Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (2024)

4.96 stars (22 ratings)

82 Comments »

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

A cozy, comforting chili made with the most unbelievably tender pieces of steak!

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (1)

With the weather getting a bit cooler, there’s no better time than to curl up on the couch with a blanket, a good book and a hot bowl of chili. No wait. A hot bowl of chili with steak. And freshly madejalapeñocornbreadof course.

I seriously inhaled an entire bowlful of chili as soon as it came off the stove. The best part? No, it’s not the juicy, tender chunks of steak meat that soaked up all the chili. No, it’s not all the garnishedjalapeñomonterey jack cheese that got melted into the chili into ooey gooey goodness.It’s the cornbread counterpart. It’s the dunking of the cornbread into the chili and savoring every. single. bite.

So here’s how you make this:

Let’s first start with some steak meat. I got mine from Trader Joe’s.

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (2)

Make sure the meat is all seasoned with salt and pepper before searing it in a preheated Dutch oven. Yeah, this is exactly why I can’t be a full-time vegetarian.

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (3)

Next we’ll throw in some onion, garlic andjalapeños. I added 3jalapeñosbecause I like my stuff super spicy but if that’s too much, adding just 1 will be more than enough.

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (4)

Then comes the diced tomatoes,tomato sauce, chili powder and lots and lots of kidney beans. Be sure to add some water too to make it more “soupy” and to have most of the ingredients covered. I think I added about 1-2 cups.

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (5)

Now we’ll put the lid on, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer into absolute amazingness.

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (6)

And that’s it! Just serve it with a generous sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese (I love thejalapeñoone from Trader Joe’s) and some freshly made cornbread.

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (7)

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (8)

Steak Chili

Yield: 6 servings

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 2 hours hours

Total: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (9)

A cozy, comforting chili made with the most unbelievably tender pieces of steak!

5 stars (22 ratings)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds stew meat, diced into 3/4-inch cubes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-3 jalapeños, minced
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • Shredded jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese, for serving
  • Jalapeño cornbread, for serving

Instructions

  • Season stew meat with salt and pepper, to taste.

  • Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add stew meat and sear until browned, about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic and jalapeños, and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, kidney beans and 1-2 cups water, making sure to cover most of the ingredients.

  • Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 90-120 minutes.

  • Serve immediately with jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese and cornbread, if desired.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!

Pin Recipe

posted on September 26, 2012under soup
82 CommentsLeave a Comment »

Want to Save this Recipe for Later?

Enter your email below and we'll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, you can sign up to receive quick and easy weeknight dinners every week.

Leave a Reply

82 comments
  1. Teresa March 26, 2024 @ 7:44 PM Reply

    Best chili recipe eva!

  2. Wendy Doyle December 3, 2023 @ 4:00 PM Reply

    This is my go to chili recipe. Absolutely delicious. Perfect with cornbread on a cold winter day.

  3. Tara December 3, 2023 @ 8:57 AM Reply

    Love this recipe and have been making it for a couple of years. It is delicious as is but if you want to make it next level, add one tsp each granulated garlic, granulated onion, cumin, cinnamon and smoked hot paprika. Also add 2 tsp better than bouillon (beef flavor) with the water. Again, tasty as is but we get rave reviews for the spiced up version!

  4. Grace August 29, 2023 @ 5:11 PM Reply

    Kinda disappointed with the beef. Used rare mesquite London broil, browned again in cubes, but not getting tender. Will leave on & see what happens. Otherwise delicious ( with one huge jalapeño).

  5. Grace November 16, 2022 @ 1:00 PM Reply

    I LOVED this recipe. The meat was so tender and I didn’t expect the flavor to be as good as it was because so many other chili recipe have a huge list of spices. I thought the flavor balance was perfect, deep and a little spicy. I’ll definitely make it again. It also reheated well 2-3 days after

  6. Grace October 22, 2022 @ 3:18 AM Reply

    So easy and delicious!! I was dreading all the complicated ingredients in typical chili recipes. I made this one and the beef is SO tender from the longer cook time. It has the perfect amount of spice when I used 2 jalepenos. I will definitely make it again.

