With Fall right around the corner, (School for us starts in two weeks!) I have already started making Chili! This is one of my favorite meals. I love it, because it’s yummy, but it is also one of those meals that I can put together in 30 minutes.
I made chili for some friends in Iowa and they commented that it was really good. “It’s not homemade, but it’s fast and easy,” I told them. They were shocked that it wasn’t homemade. I explained that most of my ingredients came from cans. “Oh, well the only chili I’ve ever made, I just open the can of chili and heat it up!” I thought that was so funny! The thing is my family always made chili from a fresh pot of beans. That is still my favorite way, but for a quick pot of chili, this is my favorite.
Texas Beer Chili
2 pounds ground beef browned with onion
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
2 (15 oz) cans Ranch style beans
1 (10 oz)can Rotel tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz)can diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons Chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 (12 oz) can of beer
I always brown 5-10 pounds of ground beef at a time and then freeze it in one and two pound increments. So that really speeds the cooking process up. I like to fry the ground beef with onion and green pepper if I have it! So while I am thawing the meat in the microwave, I open all the cans and add them to a 4 quart dutch oven. I turn the burner on medium and begin heating the beans as I add them.
Add all the ingredients and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes if you are in a hurry, but the chili tastes better simmered for 30 minutes or more.
For a homemade version make My Best Pot of Mexican Beans. Substitute half the recipe of homemade Mexican beans for the can beans and Rotel tomatoes in this chili recipe. That is my favorite way!

Mmmmm….we love to eat chili while we’re watching football!
While I like the flavor that a can of beer adds to the chili, we don’t drink alcohol so I rarely have any beer on hand ~ I just use beef broth instead. Also, I cook my chili in the crock pot and let it simmer all day ~ the longer it simmers, the better it tastes ; )
Hmm.. maybe you should bring your beer chili to church! 😉 Just teasing my friend!!! 🙂
I have never tried adding beer to chili, but I am going to now! Chili is a great go to recipe for cool fall days, so I will be trying your recipe very soon!
Making this right now! Inexpensive, and it smells sooo good! This is my first go around making chili, and I already know this will be our household recipe! Thanks!
Sounds so good I’m making it this weekend! What type of beer is the best for this?
Looks really good i’ve never tried making chilli before so this sounds like a good recipe for my first time!!! this is great for football season thanks