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Bowl of chili with ground meat, beans, and tomatoes, topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions, with a spoon resting in the bowl.
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Crock Pot Beef Chili

Four pounds of ground chuck, eight hours you spend doing literally anything else, and a pot of chili thick enough to stand a spoon in. This is the one that gets scraped clean before anything else on the table.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings (about 1 1/2 cups per person)
Calories: 504kcal
Author: Kita Roberts

Ingredients

Chili Base

  • 4 pounds ground chuck (80/20)
  • 2 medium yellow onions finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes drained
  • 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle or cayenne
  • bay leaf
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 32 oz light red kidney beans drained and rinsed (2 16 oz cans)

To Finish

  • 2 tablespoons masa harina
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or fresh lime juice

Toppings

  • Sour cream
  • Shredded sharp cheddar
  • Chopped green onions
  • Pickled jalapenos
  • Cornbread or tortilla chips

Instructions

Brown the Beef

  • Heat a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high. Working in 1 pound batches, brown the ground chuck 6 to 8 minutes per batch, until deeply browned with dark edges and no pink remains. Season lightly with salt as it cooks.
    Cooked ground beef in a white Dutch oven with handles, viewed from above, on a tan surface.
  • Transfer to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Do not drain unless there is a visible pool of grease.

Cook the Aromatics

  • Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and bell pepper to the same skillet, scraping up the browned bits. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until translucent and gold at the edges. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
    White pot filled with sautéed chopped onions and green bell peppers on a neutral tan background, viewed from above.

Cook the Tomato Paste and Bloom the Spices

  • Stir in the tomato paste and cook about 3 minutes, until it darkens to brick red and starts sticking to the pan. Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and chipotle, stirring to coat. Cook 30 seconds until the spices smell toasted.
    White pot containing a mixture of chopped onions, green bell peppers, and tomatoes, cooked down and seasoned, on a beige background.

Slow Cook

  • Scrape everything into the slow cooker with the beef. Add the drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, and bay leaf. Stir well. Cover and cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours or HIGH 5 to 6 hours, until the chili holds its shape in the spoon rather than running off.
    White slow cooker filled with ground beef, chopped vegetables, and tomato sauce, on a light brown surface.

Add the Beans and Thicken

  • Stir in the kidney beans during the last 60 to 90 minutes. For a thicker chili, whisk the masa harina into the hot water until smooth, stir it in, and cook uncovered for the final 30 minutes.
    A white slow cooker filled with chili containing ground meat, red beans, and tomatoes, set against a light brown background.

Finish and Season

  • Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Off the heat, stir in the vinegar or lime juice a teaspoon at a time until the chili tastes bright, not sour.
    A white slow cooker filled with chili made of ground beef, beans, and tomatoes. A wooden spoon rests inside. Surrounding items include sour cream, shredded cheese, and lime slices.

Notes

  • A 6-quart slow cooker fills to the rim with this batch. A 7 or 8-quart is easier to stir. We've trusted this one for years (and given it as wedding presents to pretty much every couple we know).
  • If your slow cooker has a sear setting you can do it all in the insert, but still brown the beef in batches or it will steam instead of browning.
  • Drain the fire-roasted tomatoes. A covered slow cooker does not evaporate, so any liquid that goes in stays in.
  • Fridge 4 to 5 days. Freezer up to 3 months, frozen flat in zip-top bags.
  • Better on day two. To reheat for a party, LOW for about 2 hours from cold, then hold on WARM.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 504kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 130mg | Potassium: 807mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 552IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 6mg