  7. Troy Hurtt November 7, 2021 @ 2:03 PM Reply

    Made this today with cubes stew meat and a little bit of chorizo sausage and I threw in a little bit of red and yellow pepper I use four beans black bean red kidney bean pinto bean and butter beans …maaaaaaaaagnificent!;!

  8. Karla Walters November 3, 2021 @ 4:34 PM Reply

    Simple and Delicious! I will definitely be making this again. Thrilled I found this at the beginning of Fall so I can make it all through the cold months!!!

  9. Beatrice Chavez October 26, 2021 @ 7:41 PM Reply

    So I made this and even though I only included one jalapeño, it was very spicy! I think it was my chosen brand of chili powder. I added three tablespoons of brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon pepper. Problem solved and it was absolutely delicious!! I highly recommend trying it out.

  10. Kim July 16, 2021 @ 7:14 AM Reply

    Has anyone tried freezing this chili? Brother has a broken leg and I’m trying to make things his kids can pull out and heat up.
    Thanks

    • Ricki Shipway December 22, 2021 @ 2:04 PM Reply

      Yes! It freezes beautifully!

  11. Dragonfly February 17, 2021 @ 3:47 PM Reply

    This recipe was damndelicious! Will definitely be making it again! Thank you for sharing Chungah!

  12. Brian December 18, 2020 @ 8:18 AM Reply

    Used this recipe for a Chili cookoff. Came in second place (it was rigged) but everyone LOVED this recipe and kept going back for more. Making this a regular in our house.

  13. Gerry Chiasson September 29, 2020 @ 4:20 PM Reply

    I made it and it was delicious, everyone in my family really loved it.

    • Janna Stephens September 20, 2021 @ 6:59 AM Reply

      Delicious recipe for the stew meat I wanted to make the recipe with. I followed the recipe exactly except using fresh tomatoes from the farmers market. My family loved it, thank you!

  14. Julian Child September 20, 2020 @ 6:07 PM Reply

    I started from scratch but pretty much followed this recipe. I started with dried organic kidney beans, fresh tomatoes and I used a London Broil that I grilled over charcoal and cut into small pieces. The only thing I added, in lieu of the ingredients in tomato sauce, was some fresh oregano from my herb garden. Oh, and I added a LOT of red and green bell peppers, some smoked paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper but this recipe, as a basis, is very good. Thank you.

  15. Blue January 31, 2020 @ 11:25 AM Reply

    I will try this recipe over the weekend, a quick question; tomato sauce or tomato paste? Just want to be sure the flavor is just right

    • Chungah @ Damn Delicious January 31, 2020 @ 11:34 AM Reply

      Tomato sauce. 🙂

      • Khan March 16, 2021 @ 6:52 PM Reply

        Great recipe! I wanted to use up some stew meat and this gave me a really good starting point for making chili with that type of cut instead of ground beef. Cheers!

  16. Jessica January 25, 2020 @ 11:13 AM Reply

    Is this chili spicy? I’m making it for a church gathering and I don’t want it to be too spicy, but it does look amazing!! Thank you for your input.

  17. ECH January 19, 2020 @ 7:27 PM Reply

    Delicious! I tried this today and it is deeee-licious. I only used 2 3-inch jalopenas and 1 TBSP chili powder because too spicy adversely affects me. Thank you for this recipe.

    • Jessica January 26, 2020 @ 8:46 AM Reply

      Was the chili spicy?

  18. Bobbie December 3, 2019 @ 1:27 PM Reply

    I thought it was perfect. Followed the recipe as written and I wouldn’t change a thing.

  19. Nate November 19, 2019 @ 9:00 PM Reply

    My families go to chili recipe. With those jalapeño Monterey jack cornbread. AMAZING!

