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With roasted peppers, bacon and three types of beef, this southern homemade chili recipe will make all other chili recipes taste mundane.
When it comes to soup recipes, there really isn't much better than chili - from beef chili to sweet potato chili to Instant Pot veggie chili. The great thing about it is you can go vegetarian or have one loaded with beef.
And this southern homemade chili is definitely on the loaded with beef spectrum. With beef chuck, ground beef and sweet Italian sausage, this is one hearty chili. Oh and throw some bacon in for good measure.
I know everyone has their "family chili" that they swear by. And like I said, I've made plenty of variations over the years. But this chili is hands down the best chili I've ever had.
I'd go so far to say if I submit it in a chili contest, that I would be confident it would win. While you get heat from the spices, the secret is roasting the peppers, which just gives you depth of flavor. Well that and all that beef!
So while there might be a few extra steps to this recipe, believe me when I say it is well worth it.
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Ingredient Notes
- Poblano peppers - by roasting them, you add a smoky flavor that enhances the chili.
- Beef - using a combination of beef chuck, ground beef and sweet Italian sausage makes this a very hearty and beef-forward meal.
- Spices - while you get some spice from the peppers, this is the combinations of spices is where a lot of the flavor and heat comes from.
- Tomatoes - using tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste adds a combination of textures but also a rich tomato flavor.
Ingredient Swaps
This recipe is perfect in my mind, but as with anything, you can mix up the ingredients if needed. Some variations include:
- I love the flavor of poblano peppers, but Anaheim peppers work as well.
- If you don't have sweet onions, white, yellow, red onions or shallots will work too. They all high slightly different flavors.
- I'm a fan of sweet Italian sausage, but if you want to kick up the heat, just use spicy.
- I'm partial to beef broth as this is a beef chili, but chicken broth or even vegetable broth are good substitutes.
- I like the combo of black beans and kidney beans, but any bean works - from cannellini beans to garbanzo beans.
Step-by-Step Photos
Broil the peppers on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Cover in a bowl with plastic wrap and let steam for 15 minutes before peeling and removing seeds and membrane. Chop and set aside. Now heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook bacon until crisp. Remove and reserve ¼ cup of the bacon grease.
Add the poblanos and rest of the veggies and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. With the Dutch oven still on medium-high heat, add the beef chuck and brown on all sides.
Add in the ground beef and sausage and cook for about 10 minutes before adding the veggies bacon and spices back in.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer for 2 hours.
FAQs
Yes. Just do all the steps up to cooking the beef. Once that is down transfer the beef as well as the rest of the ingredients, except for the beans to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. With 30 minutes remaining stir in the beans.
If you want it milder, omit the cayenne pepper. If you like more heat, increase the amount of cayenne pepper or keep the seeds from the peppers.
The old saying goes that chili tastes better the second day and I don’t disagree. You just give more time for the flavors to meld together. If you put your chili in an airtight container in the fridge, it will last 3-4 days. You can also place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Topping Ideas
While this southern homemade chili recipe is amazing on its own, you can never go wrong with some toppings. Some options include:
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Chips
- Japapeño peppers
- Green onions
- Red onion
- Hot sauce
Best Side Dishes for Chili
There are so many side dishes out there that go with chili but here are some of my favorites:
- Cornbread muffins
- Sweet potato fries
- Jalapeño Cheddar Bread
- Fried onion rings
- Beer bread
- Grilled cheese
- Flaky buttermilk biscuits
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- While it is an extra step, do not skip roasting the peppers. The Spruce Eats has great step-by-step instructions.
- Be consistent with the size you dice the vegetables so everything cooks evenly.
- Use quality low-sodium chicken broth. Remember a lot of the flavor will come from the broth.
- You can replace 1 cup of broth with your favorite beer for added flavor.
- Don’t skip toppings like cheese, avocado or sour cream. These ingredients all help enhance the flavor.
Other Soup Recipes
If you’ve tried this southern homemade chili recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Southern Homemade Chili
Ingredients
- 6 poblano peppers
- 8 ounces bacon, cut into ½" pieces
- ¼ cup bacon fat, rendered from the bacon
- 2 medium sweet onions, diced
- 2 red bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and diced
- 1 bulb garlic, minced (10-12 cloves)
- 1 lb beef chuck, cut into ½" chunks
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or less depending on heat)
- 2 (8 oz cans) tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 oz can) diced tomatoes
- 1 (6 oz can) tomato paste
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken or beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 (15 oz cans) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 (15 oz cans) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- cheddar cheese, sour cream, chips and diced avocado for toppings
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to broil (500ºF) Set an oven rack at the top, directly under the broiler. Spread out the poblano peppers on a tray, and roast for 15-20 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes. Place the peppers in a bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Let them steam for 15 minutes and then peel off the skin. Remove the seeds and membranes and chop.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add bacon, cooking until almost crisp. Remove the bacon and reserve about ¼ cup of bacon grease.
- Add the chopped poblanos, onions, red bell peppers and jalapeños, cooking for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Transfer the cooked veggies to a bowl and set aside.
- With the Dutch oven still on medium-high heat, add the beef chuck and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and sausage. Break it up with a spoon and cook for 7-10 minutes or until no longer pink. Add the veggies as well as the bacon back in.
- Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and cook for another minute.
- Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth and Worcestershire sauce. Add beans and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 2 hours, uncovered. Top with favorite toppings.
Notes
- While it is an extra step, do not skip roasting the peppers. The Spruce Eats has great step-by-step instructions.
- Be consistent with the size you dice the vegetables so everything cooks evenly.
- Use quality low-sodium chicken broth. Remember a lot of the flavor will come from the broth.
- You can replace 1 cup of broth with your favorite beer for added flavor.
- Don’t skip toppings like cheese, avocado or sour cream. These ingredients all help enhance the flavor.
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