Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans

I made this beef chili with bacon and black beans while my husband was working from home. It’s an America’s Test Kitchen recipe, so I made it as written because I trust their recipes. This chili only needed a couple of hours of simmering before serving, but still had so much flavor. My husband and I loved that this chili was thick, hearty, and flavorful with a nice bit of spiciness. I topped mine with hot sauce, sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, and green onions, and it disappeared quickly. My kids finished off the last two bowls when they got home from school, and both said it was tasty. This easy beef chili recipe pairs nicely with a loaded garden salad and jalapeño cheddar cornbread.

Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bacon, cut into small bits
• 1 medium onion, diced
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• ½ tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 lb 85% lean ground beef
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-oz) can tomato puree
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Toppings:

• Hot sauce
• Sour cream
• Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Green onions, sliced
• Lime wedges

How to Make Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans

Cook the bacon bits in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, until browned, about 8 minutes.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease and leave the bacon in the Dutch oven. Add the onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, crushed pepper flakes, and cayenne and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add half the ground beef. Cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until no longer pink and starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining ground beef and minced garlic, and cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until no longer pink and starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato puree, and black beans. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste, and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Remove the cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender and the chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed.

Side Note: If the chili begins to stick to the bottom of the pot during the second hour of cooking, stir in ½ cup of water and continue to simmer.