  20. Tim September 29, 2019 @ 2:57 PM Reply

    Great for first cold weekend in fall great chili recipe

  21. Evie March 28, 2019 @ 8:24 PM Reply

    The flavor of this was excellent with two jalapenos. I did add beef bouillon along with the cup of water, but that’s the only change I made. We both had seconds and really enjoyed this. I’ll definitely be making this regularly.

  22. Teresa January 1, 2019 @ 5:36 PM Reply

    Really good and simple. I used one jalepeno and canned tomatoes with jalapeños. Just the right of heat for us. I used a steak my husband had grilled the night before. Served it with rustic bread broiled with cheese.

  23. Celina December 1, 2018 @ 3:35 PM Reply

    This recipe is great, only missing cumin…the main ingredient in chili.

  24. Geri October 14, 2018 @ 6:24 PM Reply

    I’m so glad you posted this recipe. I was searching for one that I could for moose meat. We estimate we used 1, 1 and a half pounds moose cut up small. Browned in bacon grease. Didn’t have 8 oz tomato sauce so used a 10 oz can tomato and green peppers. Used a 28.5 ox can pinto beans with chili sauce. Instead of water I used a can of beef broth. I added a gauge of dark red wine and one square of bakers semi sweet chocolate, rough choppedraft. Oh, and a small can of mild green chiles. My husband says 5 Star. It’s making its way into our favorites file.

    • Leah July 9, 2020 @ 12:38 PM Reply

      Literally changes every ingredient then gives it 5 stars??

      • Jackie September 15, 2020 @ 8:46 AM Reply

  25. Dawn October 14, 2018 @ 4:42 PM Reply

    I have made this recipe exactly like it says and it comes out AMAZING every time. DON’T FORGET TO MAKE THE CORN BREAD TOO! It’s a favorite around here. Thank you!

  26. Tina October 6, 2018 @ 6:51 AM Reply

    In the original recipe above, I see no mention of water in the ingredients. And I read it over and over.

    • Chungah @ Damn Delicious October 6, 2018 @ 3:09 PM Reply

      Please refer to step #2:

      2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add stew meat and sear until browned, about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic and jalapeños, and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, kidney beans and 1-2 cups water, making sure to cover most of the ingredients.

  27. Erin January 30, 2018 @ 6:03 PM Reply

    Holy YUM! I made this tonight in my instant pot…. browned the meat, dumped everything else in…. 20 min on high pressure and then I left it alone for about an hour after it was done pressure cooking. At that point it was dinner time and we were hungry! My husband inhaled two bowls of chii, I had one, and we have two bowls’ worth for leftovers. It makes the perfect amount. My husband asked me to add this to the regular rotation.

  28. MC Abel October 26, 2017 @ 7:18 PM Reply

    Hello!
    I found this recipe today in a random search for a steak chili recipe and it is delicious. I will definitely be back to check out out other recipes.
    Thank you

  29. Nan October 25, 2017 @ 9:07 AM Reply

    I always add extra coffee from the morning. A trick I learned from a Latino fam. gives richness to any steak dish.

  30. kc Hamler September 15, 2017 @ 10:33 PM Reply

    Awesome receips. I added red and green bell pepper. My family absolutely loved it.

  31. Brent April 9, 2017 @ 12:40 AM Reply

    Also I eyeballed crushed oregano and cayenne pepper and smoked it with some pecan chunk wood for about on hour. I imagine mesquite or hickory will add some nice flavor as well. Do it

  32. Brent April 9, 2017 @ 12:34 AM Reply

    Use a good beer instead of water. I like Sierra Nevada ale

  33. Tom Stigler March 21, 2017 @ 8:58 PM Reply

    What a great simple recipe! I had to substitute the fresh jalapeño with some from a jar and used about two pounds of meat instead of 1 1/2 but otherwise I stuck to the recipe. Awesome!

