Beefy Crockpot Chili Recipe

A delicious & hearty beefy crockpot chili recipe. Secret ingredients are chocolate and maple syrup. Layers of spices and flavor. A serious bowl of spicy comfort food.

With the holidays swiftly on our heels, who has time to cook with all the extra holiday errands in addition to our usual daily routines?  I’m quickly becoming the Queen of Crock-pot meals.  I’m all about one dish meals and saving time and money.

I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with my slow cooker, cuz let’s face it, I’m lazy and don’t like to spend more time in the kitchen than I have too. I’ve been having a craving for Chili.  I haven’t made it in years (which is weird because I love it) and wanted some comfort food yesterday and decided to make a pot.  This recipe is both inexpensive and feeds 6 to 8 people. Or if you’re only feeding a few people freeze left overs and have a meal for another day.

You might also like this recipe: Classic Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Sauce.

You can also make your own homemade chicken stock.

Beefy Crockpot Chili Recipe:

This is a combination of my chili recipe and Bobby Flay’s Red Beef Chili recipe.

What you will need

1. A pound of beef tips and pound of ground beef

2. One can of cannellini beans

3. One can of red kidney beans

4. One large can of Hunt’s Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce (trust me it’s delish)

(*Addendum: Please see #5- I now make a copycat version of Manwich- I add these extra spices to my tomato sauce in a separate pan on stove. 1 tablespoon ketchup, 3 teaspoons onion powder, 2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow or green sweet pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, 2 teaspoons mustard powder.

5. Add 26 oz  strained tomatoes and one 26 oz. chopped tomatoes )

6. *Seed and finely chop all your peppers. Wear plastic gloves and make sure to wash your hands frequently.* One small dried Thai bird chili which is extremely HOT! One small red chile pepper, one medium poblano pepper, and 1 chopped jalapeño.

7.  One medium purple/red onion

8.  2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

9. 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

10. Chile powders- 1 tablespoon casabel chile powder, 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper powder, 1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder, 1 teaspoon Mexican chile powder

11. 1 tablespoon Cumin

12. 1 cup of dark beer of choice

13. 2 cups chicken stock

14. 2 tablespoon maple syrup

15. 2-3 tablespoon semi sweet chocolate chips

16. Sharp cheddar cheese for garnish

17. 1/2 cup flour to coat beef tips, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Mix with fork coat beef tips. ( I usually mix mine up in a plasticware with a lid and throw beef tips in and shake baby shake!)

18. Honey Cornbread Recipe

This recipe is well suited for a larger crockpot. If you don’t have one a large pot on the stove will do just fine. Coat frying pan with 2 tablespoons EVOO  and heat oil on medium heat. Coat beef tips in flour mixture and fry off tips. Scoop out and set aside in crockpot. *Crockpot should be OFF at this point. In same frying pan salt and pepper and brown ground beef. Strain and set aside in crockpot with beef tips.

If using Hunt’s Manwich sauce pour 3/4 of can into large sauce pan over medium heat, along with a two cans of crushed or diced tomatoes. If you are using the copy cat recipe. Refer to #5 above. Add chicken stock. Seed and finely chop hot peppers and add as much or as little as desired. Add diced purple/red onion. Add finely chopped cloves of garlic.  Add about 1 cup of dark beer and cook on medium high heat while stirring frequently until it begins to boil reduce heat, simmer for about 10 minutes.

Turn crockpot to low/medium heat. Pour sauce mixture over ground beef and tips. Strain and add kidney and cannelloni beans.  Stir.  Add all your chili powders, and cumin. Cook on low/medium for at least 4 to 6 hours or until beef tips are tender.

Add maple syrup and chocolate chips then reduce heat to low and simmer for another 2 hours or until beef tips are tender.    If you’re going to cook it all day while at work then cook on low and add your maple syrup and chocolate chips when you get home.

When ready to eat make honey cornbread.  This is the best homemade cornbread I have ever eaten!!! It comes from Down Home with the Neelys.  I always add extra honey. Serve chili in your cutest chili bowls and garnish with sharp cheddar cheese.  It’s so yummy! Comfort food at it’s best.  And who doesn’t love soppin’ up the chili with some sweet honey cornbread?

Beefy Crockpot Chili Recipe

Recipe by SherriCourse: Soups/Stews/Crock potCuisine: Tex-MexDifficulty: Medium Diffiuclty

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

6

hours 

Total time

6

hours 

40

minutes

A delicious & hearty beefy crockpot chili recipe. Secret ingredients are chocolate and maple syrup. Layers of spices and flavor. A serious bowl of spicy comfort food.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of beef tips
  1 pound of ground beef
  One can of cannellini beans
  One can of red kidney beans
  26 oz strained tomatoes
  26 oz. chopped tomatoes
  One large can of Hunt’s Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce
  1 medium purple/red onion
  2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  1 tablespoon casabel Chile powder
  1 tablespoon chipotle pepper powder
  1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
  1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican Chile powder
  1 small dried Thai bird chili Optional (*** Caution: extremely HOT! )
  1 small red chile pepper
  1 medium poblano pepper
  1 chopped jalapeño
  1 tablespoon Cumin
  1 cup of dark beer of choice
  2 cups chicken stock
  2 tablespoon maple syrup
  2-3 tablespoon semi sweet chocolate chips
  Sharp cheddar cheese for garnish

• Homemade Manwich Sauce

• 1 tablespoon ketchup
  3 teaspoons onion powder
  2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow or red sweet pepper
  1 teaspoon of salt
  1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  2 teaspoons mustard powder

• Coating for Beef Tips

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper flakes
  1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

• Rinse, seed, and chop all your peppers. Set aside. (***Recommend wearing gloves to protect hands from burning. Don’t touch your eyes or other “sensitive” areas while handling hot peppers.)
• Chop red onion and garlic (if using garlic.) Set aside with peppers.
• Coat frying pan with 2 tablespoons EVOO  and heat oil on medium heat.
• Coat beef tips in flour & spice mixture. Shake off excess mixture and add to plate.
• Fry off beef tips.
• Remove beef tips from pan and set aside in crockpot. Crockpot should be turned off at this point.
• In same frying pan brown ground beef and salt & pepper to taste.
• Strain fat off of beef and place in crockpot with beef tips. Reserve a bit of fat for onions & garlic.
• In a large sauce pan over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of reserved beef fat and cook onions, hot peppers (and sweet peppers if using homemade manwich sauce) until translucent.
• Add garlic if using homemade manwich sauce and cook for 2 minutes
• Add both strained and chopped/dice tomatoes to translucent vegetables in pot.
• If making homemade manwich sauce add the remaining spices & ingredients listed above.
• If using Hunt’s Manwich sauce pour 3/4 of can into sauce mixture. 
• Add chicken stock
• Add 1 cup of dark beer and cook on medium high heat while stirring frequently until it begins to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes
• Turn crockpot to low/medium heat.
• Pour sauce mixture over ground beef and tips.
• Strain, rinse, and add kidney beans and cannelloni beans.  
• Add all your chili powders, and cumin.
• Stir.
• Cook on low/medium for at least 4 to 6 hours or until beef tips are tender.
• When the beef tips are tender, add the chocolate chips and maple syrup. Stir until chocolate is melted.
• Serve with sour cream and/or grated cheddar cheese.

Notes

• This recipe goes great with honey cornbread muffins.
• You may not be able to find the hot peppers listed in the recipe, depending on the area you live in. You can use hot peppers of choice in your area for substitution.