This hearty Halftime Chili is deliciously seasoned and chock full of beef, beans, and beer! Get all the work done in advance so you don’t miss a minute of the next big game.
Serve this chili with Cheese Beer Bread warm from the oven!
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We are BIG on chili in this house. I’ve made so many versions that I have fine-tuned my recipes to suit different occasions.
This Halftime Chili is precisely what is in order on a cold day when you’ve got the game on and lots of people to feed. The prep is super easy and then it needs time to sit and simmer on the stove which means that you get to sit and simmer, until halftime. Then it’s time to eat!
It is THE perfect football food. It makes a good amount and the leftovers will reheat or freeze beautifully for another meal on another day. Always a bonus in my book!
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Three kinds of beans bulk up this tasty chili. Black beans, kidney beans, and chili beans, like Bush’s Chili Beans in Chili Sauce. Chili beans come in different varieties and I like to use pinto beans for a nice mix in this chili. The chili sauce adds nice flavor to the chili so you don’t want to drain the chili beans.
- We have lots of dried seasonings in our pantry so why not use them? A wonderful blend of seasonings including chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper add great depth of flavor to this chili.
The Best Beer for Chili
I most frequently go with a stout, like Guinness, when I make a beer chili. Stouts are deep, dark and add great flavor to chili. If you prefer a lighter style of beer I don’t think it is necessary to run out and buy a stout. I love this chili with a Mexican beer like Modelo or Dos Equis which are pilsner-style lagers. I’ve also done this Halftime Chili with an ale like Newcastle or Sierra Nevada as well. I would not recommend using a lower quality or light beer.
How to Make Halftime Chili
- Grab a great big pot or Dutch oven, place it over medium high heat and pour in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic for several minutes until softened. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break it up with a spoon until it is thoroughly cooked. Drain the grease and return the pot to the stove.
- Add all the wonderful seasonings and cook and stir them into the ground beef for a couple of minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Add the kidney beans.
- Add the black beans.
- And, finally, the chili beans with their sauce and the beer. Combine it well and then bring the chili to a low boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for an hour.
Pull yourself up off the couch just long enough to remove the lid and then let it continue to simmer, uncovered, for another 30 minutes to thicken up a bit.
Set out your toppings of choice and let everyone have at it. We love grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. Of course an cold beer is a natural accompaniment for this easy beer chili.
How to Store Chili
Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Cooked chili keeps well for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, transfer the completely cooled chili to zippered gallon-size plastic storage bags. Push out the excess air, close the bags, lay them flat and freeze them solid. Once frozen, the bags can be stacked to save space.
To reheat, safely thaw the bags of chili in the refrigerator, then warm it on the stove or in the microwave.
More Amazing Chili Recipes
- My Three Bean Turkey Chili is on regular rotation on my menu.
- Try my White Chicken Chili for a delicious change from beef.
- Skip the meat altogether and cook up a batch of this amazing Very Veggie Chili. SO good!
- Check out my archives for all of my tasty chili recipes.
Halftime Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 ½ pounds 90% lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I add lots!)
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 14 ½ ounce can tomato sauce
- 16 ounce can chili pinto beans in chili sauce, (like Bush's), undrained
- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can kidney beans , rinsed and drained
- 12 ounce bottle beer, (stout, ale, or pilsner style lager recommended)
Optional Toppings
- grated cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, crushed tortilla chips or saltine crackers, hot sauce or salsa
Instructions
- Heat oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onions have softened. Add the ground beef. Cook and stir, breaking up the ground beef until no pink remains. Drain off as much grease as you can from the pot and return it to the heat. Add the chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Mix in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, all the beans, and the beer. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to LOW, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid and stir the chili. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with the toppings of your choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!Inspired by Bon Appetit and Valerie’s Kitchen
This post was originally published on December 1, 2013. It has been updated with new text and images.
Hi, Valerie! Love your recipes. My husband makes our chile (I just cut veggies up!) He puts basically the very same ingredients as this, but also adds 1 slice of crispy bacon, and a chopped poblano (which aren’t hot, just a little spicy). We make ours a little on the hot side. He only eats crackers but I top mine with shredded cheddar or spicy jack cheese, green onion and sour cream. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. I can’t wait to read the White Chicken Chili recipe next!
Your husbands additions sound wonderful! I hope you love the White Chicken Chili. 🙂
I’ve made this recipe using all kinds of ground meat. It is amazing! I always use an extra can of beans.
This so easy and sooooo good! I made it with 1# beef, 1# turkey, added a tsp of cinnamon along with the spices, and used a holiday jubilale. My husband danced in the kitchen after putting up holiday lights. Thank you!!
I believe a husband dancing in the kitchen may just be better than a 5-star rating! Thanks, Tracey. 🙂
Made this yesterday – Huge Hit!! Probably should have doubled it as there is hardly any left over. I did add a couple of diced, seeded jalapenos, but probably could have had even more spice. I used Shiner Bock beer and it was perfect. Came together very easily.