, simmered 30 minutes with black and kidney beans and beer, then 1 hour with crushed tomatoes, ketchup, cocoa, chili powder and Worcestershire, cooled 1 hour and reheated to serve. Serves 8. Prep 1 hr 30 min (includes cooking dried beans), cook 1 hr 44 min.
❓ FAQs
Chili grind, a coarser grind, holds its shape best through the long simmer. Regular 80/20 ground beef works fine.
A little unsweetened cocoa adds depth and a slight bitterness that balances the tomatoes. It doesn’t make the chili taste like chocolate.
Yes. Cool it, pack it in airtight containers and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove.
I’m trying to see how this is carnivore. Beans? Really?
Hey there Shirley, I can understand your confusion, however, this site is in no way affiliated with the ‘carnivore diet’- Though, this chili is pretty delicious sans beans – I would just double down on the meat to thicken it.
Thank you for the clarification and the tip. Can always just use spices, meat and beer (optional) for true carnivores. Top with cheese n sour cream. Yum! Thinking of throwing it all in the crockpot right now! Checked out other recipes of yours that look good and can easily be converted. For example chorizio stuffed jalapeno could be bacon wrapped chorzio meatball appetizers, etc. Thank you for the inspiration.
We love making chili in the winter. We don’t eat beef so we would love to make with turkey.
This seriously looks and sounds so amazing. I will have to try this one out. We love chili in this household!
this recipe looks so freaking good! I have to try it