It’s Monday night in October, which means another chance to watch football and enjoy a warm, hearty meal like Beef and Bean Chili. Sure, turkey chili has its place, but tonight it’s beef for dinner and a lot of it in this chili recipe—the carnivores in your life will love you for it.
Chili is a dish of preference: some like it hot, with more beans, no beans, chunky tomatoes, or hearty and meaty—like any soup, there are endless variations.
This recipe is the hearty and meaty variety and makes about 8 quarts, so there’s plenty to invite friends over for the game. If the game isn’t exciting enough, pass some Chipotle Tabasco Sauce to liven things up!
Serve with cheddar cornbread or saltines on the side; just be sure it is done before kick-off.

Hearty Beef & Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon Paul Prudhomme Meat Magic
- 2 medium onions , finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 5 pounds ground beef 85% lean
- 3 (15 ounce) can pinto beans , drained
- 2 (15 ounce) can black beans , drained
- 3 (15 ounce) can kidney beans , drained
- 2 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes , drained
- 5 (15 ounce) can organic stewed tomatoes Muir Glenn
- 1 cup mild green chilies 505 Southwestern
- 2 cups beef stock , more as desired, to thin chili
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 package Carroll Shelby’s Chili Kit
- Sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix granulated onion and garlic, oregano, cumin, and Meat Magic in a small dish, set aside. Saute 1/3 of the onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoons olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 1/3 of the meat (small batches allow the meat to brown) to the onions and brown over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally without breaking up the meat too much to maintain hearty chunks about the size of a nickel coin.
- As the meat is browning, sprinkle with 1/3 of the spice mix and stir to incorporate. Once browned, add 1/3 of the red wine to loosen any browned bits and simmer 2 minutes to evaporate some of the wine. Repeat these steps for each batch and transfer to a large soup pot. While the meat is browning, add the beans, crushed tomatoes and their juices, chiles, and RO*TEL tomatoes to the soup pot.
- Stir in the beef stock, liquid smoke, and 1/2 of the Carol Shelby’s spice mix. Reserve the yellow masa flour packet, cayenne, and salt included in the kit. Once all the ingredients are in the pot, simmer and cook covered for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. (Alternatively, cook on low in a slow cooker for up to 6 hours.) Taste the chili after it has simmered for 30 minutes or so to adjust spice (at this point you can add the cayenne from the kit), if desired.
- In the last few minutes of cooking, mix masa flour (yellow packet in the chili kit) with 1/2 cup of water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir in to the chili and cook for about 10 minutes, this will thicken the chili and round out the flavors. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
Notes
- If you prefer to use dried beans instead of canned, one 15 ounce can of beans (drained) is equivalent to 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) of cooked beans. 1/2 cup of dry beans will yield 1 1/2 cups cooked beans. Only add cooked or canned beans to the chili.
- As of this writing, ConAgra Foods listed RO*TEL tomatoes as foods that do not contain added gluten, but validation and testing of the food is not complete. See substitution.
- If RO*TEL brand tomatoes are not available, add 3/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes and 2 additional tablespoons of chopped roasted green chiles.
- If using masa harina flour purchased separately, use 2 to 3 tablespoons mixed with 1/2 cup water.Â
- 505 Southwestern green chiles are widely available as well as consistent in flavor and medium spice.
sallyjeangenter says
Carol Shelby’s Chili Mix is the key to my chili success! Though I empty the salt packet into my shaker instead of the pot, since other ingredients contain enough salt for my taste.
You’re additional ingredients promise to take Carol Shelby to a whole new level of yum! I’ll have to try them.