Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Chili is my signature Chili recipe made with pulled beef! With deeper, even more complex flavours than classic Chilli Con Carne, beef is slow cooked in a rich, heavily spiced sauce until it’s fall apart tender, then gently teased apart before being tossed back into the sauce.
Make this in your slow cooker – OR pressure cooker, stove or oven. Directions provided for all!
Shredded Beef Chili
As far as I’m aware, the title for the world’s best Chili still sits with the original Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington DC. It’s an institution, with a run down charm. The kind of place where you have to fight for a table and yell to put in your order.
Give me that any day over the quiet hush of fine dining!
Visiting Ben’s was the catalyst for my mission to make my own signature chili con carne. I didn’t even try to replicate Ben’s because I know it’s not possible. It would be like trying to crack the KFC code! (Which I have tried)
So this, my friends, is my signature Chili. A pulled beef chili. The same rich, complex, heavily spiced flavour in the sauce as classic Chili – with juicy shredded beef!
The effort vs output of this Chili Con Carne is off the charts!
What you need
Here’s what you need for Shredded Beef Chili.
No chili powder?
That’s right (she says firmly). Chili Powder as you know it in the US is actually a spice mix made with spices including ground chilli, cumin and oregano. Besides not being readily available outside the States, the flavour of Chili Powder varies from brand to brand. Being that it’s made of basic spices, it’s so much better to make your own which is what we do here – more consistent flavour!
How to make it
And here’s how to make it in the slow cooker.
The key step is to brown the beef very well. Colour = flavour, not only on the beef, but also the sauce because all the golden bits left on the skillet after browning the beef is dissolved into liquid and adds extra flavour into the sauce.
Having said that though, there have been times when I’ve skipped the browning (in emergencies only!). Then this literally becomes a dump, set and forget 10 minute prep job!
What to serve with Shredded Beef Chili
Just like with “normal” Chili made with ground / mince beef, lade into bowls then serve something on the side for dunking!
Corn chips – my fave!
With tortillas, bread rolls or similar
Over rice
Stuffed into baked potatoes!
Garnishes
In my world, Chili is just as much about the toppings as it is the dunking part. The non-negotiables are:
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream
Coriander/cilantro leaves
The highly desirable include:
Diced avocado or Guacamole (possibly I will move this up under non-negotiables)
Lime wedges (a little squeeze can do wonders)
Jalapeno, finely diced – very on theme, plus extra fresh heat
That’s it from me! Onto the recipe. 🙂 Just drop a comment below if you have any questions and I’ll be sure to answer them! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Shredded Beef Chili Con Carne
Ingredients
Beef Browning
- 2kg / 4lb beef chuck roast (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp EACH salt and pepper
Flavour Base
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 onions , diced (brown, yellow, white)
- 1 large red capsicum/bell pepper , seeds removed and diced
- 1/2 cup (125ml) beef broth/stock (or water)
Chili
- 800g / 28oz canned red kidney beans , drained (2 x 400g/14oz cans)
- 800g/28oz crushed tomato
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup (250 ml) beef broth/stock
Homemade Chili Spices (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp EACH cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, smoked paprika (or plain paprika)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper , or to taste (spiciness)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauce Thickener
- 3 tbsp cornflour / corn starch
- 1/4 cup (65ml) beef broth/stock or water
Instructions
Brown Beef (Note 2)
- Cut the beef into four equal sizes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1/2 the oil in a heavy based skillet over high heat. Brown beef well all over – about 1 1/2 minute on each side, then remove onto a plate.
Saute Aromatics
- Add a touch more oil if needed.
- Add the garlic, onion and capsicum (bell peppers) and saute until caramelised, around 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup beef broth, bring to simmer, scraping the bottom of the skillet to dissolve brown bits into the liquid. Simmer for 30 seconds then scrape it all into the slow cooker.
Slow Cook!
- In the slow cooker, add the beans, tomato, tomato paste, beef broth and Chili Spices. Stir, then add beef – it won't be fully submerged, beef juices will raise liquid level (see video).
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Remove beef from slow cooker and shred with two forks.
Thicken Sauce
- Mix cornflour and 1/4 cup beef stock, then pour into slow cooker. Add beef, then slow cook for a further 20 minutes to allow sauce to thicken.
- Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve
- Serve with garnishes of choice, such as sour cream, guacamole or diced avocado, grated cheese, coriander/cilantro. Serve either with corn chips or cornbread for dunking, or serve over rice!
Recipe Notes:
- Brisket will also work but it’s leaner
- Bolar blade roast – quite a lean cut but will work great, add 1 hour to cook time
- Stove & oven – Add 1 cup water and simmer covered for 2.5 hours on low heat, or 3 hours (covered) in the oven at 160C/320F. Adjust sauce quantity at end with water if needed (depends how much evaporation there is which depends on how heavy your pot lid is)
- Pressure cooker / instant pot – 60 minutes on high
Nutrition Information:
Originally published October 2014. I can’t believe it’s taken me 5 years to update it with new photos – and more importantly, a recipe video so you can see how amazing it looks!
Life of Dozer
Dozer on the job – cleaning up after filming the video. He takes his job very seriously!
