Community Pick
Beef Chili With Bacon & Black Beans
"I found this recipe in the March, 2003 issue of Cook's Illustrated Magazine. We just love this chili and hope that you will, too! It is best served with the optional condiments, the more variety, the better! The flavor is better if you make it a day or two before and then reheated, which means it makes great leftovers, too ;) Freezes well up to one month."
photo by flower7
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 23
- Serves:
-
10
ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 8 strips)
- 2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1⁄4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 2 lbs 85% lean ground beef
- 2 (16 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
- table salt, to taste
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
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Optional Condiments
- fresh tomato, diced
- avocado, diced
- scallion, sliced
- red onion, chopped
- cilantro leaf, chopped
- sour cream
- shredded monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese
directions
- Fry bacon in large heavy-bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 8 minutes.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat, leaving bacon in pot.
- Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high and add half the beef; cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add remaining beef and cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
- Remove cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if chili begins to stick to bottom of pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer), until beef is tender and chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened.
- Adjust seasoning with additional salt.
- Serve with lime wedges and condiments if desired.
Questions & Replies
-
I've made chili since I was 12 - and I'm now a senior citizen. I never imagined using a detailed recipe until I met this one! This has been my GO TO for almost 20 years now ;-) -
I'm definitely going to try this. Amazing how OLD this recipe is! What I haven't seen in any of the comments is something about cooking up the beef. Was it INTENTIONAL to not drain the fat from the beef? The amount of fat from 2 lbs of 85% ground beef is a LOT of fat to leave in the chili. If anyone who has made this sees this comment, let me know if you left all that fat in the chili. -
What is the nutritional value per serving?
Reviews
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This is a great recipe. I've made it several times and always find that it suits most palates. I carefully measure and follow the recipe for the spices. I've added and extra can of beans, and I've added tomato sauce or a can of tomatoes, and probably added a little more ground beef. I've also discovered that once I have the ingredients mixed in a large dutch oven, I place the entire covered dutch oven into my oven at 300 degrees for several hours. Originally I did this because the recipe was too big for my crock pot, and I didn't want to risk it burning on the stove top. There is some magic to putting chili and heavy stews in a 300 degree oven for approx 3 hours. -
This seemed a little daunting at first, but it was worth the extra effort. I made it for a chili contest at work (and won first prize!). I used 28 oz of canned whole tomatoes pureed in blender and added a small can (maybe two...I can't remember) of tomato paste as I didn't have tomato puree. I think I threw in a small can of tomato sauce, too for good measure. I'm sure I left out the pepper flakes because I don't like it so hot the flavors get lost, and it still had a good kick--I would say just right. I made more bacon and took some out to put on top for garnish. The first time we ate it we thought, "This is good." The second day we had it over waffle fries with cheese, bacon and sliced scallions and thought, "This is REALLY good!" I decided it was contest worthy. I have made it a 3rd time without going through the 2 step hamburger browning, and it's still really good. I think the cooking time is key, with an hour with lid and hour without, so don't skimp on that step. As with most soups, stews, chili's and hotdishes, this is even better after it sits for a day! Definitely a keeper!!! -
OMG this was crazy all the flavours... I am a tough critic and this one should have a lot more reviews.
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This is an excellent chili. You can taste the preparation that goes into it. I doubled the bacon(using a thick cut peppered bacon) and doubled the chili powder so there was a bit more kick. I also precooked the ground beef so the fat in the recipe is mostly from the bacon. This necessitated an extra 3/4 cup water so it was moist enough to not stick. The bacon flavor really did come though.
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Very delicious chilli! I used a fajita seasoning blend in place of the salt, and to make a spicy batch, added a 10oz can of Ro*tel Hot Diced tomatoes with habaneros. Definately serve with sour cream! yum yum yum
see 15 more reviews
Tweaks
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tweaked the heat
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Bev I Am
United States
I joined Food.com when the site was RecipeZaar, April 24, 2001. This site has been a favorite with me for many years now with its unique features and especially for the many, many dear friends I have met here. If you are a new visitor, I hope you will stop for a while and check us out. I hope you will find it as special as I have.
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