  34. Jen February 21, 2017 @ 9:37 AM Reply

    Hi there, can this recipe be used without the beans? Thank you.

    • Chungah February 21, 2017 @ 11:27 AM Reply

      Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.

  35. Bob January 14, 2017 @ 2:17 PM Reply

    I had a 6 lb, 6 oz can of whole tomatoes on the shelf and about 4 lbs of stew meat in the freezer I wanted to use for a big batch of chili. I found this recipe and decided to follow it as closely as possible with what I had on hand. Besides the difference in tomato products, I had only some mild yellow onions and used dry beans, but otherwise stuck to the ingredients listed and followed the ratios and cooking technique closely.

    It’s been simmering for about an hour, now and, even with the changes I made, it tastes really good. I’ve been cooking long enough to know that the changes I made did NOT improve the results. I can hardly wait to try it again, just the way it’s shown. Many people throw a little bit of everything in the pantry into their chili — and a lot of it is unnecessary (and sometimes downright detrimental). I’m a big fan of simplicity; if you use the right ingredients in the right ratios, simple dishes can be simply fantastic. Thank you very much for sharing!

  36. Julie October 16, 2016 @ 9:32 AM Reply

    This looks amazing, I was thinking I would make it ahead of time (on the weekend) so I could just warm it up after work. How long would this last in the refrigerator?

    • Chungah November 12, 2016 @ 7:57 AM Reply

      Yes, absolutely. This reheats beautifully.

      However, methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with.

      • Joshua Alan Voit October 10, 2021 @ 12:39 PM Reply

        Love the reply.. some people throw out food in a few days. If it doesn’t smell funny I’m okay with eating it… Anything I can’t get past my nose isn’t going in my mouth. Thanks for the recipe, found top sirloin at the store for $3.97lb and immediately looked up a recipe for sirloin chile. Thanks again

    • Bob January 14, 2017 @ 2:50 PM Reply

      Former restaurateur with certification in foodservice sanitation, here. As a RULE OF THUMB — NOT A GUARANTEE OF SAFETY:
      Remember 2’s, 40, and 140. The most common bacteria responsible for foodborne illness LOVE temperatures between 40° and 140° Fahrenheit. The little buggers can multiply like crazy in protein-rich environments, so you don’t want to keep your chili in that temperature range for more than 2 hours. Keep an instant-read thermometer handy.
      Once you’re done cooking it, you can cool it on the stove, but once it gets down under 150° (to be on the safe side), get it into the fridge to cool it off from there as quickly as possible. (It’s actually GOOD to cool it outside the fridge for awhile, so you don’t put something hot into the fridge, where it might warm other food and start spoilage.) Tip: add ice cubes to the chili to speed the cooling. You can always cook off the extra water when you reheat it. (Some will cook off whether you want it to or not. 😉 )
      Here’s a good time to check your fridge temperature. (If you don’t have a thermometer in your fridge, get one and leave it there — and check it regularly.) Given what bacteria like, you want to keep your fridge under 40° at ALL TIMES. (I keep mine around 33° – 34° — just above freezing.) Another tip: Keep your fridge as FULL as possible. This lessens the amount of air exchanged each time you open the door, allowing it to cool off faster when you close it. (Bonus: this saves electricity, too.) Don’t want or need a lot of food in your fridge? Keep some CLEAN, empty, capped containers in there. (Milk jugs, ice cream tubs, 2-liter bottles… use your imagination.
      Oh — and as for the other “2,” two days is a pretty safe time to keep something in the fridge (as long as it was fresh when you put it in there). Depending on the level of preservatives (salt, citric acid, vinegar…) present and the fridge temperature, it can keep considerably longer — and possibly shorter if all prudent sanitation practices haven’t been followed. No matter HOW little time you’ve had something in there, it’s ALWAYS a good idea to pay attention to the look, smell, and texture (slimy?!?) of something before eating it or serving it to others.
      To your good health…

  37. Sarah August 23, 2016 @ 8:32 AM Reply

    I don’t have a Dutch oven, will a stainless steel pot work okay?

