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Chuck and Cover — Slow-cooker beef chuck and bean chili

Slow-cooker beef chuck and bean chili. Read the full method and preparation notes before starting.
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2.5 to 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1 to 1.5 inch chunks
  • 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
  • 1 large standard yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 5 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1.5 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 ounces
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 ounces
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, to finish
  • Cooking oil, as needed

Method
 

  1. Season the beef chuck with salt and black pepper.
  2. Heat cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef chuck in batches, then transfer it to the slow cooker.
  3. Brown the ground beef in the same skillet, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain excess fat if needed, then transfer the ground beef to the slow cooker.
  4. Add the diced onion and bell peppers to the skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  5. Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, tomato paste, minced chipotles, adobo sauce, and brown sugar. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
  6. Add the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining salt.
  7. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours, until the chuck is tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.
  8. Stir in the drained pinto beans and kidney beans during the final 30 to 45 minutes of cooking.
  9. Stir in apple cider vinegar a teaspoon at a time until the chili tastes bright and balanced. Adjust salt and heat to taste.
  10. Serve over rice, with cornbread, tortilla chips, tortillas, baked potatoes, or crusty bread.

Notes

Use all of a typical 2.5 to 3 pound chuck roast package for a generous batch. Do not add the entire carton of beef broth; one cup is enough because the beef and vegetables release liquid as they cook. For a deeper chile flavor, toast 2 dried ancho chiles, remove the stems and seeds, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes, blend them with a little soaking water, and add the paste with the tomatoes. Add the beans late so they stay intact instead of turning mushy.
A reliable serving count is not specified in the saved source.
No reliable overall time is supplied here. Include any marinating, resting or overnight preparation described in the method.
Where shown, times and yields are saved source estimates, not measured kitchen-test results.