Wow this is so good! It has ruined ground beef chilli from the packet for us for sure! So easy and so yummy. We’ve made it with and without the cornbread and it’s always good! Just did it in a big pot on the stove. Thanks so much!
Very tasty recipe, although twice now the meat, 80% of it doesn’t fall apart? What’s wrong with my slow cooker?
I modify this recipe to be low fodmap no onion, garlic but use leek leaves and garlic infused olive oil at the end and use tinned lentils instead of high fodmap beans.
Delicious! Made with chuck steak, cooked in an enamel coated cast iron pot for 3 hrs in the oven. Definitely needed a little more liquid for this method, and a tad more salt. This is a mild chilli, so add more cayenne or top with fresh chilli if you like it spicy.
Amazing meal, made it on stove top and in the oven split into a iron Dutch cooker and a ceramic as it wouldn’t fit in one pot (requiring doubling the liquid stock throughout cooking process). Absolute crowd pleaser and low effort cooking even with searing the chuck steaks. We used 8 garlic cloves and otherwise followed recipe to a T. Would add more chilli next time as it was quite mild (even my sister’s 1 year old ate some tender beef!).
Loved the suggestions of coriander avocado, sour cream we also added fresh lime.
Thanks once again Nagi!
Another amazing recipe from Nagi! I used sirloin tip roast, as I couldn’t find chuck. Followed the recipe exactly, and used the oven option (used a Dutch oven on the stovetop and then transferred to oven for 3 hours). It was the perfect thickness, didn’t require any extra thickening. This is a winner! Thank you Nagi!!
Made this and absolutely loved it the whole household went back for seconds and thirds it’s that tasty. I make it every month and use lidl seasalt and lime crisps and rice.
We are not big red meat eaters due to high iron, can you make this with chicken instead with the same ingredients and timings ?
This is a very rich, meaty recipe.
I did not need to thicken it, I added more beef stock to dilute it!!
I increased the Paprika, Cumin and Oregano to give it some more depth. I live in Canada where we can buy Chili Pwd and I enjoyed the flavour of the homemade spices very much.
I PREFER PORK AND WE HAVE A BEEF CATTLE RANCH, DON’T TELL. SHOULD WORK JUST AS WELL??
I made the Chili beef tonight and it turned out a winner! I also made the Mexican rice mentioned in the notes which went perfectly with the beef.
Loved this! Thanks Nagi once again.
This recipe is amazing. I didn’t brown the meat and I used 4 pieces of chuck steak. The meat was beautifully cooked and the sauce rich and delicious!
Amazing 😆! I followed the recipe to a T and my family loved it!
Beautiful recipe…will be putting on regular rotation. I used a piece of bolar blade roast and it shredded really nicely using the pressure cooker timings. We had it with your Mexican red rice recipe from your cookbook. So good!
Nagi, I have many cookbooks, but came across one of your recipes online and promptly ordered your cookbook. I have never been more thrilled and satisfied. Your cookbook is my favorite. I am going to make every recipe! Plus, I am totally in love with Dozer❤️
I have been making this recipe for at least four years now/ it is our go to dish when we have guests. Easy to make and it is more than delicious. Just throw in a cornbread, sour cream, cheese, coriander and smashed avocado with lime, red onions and chili bits to pass as guacamole.
After trying different cuts of meat, we keep coming back to brisket (trimming excess hard fat) that seems to deliver the best results by taste and texture IMO.
Now experimenting with some vegan options …
Thanks for this fantastic recipe!
Yeah,,,bombing good an easy…A definite do-over….
Thanx Nagi…. 🙂
This is the best-tasting chili EVER!
This chili recipe was the bomb so good and tasty
I made this chili for dinner tonight and it was very good. I added a couple diced fresh roasted green chili’s in towards the end of cooking. I also grind my own peppers from 5 different kinds and used instead of cayenne pepper. I can’t use store bought because it tears up my stomach. The flavors and time are very good.
Have not made this yet but have a question: What’s with the units you specify. ie. .83 tsp, 3.33 garlic cloves, .21 cups tomato paste, etc ‘m a newbie cook and need whole numbers. ????
The recipe is in metric measurements, I’d say you are seeing a version that’s converting metric into imperial. If you look at it in metric it will all make sense.
Jack it sounds like you have somehow toggled between the different serving sizes. In the “Recipe” section if you chose a different size (eg 6 portions) it will give some weird part measurements
We’ve always liked the chili I made with ground beef.BN (before Nagi). Classic, good but nothing really spectacular. It was easier to prepare, though, but now I can’t go back to it after making yours. OMG… the FLAVOR! So worth the little bit of extra effort! Set my slow cooker overnight but it was the weekend and slept much too late. Those worried about extra time ruining it, fear not, I went HOURS over and the beans maintained their firmness, and all was delicious. I added a splash more beef broth to compensate for the extra time and adjusted the seasoning adding more salt and pepper. It was beyond delicious. I’m about to have some for breakfast because I can’t wait until dinner with it calling my name from the fridge. Your recipes always are something special. Bless you, child, and the dog who walks with you.