This Beef Brisket Chili Recipe is simmered low and slow, making the most rich and savory soup. Along with the smokey melt-in-your mouth brisket, this lightly spicy chili is loaded with beans, tomatoes, green chilis, and flavorful broth.
Enjoy on a cold day topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla strips. For more chili recipes, you can also try this Beef Chili Recipe or White Chicken Chili.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bold, smokey flavor. The extra rich flavor of brisket makes for an amazing bowl of chili.
- Makes great leftovers. You can easily double the recipe and freeze some for later, or reheat leftovers throughout the week. In fact, it actually tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had a chance to mingle.
- Easy comfort food. Making brisket chili is basically just like making a pot of soup. Once you brown the onions, garlic, and brisket, you are just simmering the chili. Easy peasy!
Brisket Chili Recipe
Sometimes you go through the motions of making a recipe that you love, and don’t think twice about tweaking it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…unless you’re making chili and happened to have brisket laying around.
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The idea of adding brisket to chili instead of ground beef seems so obvious after the fact. It’s got this extra rich, savory, smokey, umami flavor that just makes this comfort food even more comforting.
This recipe is mildly spicy, with canned green chilis, chili powder, and cayenne. But, you can feel free to adjust the level of heat to where you like it by adding more spices, subbing out fire-roasted tomatoes, or even adding jalapeños.
Key Ingredients
- Onions – you can use either yellow or white onions for this chili.
- Garlic – for the best flavor, use fresh minced garlic.
- Brisket – you will need about 2-3 cups of diced brisket for a single batch of this brisket chili. When dicing it, you want to remove any of the gristle, or hardened fat, and cut into approximately ½” pieces.
- Canned Beans – rather than discarding, be sure to add the liquid from the bean cans to the chili while it is cooking. If you want to use dry beans instead, I suggest soaking them in water at room temperature for at least 2 hours first.
- Diced Tomatoes – for chili, I love to use fire-roasted tomatoes. They add a little extra heat and smokiness.
- Tomato Paste – just a little bit of tomato paste adds concentrated tomato flavor.
- Green Chilis – canned green chilis add more of a mild spicy flavor that’s great in soups, stews, and chilis.
- Spices: just like any good chili recipe, you will need chili powder, cumin, and cayenne to season this chili.
- Beef Broth: beef broth adds extra richness to the chili. The next best substitute would be chicken broth.
How to Make Brisket Chili
- Saute the onions and garlic. In a large Dutch oven, cook the diced onions over medium heat until golden on the edges—about 5-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Brown the brisket. Add the brisket, cooking over medium heat, until seared and browned on all sides—about 5 minutes.
- Simmer. Add the beans (along with their sauces), crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, green chilis, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and beef broth. Simmer over low heat for about 30-45 minutes, or until the brisket is tender and cooked.
- Serve. Remove from the heat and serve with chili toppings like sour cream, tortilla chips, and shredded cheese.
Recipe Tips
- If you are having a hard time cutting the brisket, put it into the freezer for about 30 minutes, then pull it out and cut.
- Try using a mixture of different types of chilis—chipotle in adobo sauce, ancho chili powder, jalapenos, you name it!
- For a slightly different flavor, try replacing about ¼ of the beef broth with a dark beer or even brewed coffee.
Storage Instructions
- Storing leftovers: store cooled chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
- Reheating: either microwave a small portion or transfer to a pot over medium heat and cook until warm.
More You’ll Love
This smokey, savory beef brisket chili is the perfect food for a cold winter day. Serve with your favorite chili fixings and a side of bread.
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Brisket Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 cups onions, diced (yellow or white)
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 pound brisket, cut into 1/2" chunks ( about 2-3 cups)
- 3 15.25-ounce cans beans, (black, kidney, red, or pinto)—do not drain
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- 4 ounces green chilis, do not drain
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup beef broth
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, add the avocado oil and heat over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the diced onions and cook until the onions begin to caramelize and turn golden on the edges—about 5-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the brisket, cooking over medium heat, until seared and browned on all sides—about 5 minutes. Pour 3 cans of beans along with their sauces into the brisket mixture and add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, green chilis, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and beef broth.
- Stir until well combined and bring to a simmer, letting the chili cook on medium low heat for about 30-45 minutes, or until the brisket is tender and cooked.
- Remove from the heat and serve with chili toppings like sour cream, tortilla chips, and shredded cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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