Easiest Crockpot Chili Ever!

Source video by Smokin' & Grillin with AB on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This is a straightforward beef chilli built for the slow cooker. The mince is browned with onion, garlic and tomato paste on the hob first to develop a deep savoury crust, then everything is tipped into the crockpot with beans, tomatoes and beef stock. A late teaspoon of cinnamon is the finishing touch that lifts it above an ordinary chilli. Serve with cornbread and corn chips.

Ingredients

• 700 gbeef mince (80/20)
• 1 largeonion, diced, divided in half
• 1 tbspminced garlic
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tbspneutral oil

• 2 tbspchilli powder
• 1 tbspground cumin
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tsponion powder
• 1 tspgarlic powder
• 1 tspkosher salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper

• 400 gtinned chopped tomatoes, undrained
• 400 gkidney beans, drained
• 400 gpinto or black beans, drained
• 350 mlbeef stock

• 1 tspground cinnamon (add late)

• corn chips (add late)
• cornbread (add late)

Method

1. Heat a heavy cast iron frying pan over a medium flame and add a splash of oil.

   ~3 min

2. Add the beef mince and press it across the base of the pan. Leave it undisturbed for a couple of minutes to build a crust, which is where the flavour comes from.

   ~4 min

3. Break the mince up with a square-edged wooden spoon, breaking down any large pieces. Cook until almost no pink remains.

   ~5 min

4. Add half of the diced onion and stir through. Let it sweat down and release its flavour into the beef.

   ~3 min

5. Add the minced garlic and the tomato paste. Stir through and let the paste loosen into the beef. If there is excess fat in the pan, drain it off.

   ~2 min

6. Stir in the chilli powder, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. It should now smell unmistakably like chilli.

   ~1 min

7. Tip the entire seasoned beef mixture into the slow cooker, scraping the pan to get all the fond and fat.

   ~2 min

8. Add the reserved raw onion to the slow cooker for texture and a little bite in the finished chilli.

   ~1 min

9. Add the tinned tomatoes (undrained), the drained beans and the beef stock. Stir to combine, then add a generous pinch of kosher salt.

   ~2 min

10. Cover with the lid and cook on High for 4 hours, or Low for 8 hours. Resist lifting the lid; every peek adds roughly 30 minutes to the cook.

11. When the time is up, stir in 1 level teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Taste and adjust salt.

    ~1 min

12. Ladle into bowls. Top with corn chips (place them under the chilli to soften, or on top to stay crisp) and serve with cornbread.

    ~2 min

Frequently asked