Cowboy Chili

In the mood for comfort food? How about a bowl or two of cowboy chili?

This recipe is everything you can ask for in a chili.

The seasonings alone – chili powder, cumin, oregano, to name a few – already tell you this will be good.

Because you’ll simmer the ground beef in the broth and seasonings for an hour, you can expect maximum flavor! 

Sure, it’s not the quickest recipe out there. Still, it’s 100% worth it! It’s exactly what you need on a cold, rainy evening. 

Make any day even cozier with a bowl of cowboy chili!

Cowboy Chili 

Fun fact: Did you know that traditional chili didn’t actually contain beans?

However, since beef was valuable and limited back in the day, people would normally serve chili with a side of beans to bulk it up.

Cowboy chili was born when cowboys living on the range decided to combine their side of beans with the chili.

The result? A single-bowl, easy-to-eat, and extremely hearty meal.

The rest was history. Beans may not be in the original recipe. But for me, it’s not good chili without them. 

How To Make Cowboy Chili

Though the process for making cowboy chili takes a while, the steps are pretty easy.

1. Sauté the beef. Stir the beef, garlic, and onion in large saucepan until the meat is browned. Then, drain any excess liquid.

2. Add the tomatoes and spices. Stir them in, then cover the pot.

3. Simmer. Let the chili simmer over low heat for about an hour, stirring only occasionally.

4. Add the beans and salt. Then, cook for another 15 minutes.

5. Serve. Spoon the chili into individual serving bowls and top with your favorite add-ons. Then sit back and enjoy your cozy bowl of comfort.

What Gives Chili the Best Flavor? 

All chili experts have their own secret ingredients to make their chili stand out. Here are some of my favorite flavor enhancers:

• Sweeteners. Chili is a savory dish, but a little bit of sweetness doesn’t hurt. In fact, it brings out the flavors of the spices even more. White or brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup all work.

• Cocoa Powder. Kitchen newbies might find this odd, but adding cocoa to chili is actually an age-old technique! It rounds out the flavors of the ingredients really well. Don’t worry, your chili won’t taste like chocolate.

Tips for the Best Chili 

When it comes to chili, there’s no limit to flavor variations. Let your tastebuds guide you! Here are some awesome suggestions, though.

• Make it smoky. A bit of Liquid Smoke does the trick. Chipotle or adobo sauce work, too.

• Vary the meats. It doesn’t have to be just ground beef. You can make chili with other meats, like ground turkey, chicken, Italian sausage, and chorizo.

• Add vegetables for a heartier stew. I’m talking carrots, potatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, corn, celery. The list goes on and on. Raid the fridge and add whatever you have in there!

• Make your own seasoning mix. Most seasoning packets contain sweet paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. Feel free to add, subtract, and change up the proportions. 

• Use different beans. The recipe calls for pintos, but you can also try kidney or black beans. Be sure to rinse and drain them well to rid of salt.

• For extra heat. Add jalapeno peppers.

• Add beer. It’s an awesome flavor enhancer! It also contains starch, so it’ll help thicken the chili, too.

• Dress it up with toppings. For me, chili isn’t complete without sour cream, cheese, and chips!

How to Make Chili Thicker 

There are so many ways to thicken chili. If yours turns out soupy, here are some fool-proof methods to thicken it:

• Stir in some starch. Whether it’s flour, cornstarch, or masa harina, these starches will make any soupy soup nice and thick. Dissolve a tablespoon of starch with a bit of cold water. Then, pour it into your chili. Stir until desired thickness is achieved.

• Remove the lid. I love this method because it requires no effort! Just remove the lid and let the chili simmer on low heat until enough liquid has evaporated.

• Mash some beans. Beans will release their natural starches when you break them down. As you know, starch thickens liquid like no other. Don’t mash all the beans, though! Just a handful will do.

• Add tomato paste. Aside from thickening the chili, it also gives it more tomato flavor.

• Add quick oats. These work the same way that starch does. Start with one teaspoon of oats and stir. Keep adding until you achieve your desired consistency.

• Add xanthan gum. It sounds toxic, but it’s actually safe to eat! Xanthan gum is a wheat or soy extract that can thicken any liquid without affecting its flavor. It’s the same ingredient used in gum and ice cream.