The Best Chili Ever

This is an all-day project, but worth it. Plan ahead - beans need to soak overnight and the chili benefits from refrigerating overnight before serving.

IngredientsClear All

Beans and initial prep

• 1 lb dried dark red kidney beans
• 3 tbsp kosher salt (or 6 tbsp table salt)
• 4 quarts water (for soaking beans)
• 3 whole ancho, pasilla, or mulato chiles, seeded and torn into 1-inch pieces
• 2 whole New Mexico red, California, costeño, or choricero chiles, seeded and torn into 1-inch pieces
• 1 whole cascabel, árbol, or pequin chile, seeded and torn in half
• 1½ tbsp whole cumin seeds
• 1½ tsp whole coriander seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 star anise

Meat and aromatics

• 5 lbs bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of silver skin and excess fat
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 fresh Thai bird chiles or 1 jalapeño, finely chopped

Liquids and flavorings

• 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth (1 cup for purée, rest later)
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup vodka or bourbon
• 1 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp finely ground coffee
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp Buffalo-style hot sauce
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions

Day before (or 8 hours ahead):

1. Soak the beans: Combine beans with salt and 4 quarts water. Let soak 8 hours to 1 day. Drain and rinse.

Day of cooking:

2. Toast the chiles: Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add dried chiles and toast, turning occasionally, until darkened (2-5 minutes). Set aside.

3. Toast and grind spices: Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, and star anise to Dutch oven. Toast until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind into powder. Set aside.

4. Brown the meat: Season short ribs generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Brown ribs in batches, being careful not to overcrowd pan, until well-browned on all sides (8-12 minutes total). Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Reserve rendered fat in Dutch oven.

5. Make chile purée: Add 1 cup chicken broth to Dutch oven, scraping up browned bits. Add toasted chiles and simmer until softened and liquid has reduced by half (5-8 minutes). Transfer to blender along with ground spices, chocolate, tomato paste, coffee, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add any accumulated meat juices from baking sheet to blender and pulse to combine. Set aside.

6. Prepare the meat: When short ribs are cool enough to handle, trim meat off bones and hand-chop into ½-inch to ¼-inch pieces (do not use food processor). Set meat aside and reserve bones separately.

7. Build the base: Heat 4 tablespoons rendered beef fat in Dutch oven over medium heat (if you don't have enough fat, supplement with vegetable oil). Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (6-8 minutes). Add garlic, fresh chiles, and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add chile purée and cook, stirring frequently, until purée begins to fry and darken (2-4 minutes).

8. Add main ingredients: Add remaining chicken broth, chopped beef, beef bones, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, scraping bottom of pot. Cover partially and reduce heat to lowest setting so chili barely simmers. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

9. Add beans: Add drained beans and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are almost tender (about 1 hour).

10. Add tomatoes: Add crushed tomatoes and vinegar. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if chili begins to stick to bottom of pan or looks too dry, until beans and beef are fully tender and broth is rich and lightly thickened (2-3½ hours longer).

11. Finish: Remove and discard bay leaves and beef bones. Add vodka or bourbon, brown sugar, and hot sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional vinegar.

12. Serve or rest: Serve immediately with desired toppings, or for best results, refrigerate overnight (or up to 1 week) and reheat the next day before serving.

Notes

Toppings: Scallions, grated cheese, sour cream, diced jalapeños or poblanos, diced onion, avocado, saltines or Fritos

Quick soak & pressure cooker method for beans (saves ~6 hours): Instead of overnight soaking:

1. Bring salted water to a boil
2. Add rinsed beans and remove from heat
3. Let soak in hot water for 1 hour
4. Drain and rinse beans
5. Cook in pressure cooker for 45 minutes
6. Result: Fully cooked beans in about 2 hours instead of overnight + cooking time
7. Add these pre-cooked beans at step 9 instead of step 8, and reduce cooking time accordingly

Make ahead: This chili is actually better the next day. Make it on Saturday, refrigerate overnight, reheat and serve on Sunday.

Storage: Keeps up to 1 week refrigerated, freezes well for up to 3 months

Substitutions:

• Chuck roast cut into chunks can substitute for short ribs
• Chile varieties can be mixed and matched based on what's available
• Bourbon adds depth, vodka is more neutral - either works

Time commitment: This is a weekend project, not a weeknight dinner. The active time is moderate, but total time with simmering is 5-6 hours.

Source

Modified from Serious Eats "The Best Chili Ever" by J. Kenji López-Alt