    • Chungah August 23, 2016 @ 9:46 AM Reply

      Yes.

  38. Ginger August 1, 2016 @ 9:35 PM Reply

    Yum! I made this tonight and it tastes great! I added a couple different bean varieties. I love how the beef stew meat gives it a bit more heartiness! 🙂

  39. Heather October 15, 2015 @ 6:59 PM Reply

    Could I use chili beans instead of kidney beans?

    • Chungah October 15, 2015 @ 11:03 PM Reply

      You can certainly try substituting chili beans, although it may bring in additional/unwanted flavors to the dish. As always, please use your best judgment for substitutions.

  40. Hali February 18, 2015 @ 2:44 PM Reply

    Im going to make this todayyyyy. it looks good and i have everything! 😀
    thank you for recpie. oh ya and i made ur orange chicken again it was like my 8th time IT WAS SO GOOOOOOOOOD. WE LIKE ur repies . THANK YOU

  41. Linda MacKinnon February 8, 2015 @ 6:19 PM Reply

    If using a slow cooker, you don’t really need to brown the stewing beef first. Two disadvantages with browning: it adds calories with the oil and creates an extra step/more dishes! I have found some recipes that say to put the meat directly into the crockpot/slow cooker. This is what I do, and I always find the meat to be tender and tasty. Why take the extra step if not really needed?

    • Jennifer Campbell November 22, 2016 @ 4:50 AM Reply

      Because if you’re not going to add flavor via browning, you might as well throw a shoe in the pot in lieu of meat. It’s going to taste the same.

      • Jeffrey December 10, 2016 @ 8:45 AM Reply

        Hahahaha

      • Denise Andersen October 26, 2017 @ 11:49 PM Reply

        I’m confused, why would it taste the same as an old boot? Are you speaking of the flavor of the meat, or the consistency?

      • Dee April 23, 2018 @ 1:23 PM Reply

        I agree! It’s all about flavors! Much better if browned! It also seals the meat so its juicier!!

      • Deb June 4, 2020 @ 7:22 AM Reply

        I’m sorry I know this comment is years old, but really! You couldn’t find a nice way to comment? Offer your opinion is a constructive way? Not talk to the person like they are too stupid to live? Are you this mean in real life?

  42. Tim February 4, 2015 @ 6:14 AM Reply

    If you do not like it Hot. I use Anaheim peppers or green chilies. I also like to carmalize my onions with the meat and put fresh garlic with it. If you have time to make the meat really good. You can wrap the stew chunks in a paper towel and let them sit in the fridge for 5 to 7 days to cool dry them. Then when you add the seasonings and water it will soak it right up.

  43. Minnie January 15, 2015 @ 6:50 PM Reply

    Silly question, but how big is your Dutch oven? I want to make sure my pot is big enough?

    • Chungah January 15, 2015 @ 8:00 PM Reply

      I used a 6 3/4 qt Dutch oven.

  44. Kathy January 10, 2015 @ 3:58 PM Reply

    I loved your recipe. I made this the other night although I did make a few changes *sorry*. As for the meat I used steak tips and beef ribs (it was what was in the freezer). I also added black beans, cumin and bay leaves. It probably could have used more jalapenos or cayenne but I still loved it. Oh, and most importantly I also added a splash of beer (Red Hook – Audible). I cooked it in a dutch oven on the stove since I browned the meat and sauted the onions and garlic in it so I didn’t want to change the pot for flavoring reasons (hope you can understand that). Thank you for the idea as my hunny and I were looking for something different than the ground meat version of chili. Happy New Year to you and yours!

