Our easy chuck roast chili recipe is out of this world delicious!! I will share how to cook this low and slow, Crockpot chili style or on the stovetop so you have a choice. Either way you will get fork tender meat with a TON of flavor in every bite.
Jump To
- Ingredient Notes
- Can you make chuck roast chili with dry beans?
- Variations and Substitutions
- Do you have to brown the meat?
- How Long to Cook Chuck Roast Chili on the Stove
- How Long to Cook Chuck Roast Chili in Slow Cooker
- How do you make it thicker?
- How do you know when it is done?
- How to Serve Chuck Roast Chili
- Chuck Roast Chili Recipe
There are so many ways you can make chili. If you have only made it with ground beef you are in for a real treat here. Using large chunks of beef makes this Old Fashioned dish heartier and it becomes so tender it literally melts in your mouth!
Once I find the right combination of beans, broth, meat, tomato paste and spices I can then choose which way I want to cook it. If I am home I will make it on the stove in a Dutch Oven. On busier days I might start it in the morning in a Crockpot or make Instant Pot chili when I get home. Same ingredients, different timing, same outcome.
Now you can make this spicy or keep it on the milder side like we did here, that is easy to adjust to your liking. That is what is so wonderful about this meal. Small tweaks are easy to do in order to make it just right for your family.
Ingredient Notes
Now let’s talk about this favorite cut of mine. The reason why chuck roast works so well is because there is a decent amount of fat. This makes it tender, super lean cuts can become dry with this long cook time but marbled makes it melt in your mouth.
As for the beans I like to use a combination of mostly kidney beans (also called red beans) with some pinto beans too. You could use one or the other.
Beef broth is used for liquid, and better than just water which would offer no added flavor. You will add some tomato paste to thicken this.
As for the veggies we add, sliced or diced onions with some bits of bell peppers and a can of crushed tomatoes does the trick.
You will want some olive oil to brown the meat in the initial step. If you are using leftovers from your chuck roast burnt ends the night before this isn’t necessary.
I love this with lots of seasonings. We included paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and I love adding minced garlic into everything we make.
Can you make chuck roast chili with dry beans?
Yes you could but it would take much longer. In the case of how to cook kidney beans it is necessary to soak dry beans overnight and boil for several hours before you could begin the steps below. It is possible though if you want to start from scratch.
Variations and Substitutions
In the case that you cannot find this style of roast you could make this as one of our favorite recipes using beef stew meat. It is unlikely your butcher doesn’t have a chuck however it may be on the more expensive side so this would be the best alternative. You can increase the heat by adding 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes or dry Sriracha into the mix.
Do you have to brown the meat?
Yes I highly suggest that you do. The reason why this is an important step is to make each piece as tender as possible. The why is because when you brown the outside it traps the moisture of the beef inside. When it continues cooking it will stay tender and not allow the moisture inside to leak out into the liquidy ingredients in the pot.
How Long to Cook Chuck Roast Chili on the Stove
Once you are done browning the meat and diced veggies you will want to simmer this over low to medium heat for 2.5-3 hours. Timing will vary depending on how large your chunks of meat are and how tender you want them to become (longer will make the pieces fall apart).
How Long to Cook Chuck Roast Chili in Slow Cooker
In a Crockpot I will typically set this to cook for 6 hours and then switch automatically to keep warm. This will continue to tenderize the meat and beans as it sits until you are ready to enjoy it. You could easily keep it in there for 8 hours if you like a really tender texture to it.
How do you make it thicker?
When done if you feel like it isn’t as thick as you prefer there are two things you can do. If you leave the lid off the last 30 minutes – 1 hour some of the water will evaporate making the texture more dense. Another option is to stir in a bit more tomato paste.
How do you know when it is done?
This is all about the perfect texture for you. You want the meat to be able to be poked all the way thru with a fork super easily. Like so easy that it falls apart when you do so. Beans should be softened too but not so much that they start to burst open.
How to Serve Chuck Roast Chili
The one thing that my family insists that I make with this is our Jiffy Mexican cornbread. I will either make it into muffins or in a pan and slice into squares. We don’t think you can enjoy this classic meal without a side of this!
Chuck Roast Chili Recipe
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven or slow cooker
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 pounds chuck roast, cut into bite size chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil, to brown meat
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- 4 tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz.
- 2 cans kidney beans, 15 oz. each, drained
- 1 can pinto beans, drained
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven heat oil over medium heat. Cut chuck roast into large bite size pieces and season with salt (and pepper if you like). Brown pieces in pan until outsides are no longer pink and browned. Remove meat and set aside on a plate.
- Add onions and bell pepper to the same pot and cook down for 5 minutes. Add in garlic for 1 minute and then add tomato paste with all of the seasonings. Stir together.
- Add browned chuck roast back into the pot.
- * If cooking in a slow cooker add all ingredients from the pot into your Crockpot with the browned meat on top of that and continue with steps below.
- Pour can of crushed tomatoes, worcestershire sauce and beef broth on top of the meat and stir everything together. If you want your beans to be soft, add them now. If you prefer them to remain on the firmer side add the last hour of cooking instead.
- Cover pot or slow cooker with a lid and simmer over low to medium heat on the stovetop for a total of 3 hours or in slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours…..until the meat is fork tender.
- * For a thicker outcome leave the lid off the last 30 minutes.
- We like to serve this over a bed of white rice with shredded cheddar cheese on top. 😉
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
