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!
Hi Nagi, am having a girly dinner next week, and after trawling the worldwide web for inspiration I found your recipe…search over!! It looks & sounds amazing. Will let you know how it goes. Have you tried this with dark chocolate?
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne! Very keen to hear what you think!! I have never tried it with dark chocolate. That’s sounds like a mole?? (i.e. the Mexican marinade??)
In the UK we have Milk Chocolate & Dark Chocolate. Dark Chocolate has very high coco level (70o/o – 85o/o) We add a little to Chili here as it really adds a really special ‘something’. If you haven’t done a chilli with dark chocolate before, i really encourage you to try it, you won’t make a Chilli without it again!. You don’t need much, just a big chunk for a portion for four. Let me know if you do try it & what you think.
Take care
Yvonne
I’m looking into it right now! I can’t believe I haven’t heard of that before. I’ve even tried Mexican Mole…..didn’t know about the choc + chili combo! And in the UK? Seriously, never came across it and I thought I covered the food wide and far! 🙂
Hi Nagi,
Has only taken me 8 months to give you my feedback!!!! Suffice to say the ‘Girlies’ still talk about my (yours!) amazing Chili, I have had to give away the recipe as it has been hailed as ‘the best Chili EVER!’ Oh, and the dark choc…….superb, please try it so you can compare.
Love your recipes, don’t ever stop!
Regards from the UK
Yvonne
I don’t plan to ever stop!! Thank you so much for your lovely message Yvonne. I promise to try the dark choc soon!!! My cooking schedule is crazy right now 🙂 As soon as it clears a bit I’ll give it a go!! 🙂
This might be a silly question but are you calling for 2 cans of kidney beans at 15oz each (30oz total) or 2 cans totaling 15oz (7.5oz each)?
Thanks
Hi Trevor! No, that is not a silly question at all. 2 cans at around 15 oz each (because weight can be slightly different country to country) totalling 30oz. 🙂 Thank you for asking, I will update the recipe to make it clear!
Looks yummy! Do the nutrition facts include the toppings or just the chili?
Hi Carol! The nutrition is just the chili. I find it hard to “portion” toppings because everyone likes different amounts!! 🙂
Thank you. I made this for dinner tonight it was very good and easy.
Oh wow Theresa, thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to come back and share your feedback! Can’t tell you how much I appreciate it and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Looks yummy! On a scale from 1-10 how spicy is this recipe?
Hi Dea!! It is not spicy at all – I’d say a 4 out of 10 using 1 tsp of cayenne pepper which is recommended in the recipe. If you are worried about the spiciness, you can just add 1/2 tsp then just stir more in at the end if you want more heat!
I made this chili today in our Dutch oven, thank you Nagi for telling me how to do that, and it came out FANTASTIC!!
It was nice and thick and hearty. I cooked my roast for 3 hours and 33 minutes and the meat just shredded so easily.
My husband told me that it was better than his and it was the best chili he had ever.
Next year I will use this recipe to enter in the chili cook off that my husband’s work has.
It was delicious!!
Thank you Nagi for answering all of my questions. I really appreciate it!
Hi Lynne – thank you so much for your comment! You made my morning. I am so glad that your husband approved, I can’t believe he even said it’s better than his own!! I would be so honoured for you to use this recipe in a cook off! And you are most welcome to ask questions anytime you want Lynne, happy to help. 🙂
This recipe looks Soo good but unfortunately I don’t own a slow cooker
Hi Shirley, that’s ok! It can be cooked on the stove top. Cut the beef into 4 equal pieces and add 1 cup of water. Simmer on medium low (at a gentle simmer) for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the beef is fall apart tender. If there is too much liquid, just simmer for a while without the lid to reduce. You can also use the same method in the oven.
There is no chili powder in this recipe????
That’s a great question Dianna. And I have just updated the recipe to explain why. The reason is that chilli powder is quite different depending on brand and what country you live in. In Western countries, chili powder is not just chilli, it is mixed with garlic powder, oregano and usually paprika, as well as chili. Whereas in Asian grocery stores you can get pure chili powder. So it’s quite hard to standardise the seasoning of this dish by using chilli powder. And that is why I use cayenne pepper, plus adding the seasonings you typically find in chili powder (though the proportions are different). Because cayenne pepper is quite standardised globally.
Thank you for the question! I have updated the recipe with these notes 🙂
You are speaking to my heart! A native Washingtonian, I can’t tell you how many late nights of bar hopping, I’ve stumbled into Ben’s Chili Bowl – standing in a line that wrapped around the front of the building and down the neighboring alley. Ahh…. those were the days 😉 You’re making me homesick, Nagi! I am DEFINITELY making this!
I am insanely jealous that you grew up with Ben’s! I could eat it everyday. When are they going to ship to Australia??!!
Love shredded beef and love the look of this chili con carne. Pretty definite I’ll love eating it! 😀 Great post, and I really like how you provide all of the helpful tips with your recipes. Thanks Nagi! 🙂
Thank you Padaek!
Chili con carne was one of my mums specialties. You recipe looks so flavorful and I love to eat it with corn bread.
Ooh, have you shared a Chili recipe? I’m going to go have a look!
What’s cornflour? Is it like cornstarch? This looks really good!
Hi Patty, yes, corn flour is corn starch! Thanks for the question, I’ll update the recipe 🙂
Wow, whether this is similar to the Ben’s version or not, it really looks like Heaven in a Bowl to me. Seriously, it looks so rich and thick and delicious, I could really dive into a bowl right now. Amazing! And I love all the sides you have, looks like something from a restaurant. Can I come over for dinner??? I think it’s only a 14 hour flight from LA to Sydney. 🙂 Totally worth it for a bowl of this stuff! Pinned!
Sure! Pop on over 🙂 And you can make your pizza sticks for me as a starter!
This looks SO GOOD and so SIMPLE I love it. 🙂
Thanks for your kind words Sarah!
Absolutely perfect chili, love this!
Not perfect!! Perfect is Ben’s Chili Bowl 🙂 This is the next best thing in my books!
This is definitely getting pinned, Nagi! I love recipes that have been lovingly researched and improved, like it seems this one might have been. You had my mouth watering at your description of how it falls apart after being cooked in the slow cooker. And, as luck would have it, I just got a brand new slow cooker, so am definitely looking for recipe ideas to try out in it.
I also liked your freezer tips. I’ve just moved into an apartment with the tiniest freezer section above the fridge you’ve ever seen, so I appreciate the space-saving tip in particular!
Thanks Helen! I hope your move went well, looking forward to hearing updates! Freezer space saving tips are a necessity in my life. My freezer is a decent size…..but I have a dog that eats ALOT of fresh meat and bones so half the freezer is taken up with HIS food!
I am really not a big chili fan however, this beef chili looks so appetizing -creamy and inviting . I would love to just jump right in and have a party . Can I move next to you?
Ha! I would be in food heaven if you moved next door, your food is AMAZING Imma!! You are truly an endless source of inspiration to me 🙂
I’ve never made chili before, but I guess it is time to do so! Using shredded beef is a better option (for me), because I’m not a huge fan of ground meat ! Nice idea for a set and forget meal! Your recipes are so easy to make, delicious and everything looks beautiful! That’s why I like your blog Nagi!
Thanks so much Mira! I appreciate your kind words 🙂