Delicious Chunky Beef Chili

This recipe was taken out of Donna-Marie Pye's Canada's Best Slow-Cooker Recipes. I found this book at my local library while searching for various slow-cooking books. My book is in French so I will be freely translating the recipe. I bet I translated the name wrong as well, but this recipe is a keeper so bare with me.


The Recipe

1 tbs oil
2lb stew meat in 1cm cubes (I used blade roast since it was on sale)
2 tbs chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
2 medium onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 branches of celery, diced
19 oz can of diced tomatoes
19 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 oz of tomato concentrate ( I used half a little can of tomato paste)
1 red pepper, diced (I used green)

1. In a large skillet, heat your oil on medium heat. Add the beef and brown for 7-8 minutes, until it is slightly golden on all sides, Add the spices and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to you slow-cooker.

2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes (be sure to add the juices as well), and stir. Place the lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or 4-6 hours on high. Add the green bell pepper and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes on high.

According to the author, adding the pepper at the end makes it taste better and leaves it crunchier, which I will agree to. She also specifies to use a good quality chilli seasoning and not to replace the chilli with cayenne  (which i also agree to ;) )

The Verdict


Granted, browning the meat prior to slow cooking seems like a bit of a hassle at 7 am while you are trying to get everyone to eat breakfast, get dressed and out the door, but  the smell that came from that skillet when all the spices were in was well-worth it. I just couldn't wait for the evening to chow it all down. I must say that the meat was very tender and quite tasty, which is a something that I find lacking in other meat recipes where the additional step isn't required

I liked that this recipe didn't use ground meat and provided me with an opportunity to liven up my blade roast. I had bought three the previous week while it went on sale, and the idea of my regular stew 3 times in a month bored me to death. Plus, having such a "cheap" cut come out so well is extra icing on the cake.

Another plus is the availability of the ingredients. I usually have all of them lying around and if I don't, the local grocery store will for a good price. The spices above are versatile and most likely will get used in other dishes.

We ate a ton with sour cream and cheese and still had leftovers. My partner in crime told me he normally didn't like chilli, but that he thought this one was amazing. We also ate all the leftovers and were excited about having leftovers, so thumbs up!