Crockpot Chili Easy Recipe – Smoky Chipotle Chili
Our easy crockpot chili recipe has chunks of tender beef flavored with a warm mix of spices, chipotle peppers in adobo and a touch of Dr Pepper. It’s a delicious blend of smoky spicy chili that’s perfect for feeding your crowd for dinner, game day or tailgating. After a quick start on the stovetop to sear the beef and soften vegetables, it cooks low and slow in the crockpot.
This is one of our new favorite crockpot chili easy recipes, and we love the smoky spiciness from the chipotles. Serve with your favorite chili fixings, like corn chips, cheese, sour cream and onions. It’s easy to make it your own, use ground beef if you like, add your favorite kind of beans, dial the spiciness up or down and serve with your favorite chili fixings!
Crockpot Chili Easy Recipe | Smoky Chipotle Chili
Our easy crockpot chili recipe has chunks of tender beef flavored with a warm mix of spices, chipotle peppers in adobo and a touch of Dr Pepper. It's a delicious blend of smoky spicy chili that's perfect for feeding your crowd for dinner, game day or tailgating. After a quick start on the stovetop to sear the beef and soften vegetables, it cooks low and slow in the crockpot.
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb – 1.5 lb chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 tbsp bacon fat (substitute with avocado or extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 cup bell peppers chopped
- 1 tbsp chili powder blend (I like Morton & Basset)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp Better Than Bullion Beef Base (to taste, I added 2 tsp)
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes drained
- 2 cans beans (I'm using pinto beans) drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup Dr Pepper
Instructions
- Choose a well marbled chuck roast, with veins of fat running through it. Remove larger flaps of fat, and slice the roast into chunks about 1/2 inch in size. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat one tablespoon of bacon fat (you can also use avocado or extra virgin olive oil) over medium high heat. Add the seasoned meat in a single layer, and leave it in the pan without stirring for a few minutes to sear one side. Once it is well browned on one side, you can turn.
- While the meat is cooking, roughly chop the onion and bell peppers. Once the meat has cooked for about 4 – 5 minutes, remove it from the pot, leaving any browned bits and liquid.
- Add the onions and peppers and stir, scraping the bottom and sides to release the browned meat. Cook the vegetables just until softened, about 3 – 4 minutes.
- Next to add the spices. I'm using the Morton & Basset chili powder blend, which is a mixture of chili powders and a few other spices. It's got a little heat, great flavor but not overly spicy. Add 1 tablespoon of chili powder. Add 2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Give this a stir and cook for a minute or two. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook for another minute or two.
- Next, add one cup of water, and two teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon beef base. You can also use beef broth, but I like using this for a concentrated beefy flavor without having to add a lot of extra liquid. Note: I added 2 more teaspoons of the beef base before adding to the crockpot.
- Next to add the heat. Add 4 teaspoons diced chipotle in adobo sauce. If you can't find the diced chipotles, you can use a can of chipotles in adobe and dice them before adding. For less spicy chili, add less chipotle. For a spicier chili, add more chipotle.
- Add a can of Rotel tomatoes, drained, and a can of fire roasted tomatoes, drained. Drain and rinse 2 cans of your favorite beans, I'm using pinto beans.
- Add 1/2 cup of Dr. Pepper to the chili mixture and give it a stir. Add the beef back into the chili and stir. Give the chili a taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
- Pour the chili into a crockpot or slow cooker, cover and cook on High for 4 hours, or for about 6 hours on Low. If you've used beef broth, you may want to add a tablespoon or two of masa harina flour to thickening the chili near the end of cooking. Mix the masa harina with about 1/4 cup of water and stir into the chili. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the chili.
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