    • Trish Sloan January 9, 2017 @ 2:44 PM Reply

      Why do people like yourself say….great recipie BUT….and then change it all up as if your going to try and 1-up the ladies recipie? I’ve never understood this but have always found this odd behavior to be disrespectful. If you want to change it then do so but there’s no need to trump your news. With that being said I think the original version sounds far superior. Be mindful

      • Jenn January 14, 2017 @ 11:06 AM Reply

        Honestly, I always read the comments on recipes to look for possible substitutions people make. Sometimes a tweak here or there fits other people’s tastes better, I don’t think it’s necessarily disrespectful to the original poster. Maybe they thought of something she hadn’t, or like things a different way. I often read several similar recipes and combine a few aspects of each. It’s called experimenting and it’s totally okay. 🙂

  45. Amber November 7, 2014 @ 1:24 PM Reply

    I used beef broth instead of water, because the recipe I usually use says to do so. Other than that the recipes are identical.. I haven’t tried it yet because its still cooking. Smells good though!

  46. Shelby October 26, 2014 @ 2:07 PM Reply

    Trying this recipe tonight but i made a big boo boo and forgot todrain the beans before adding them to the pot. Didn’t realize that it called for them to be drained and rinsed until after i added them, the extra water and all the other ingredients. I am hoping i didnt mess it up too bad! I was so looking forward to this dish! Any advice??

    • Chungah October 26, 2014 @ 10:38 PM Reply

      Shelby, unfortunately, I do not have any advice on what you can do to fix this dish. I hope it was still edible! On a side note, it is always best to read over a recipe at least twice prior to cooking. You won’t believe the difference it makes!

  47. Melissa October 8, 2014 @ 9:51 AM Reply

    Can I prepare this in a crockpot? If I can should I throw everything in at once or brown the meat first.

    • Chungah October 8, 2014 @ 10:21 AM Reply

      Melissa, please understand that it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to the slow cooker method without further recipe testing. I recommend using your own judgement to convert this recipe to utilize a slow cooker.

    • bdub December 27, 2014 @ 10:31 AM Reply

      Definitely brown the meat before using a crockpot

  48. Pingback: 12 Matchless Crock Pot Steak Recipes - GleamItUp

  49. Kiley- Rooks to Cooks May 26, 2014 @ 2:10 PM Reply

    This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it! It doesn’t matter what the temperature is outside, there is always room for chili! The link for the jalapeno cornbread leads to an outdated page though, and I could not find it in your recipes catalog..

    • Chung-Ah May 26, 2014 @ 3:03 PM Reply

      Kiley, thanks for the heads-up on the cornbread link. Here is the correct link: https://damndelicious.net/2014/02/08/jalapeno-cornbread-muffins/. It is listed under “appetizers” in the recipe index.

  50. Tom & Laura April 23, 2014 @ 5:56 AM Reply

    Instead of the water, I added 70cl of vodka ! It was truly smash-ing !

  51. Mike E. November 28, 2013 @ 11:05 AM Reply

    Yummy yum yum. Loved this. I mean really good. So good. Yes, that good. Simple easy good. No, better than good. The best! Hawaiians would say Da Kine or Broke da mouth! Norwegians would say UFF DA. Mexicans would say Muy Bueno. You get my drift.
    Thank you for a great recipe.

    • Megan B December 31, 2013 @ 12:39 PM Reply

      – Yummy! I followed your recipe exactly but replaced the water with a can of beer, it came out A-mazing! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      • Chung-Ah December 31, 2013 @ 3:59 PM Reply

        I love the beer substitution – will definitely have to try that next time!

  52. Liz October 20, 2013 @ 5:35 PM Reply

    Thank you for the lovely recipe. Have a good week.

Steak Chili - Damn Delicious (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Aron Pacocha

Last Updated:

Views: 5380

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (68 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Aron Pacocha

Birthday: 1999-08-12

Address: 3808 Moen Corner, Gorczanyport, FL 67364-2074

Phone: +393457723392

Job: Retail Consultant

Hobby: Jewelry making, Cooking, Gaming, Reading, Juggling, Cabaret, Origami

Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.