Beef and Steak Chili is a thick, chunky chili made with two kinds of beef: browned ground beef and cubes of sirloin steak. They simmer with onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce and kidney beans, seasoned with chili powder, cumin, paprika and smoked paprika. It serves 4 and is ready in about 70 minutes.
How to make it: Brown the ground beef and drain it, then brown the cubed sirloin in the same pot. Stir in the onion and spices, then the peppers and garlic. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water and bay leaf and bring it to a boil. Stir in the beef bouillon paste, turn the heat down, then add the beans and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Two kinds of beef: browned ground beef plus cubes of tender sirloin steak in every bowl.
- Thick and chunky: a chili for a big bowl, not a thin one to pour over a chili dog.
- A short simmer: sirloin needs only 30 to 45 minutes in the pot, so there is no 2-hour wait.
- Easy to make your own: swap the beans, turn up the heat or pile on the toppings.
Ingredient Notes
Sirloin steak: One pound, cut into cubes. For a long, slow pot, use chuck instead (more on that below).
Ground beef: One pound. It is browned first and drained of its grease before the steak goes into the pot.
Chili spices: Four tablespoons of chili powder with a tablespoon each of ground cumin, paprika and smoked paprika, plus 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.
Peppers: One large bell pepper and one or two jalapeños, minced.
Tomatoes: A 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, juices and all, and an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce.
Beef bouillon paste: A beef bouillon paste sold in a jar; look for roasted beef flavor. It is stirred into the pot once the tomatoes and water come to a boil.
Kidney beans: One 15-ounce can, drained.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 pound sirloin steak, cubed
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, add more for a spicier chili
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles (1 can), undrained
- 8 ounces tomato sauce (1 can)
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tablespoons beef bouillon paste, roasted beef flavor
- 15 ounces kidney beans (1 can), drained
How to Make Beef and Steak Chili
1. Brown the ground beef. Add the ground beef to a large stock pot or Dutch oven and season it with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through (160°F), then drain the grease.
2. Brown the steak. Add the cubed sirloin to the pot with the ground beef and cook until browned.
3. Add the onion and spices. Add the onion and the dry seasonings except the bay leaf: cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder and cayenne. Cook for a minute or two, until the onion has softened slightly.
4. Add the peppers and garlic. Add the bell pepper, garlic and jalapeño and cook until the vegetables have softened a little.
5. Add the tomatoes and bouillon. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, the tomato sauce, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, stir in the bouillon paste until it dissolves, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Taste and add salt as needed.
6. Simmer with the beans. Add the beans and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Sirloin or Chuck: Which Steak Is Best for Chili?
The right steak depends on how long the chili will simmer. Pick the cut to match the clock.
Sirloin for a short simmer. Sirloin is tender before it ever goes into the pot, and that is why this chili uses it. The 30 to 45 minute simmer here is all it gets.
Chuck for a long simmer. Tougher, less expensive cuts are the better choice when the chili cooks for a long time. Chuck steak has a rich, beefy flavor, and any cut sold as stewing beef or beef roast works too. A tough cut softens and turns tender over a long, very gentle simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
What not to simmer for hours. Lean steaks meant for a plate, such as rib-eye, sirloin and porterhouse, dry out when they simmer for hours and leave tough bits of meat in the chili. They also cost the most. Keep sirloin to a short simmer, and save the cheapest cuts for the long one, since they improve the longer they cook.
Tips for Success
How do you keep chili from scorching?
Once it boils and you turn it down, make sure the chili is bubbling very gently before you walk away from the stove. If the heat is too high, it can burn onto the bottom of the pot.
When do the beans go in?
For this sirloin chili, add them for the 30 to 45 minute simmer. In a chuck chili that simmers for hours, stir them in just before serving and let them warm.
How do you make it hotter or milder?
The heat comes from the chili powder, the cayenne and the jalapeños. For more, add extra cayenne and use two jalapeños. For less, use one jalapeño. Chili powders differ in heat, so if you don’t know yours and you’re sensitive to heat, start with less and add more after the tomatoes go in.
Variations
- All chuck, slow simmered: skip the ground beef and use 2 pounds of stewing beef in bite-sized pieces. Pat it dry with paper towels, season it with salt and pepper, brown it in two batches in a little oil over medium-high heat, well on two sides, and set it aside. Soften a large onion with garlic and celery, and cook a 5.5-ounce can of tomato paste for 2 to 3 minutes, until it smells sweet. Stir in 3 tablespoons of chili powder with oregano and cumin. Add 3 cups of beef bone broth (scrape up the dark bits on the bottom of the pot as it goes in), a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of honey and the browned beef, and bring it to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer very gently for 2 hours. Just before serving, add a 14-ounce can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed, let them warm, and season with salt.
- Chunky cowboy chili: brown 4 pounds of boneless chuck roast in 1/2-inch pieces in two batches. Soften onion, green bell pepper and garlic, return the beef, and add 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, petite diced tomatoes with jalapeños, tomato sauce, red beans, drained corn, a 12-ounce bottle of dark beer and 1 cup of water. Cover and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, until the beef is tender and the chili is thick. It is best made a day ahead.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Hot chili can go straight into the refrigerator; divide the pot into shallow, covered containers so it cools quickly. Eat it within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen chili in the refrigerator, or reheat it straight from frozen in a saucepan. Reheat leftovers covered and bring them to a rolling boil, until the chili reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat chili in a slow cooker. Heat it on the stove or in the microwave first; a preheated slow cooker can then keep it hot for serving.
What to Serve With It
Serve bowls with cornbread and set out toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped onion or pickled red onion, sliced scallions, fresh or pickled jalapeño slices, cilantro, hot sauce, and corn, tortilla or nacho chips. For a chili with no steak, try this classic ground beef and bean chili. If you like beef and beans in one big pot, there’s cowboy stew. For more beef simmered in broth, make slow cooker steak soup, Instant Pot beef stew or beef and barley soup. And for sirloin on its own, there are steak bites.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of meat is best for steak chili?
It depends on the simmer. Sirloin suits a short one like this; for a chili that simmers for hours, use chuck steak, stewing beef or beef roast.
Can you put steak in chili?
Yes. Cube the steak and brown it with the ground beef before the chili simmers.
Do you put beans in steak chili?
This one has a can of kidney beans, drained. You can use a can of your favorite beans instead, add an extra can, or leave them out.
Final Notes
Brown both meats well, keep the simmer gentle, and match the steak to the time you have: sirloin for this short cook, chuck for a long one. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Beef and Steak Chili
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound sirloin steak cubed
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper add more for a spicier chili
- 1 large bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers minced
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles 1 can, undrained
- 8 ounces tomato sauce 1 can
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tablespoons beef bouillon paste roasted beef flavor
- 15 ounces kidney beans 1 can, drained
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to a large stock pot or Dutch oven and season it with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through (160°F), then drain the grease.
- Add the cubed sirloin to the pot with the ground beef and cook until browned.
- Add the onion and the dry seasonings except the bay leaf: cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder and cayenne. Cook for a minute or two, until the onion has softened slightly.
- Add the bell pepper, garlic and jalapeño and cook until the vegetables have softened a little.
- Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, the tomato sauce, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, stir in the bouillon paste until it dissolves, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Add the beans and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
