Chili is a tricky thing. It’s actually very easy to make, but everyone has a “secret ingredient” or special way to create chili that makes the dish very personal. Beans. No beans. Spicy. Mild. Low heat. Second-wave heat. Peanut butter. Beer. Jalapeños. Pumpkin. Walnuts. Ground beef. Ground Turkey. Chicken. Venison. Beef steak. Beef stew meat. Beef chuck. There are endless possibilities when it comes to chili. Because of this, my first presentation of “chili” on the Spring Forest Farm website was this Chili Roundup. I collected a lot of beef chili recipes for readers to consider. This time, I’m posting a chili recipe in full. Take what you love. Leave the rest. You won’t hurt my feelings.
STEAK IN CHILI?
For most of my life, I’ve made chili with ground beef. For this recipe, I decided to give steak chili a go. I’d never used steak to make chili before, but with a freezer full of steaks, I decided to figure it out. As pictured in this recipe, I used two New York Strip steaks. You can substitute any steak for convenience.
I think the key with using steak in chili is to pre-cut the steak into bite-sized cubes. It’s easiest to cut raw steak when it is still just a bit frozen. After cutting the steak, allow it to warm near room temperature. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel, and then season the steak to your preference. I used just sea salt and white pepper.
Just as I would cook ground beef before adding other chili ingredients, I started this recipe by searing the steak pieces. They do not need to be cooked all the way through, but using a bit of olive oil and high heat, the goal is to create a crisp or crust as the pieces brown. If the bottom of the pot also browns, it can be deglazed with the juice from the diced tomatoes.
Once the chili is fully cooked, these steak bites will be extremely tender and enjoyable.
OTHER CHILI INGREDIENTS
For this particular chili recipe, I chose to use chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, onion powder, oregano, ground white pepper, sea salt, and a few red pepper flakes.
In regards to other ingredients, I used one chopped red pepper, four cloves minced garlic, and one can of green chilis. For tomatoes, I used two cans of diced tomatoes and two cans of tomato sauce.
I used a second can of tomato sauce, but neglected to picture it here.
I often like to add canned pumpkin to my chili recipes. I did not list that here, but if you choose to try it, you would need to add some beef stock to thin the chili sauce. I really like the way the pumpkin cuts the acid of the tomatoes. It also mellows out any spice flavor that you use to flavor the chili.
For this recipe, I chose to use drained black beans and dark red kidney beans. Use whatever you prefer and enjoy.
TOPPINGS
I’m going to assume that you already love chili and know what toppings you like. I’ll just add that my recent favorite toppings are green onions, cilantro, and Fritos. If you haven’t tried that combo, give it a shot!
Enjoy! Make this recipe your own and cook with love!
Steak Chili
Ingredients
- 2 beef steaks (New York Strip, Sirloin, Ribeye Steaks)
- Sea salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 8 oz can green chilis
- 2 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- (Your favorite chili toppings for serving)
Directions
- When the steaks are still slightly frozen, remove the them from the packaging. Slice the steaks into bite sized pieces, cutting away the larger pieces of fat. Allow the steak pieces to come close to room temperature. Just before cooking, pat the steak pieces dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper to taste.
- On a burner, place a large soup pot over medium high heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the steak pieces. Sear each side to form a golden brown crust. (These do not need to be cooked all the way through.)
- When the steak has formed a crust, add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant.
- Add the green chilis and diced tomatoes to the pot. If there is a crust at the bottom of the pot, use these to deglaze the bottom before adding other ingredients. Once combined, add the tomato sauce, beans, and all of the spices. Stir. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2-3 hours.
- When done, the spices will be well combined and the steak will be fully tender. Serve with chopped green onions, cilantro, Fritos, or any of your favorite chili toppings. Enjoy!
If you like this recipe, check out Jennifer’s new book, “The Grass-Fed Guide.” In this book, you will learn how to: find a local farmer, understand the labels and lingo, identify the cuts, and calculate the best deals. You will also learn how to cook with each of the varied cuts that come when buying beef in bulk.
Here on SpringForestFarm.com, Jennifer Taylor Schmidt writes beef recipes for the busy, natural homemaker. It is possible to seek optimal health with limited time and money. Join Jennifer in future posts as she explores the possibilities found in a 1/4 and a 1/2 beeve. She also offers recipes and nourishment for body, mind, and soul at RealFoodRealHealing.com.
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