Best Damn Chili Ever

Ladling out best damn chili from a slow cooker.

4.73 from 40 votes

Best Damn Chili is rich, thick, and packed with bold flavor. Made with ground meat, sausage, peppers, beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and the perfect blend of spices, this easy homemade chili recipe is cozy, satisfying, and perfect for game day, weeknight dinners, or feeding a crowd.

Prep Time40

Cook Time8

Total Time8 40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chili, Homemade Chili, slow cooker

Servings: servings

Calories: 278kcal

Author: Tara Noland

Equipment

Ingredients

2 lbs. extra-lean ground beef browned
3 chorizo sausages cooked and diced
2 dried chipotle peppers small or 1 1/2 large
2 sweet onions diced
5 cloves garlic minced
1 red pepper diced
1 yellow pepper diced
1 green pepper diced
1-28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
2-14 oz. cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup red wine
3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Salt to taste
1-28 oz. kidney beans drained and rinsed
1-14 oz. can Adzuki Beans (or other small bean) drained and rinsed (or another bean that is your favorite)
1 1/2 cup frozen corn thawed
Red and green jalapeno peppers sliced for garnish
Cheddar cheese grated (optional)

Instructions

Start by browning the ground beef in a large skillet.
Meanwhile, soak the chipotle peppers in boiling water to rehydrate for 20 min.
Place the red and yellow peppers under a broiler to char. Once charred, place in a bowl and cover with a cloth to steam and cool.
Once the beef is browned, add to a large bowl of a slow cooker. In the same pan, brown the chorizo. Once cooked, dice into small pieces and add to the beef.
Add the onions and garlic now to the pan with a little oil, if needed. Saute until translucent and add to the beef mixture.
Chop the chipotle peppers once rehydrated. Skin and seed the red and yellow peppers and dice. Add all the peppers to the beef mixture.
Add in the green peppers, both kinds of tomatoes, red wine, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon and salt. Cook on low 6-8 hours. In the last hour, add the beans and corn.
Garnish with the jalapenos and cheese if using.

Video

Notes

See the post for more information, photos and tips.

Nutrition