Slow Cooker Chili Con Carne

A delicious, easy recipe for Slow Cooker Chili Con Carne. Find all my tips and tricks for adding the most flavor to your chili every step of the way!

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours 15 minutes

Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 163kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

8 slices bacon
1 (3 to 4 pound) boneless beef chuck roast or chuck pot roast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion diced
2 (10 ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles undrained
2 cups chicken broth or water
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans drained and rinsed
8 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chili powder or to taste
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Shredded cheese sour cream, cilantro, or scallions, for serving, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a Dutch oven or large stock pot, fry bacon until crisp. Transfer to a plate and crumble when cool. Reserve bacon fat for cooking beef and keep hot.
Meanwhile, cut beef into 1-inch to 1 1/2-inch thick steaks. Season each side generously with salt and pepper. Working with one large steak at a time, fry in reserved bacon fat until well-browned on each side.
Transfer to a cutting board and repeat with remaining steaks. Cut each browned steak into 1-inch to 2-inch cubes and transfer to slow cooker.
Add onion to pot with bacon fat and beef juice. Stir until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
To the slow cooker, add the crumbled bacon, tomatoes with chiles, chicken broth or water, beans, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, chipotle chili powder, thyme, and coriander.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. The beef should be falling apart and tender. Strain excess fat off the top if desired. Shred the beef gently with tongs or two forks.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with toppings such as sour cream, cheese, scallions, and cilantro.

Video

Notes

Searing the chuck roast adds more flavor but is COMPLETELY optional. If you decide to skip this step, proceed to Step 2 after seasoning the roast with salt and pepper.

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen The Best Simple Recipes 2013 (Quick All-American Chili).

Nutrition