Chunky Chuck Chili

Can you say that six times? I don’t always prepare Chili in May, but when I do, it’s cold and rainy and nasty outside like it is today in Middle Tennessee.

I was going to make some beef soup with some chuck that I had taken out of the freezer and placed in the refrigerator yesterday but I decided on chili instead due to the weather. Due to the pandemic, I have only been able to find chuck at the grocery store in 3-4 pound packages so I cut them into one pound chunks and freeze them.

Note: I made this on Wednesday. The weather today has changed drastically since then. Currently 84 degrees, sunny and humid!

Cook/Prep Time – about 2 hours

Servings – Four bowls

Ingredients…

• 1 lb chuck roast (12 oz after trimming)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups diced sweet onions
• I cup diced bell peppers (any color)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 – 14.5 oz can beef broth
• 1 – 15.5 oz can pinto beans
• 1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp coarse black pepper
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp oregano leaves
• 1/4 tsp granulated onion
• 1/4 tsp granulated garlic

Trim the chuck and remove the lineaments and fat. Dice the cleaned beef into 1/4” cubes. Season with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Heat a Dutch oven on medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil gets hot, add the seasoned beef cubes and brown well. Dice the onions bell peppers and mince the garlic and add to the beef after it is browned.

Continue to sauté until the onions and peppers are translucent, then add the tomato paste and stir in for a few more minutes. Add the beef broth and turn on medium low heat, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes or until the beef becomes tender.

Add the diced tomatoes, sauce and pinto beans. Stir in seasonings. Blend well and turn to low heat and cook for another 30 minutes. When done, you can just turn to warm heat or put in a crockpot on warm until ready to eat.

I served it with this crusty Dutch oven bread that I made the same day. I will share that recipe sometime in the near future.

That’s it! Enjoy with your favorite toppings – cheese, sour cream, chives, hot sauce or Fritos!

P.S. I intentionally left something I usually mention on my blog posts off of this post to see if anyone notices. Let me know if you do. Thanks!