Last updated on June 25th, 2018 at 08:45 pm
This has got to be the World’s Best Chili recipe as far as I’m concerned, made with chuck short ribs and a chili paste made from scratch with dried chiles! Super hearty and delicious!
Alright, I know I’m saying a lot here by naming this the World’s Best Chili recipe, but it truly is in my world. Rich and deep flavors that are developed over time is what this chili is all about. No ground beef or chili powder here. I made a chili paste with lots of dried chiles which I think is the key to this recipe.
I’ve had these dried chiles in the fridge for a couple months now and I knew I was going to use them in a chili but it’s one of those things I put off until I started craving chili. With this cold weather we’re having, nothing warms me up more than a great bowl of chili.
Dried chiles are pretty affordable and you can find them in your local grocery store. I know mine always has all sorts of dried chiles which is why I bought some. I used some dried chipotle chiles and some mild New Mexico chiles. I toasted them a bit to bring out their flavors then pulsed them in a food processor until you get a powder, then added some cumin, cornmeal, cocoa powder and oregano. To make it into a paste I added some beef broth. You’ll get quite a bit of this paste but not to worry, it’s quite mild; I didn’t find it spicy at all. I suppose it depends which chiles you use.
The other key factor to making this the best chili recipe ever is the chuck short ribs. No ground beef here, you’ll want to use the chuck short ribs, or if you want a cheaper cut you could use something like a sirloin steak or flank steak. The chuck short ribs are seared first which I really recommend because you will get that extra flavor.
We devoured this chili and everyone loved it and couldn’t stop raving about. It really was that good! Such deep and rich flavors, sometimes it really is worth spending a little extra time to get results like this.
If you’re looking for a lighter version, try my Healthier Beef Chili.
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
World's Best Chili
Ingredients
Spice Mixture
- 2 oz New Mexico mild chiles dried
- 1 oz chipotle chiles dried
- 1 tbsp cornmeal
- 1 tbsp oregano dried
- 1 tbsp cumin ground
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup beef broth low sodium
Chili
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 lbs chuck short ribs deboned; cut into cubes
- 1 small red onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 habenero seeded and chopped
- 1/2 jalapeno seeded and chopped
- 12 oz light beer I used Corona
- 14 oz fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 28 oz red kidney beans rinsed and drained (1 big can)
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 3 1/4 cups beef broth low sodium
- 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cut open the dried chilies bag and remove the seeds. Cut the chilies into 1/2" pieces. In a large, dry skillet, toast the chilies over medium-high heat just until barely smoking. Remove the chiles from the heat.
- Transfer the toasted chilis to a food processor. Blend on high until a fine powder forms will take anyway from 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the cornmeal, oregano, cumin, cocoa powder, and pulse while slowly adding 3/4 cup of the beef broth until it turns into a paste. Scrape into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large oven safe pot such as a Dutch oven, over medium high heat. Add the beef and brown it, will take about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add the red onion, garlic, habanero, jalapeno pepper and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, just until the onion softens a bit. Deglaze the pot with the beer then add the fire roasted tomatoes, sugar, kidney beans, spice paste, and the remaining beef broth. Stir well to combine then bring to a boil.
- Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees.
- Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and place in the preheated oven. Cook for about 2 1/2 hours stirring after every hour.
- Serve garnished with Monterey Jack cheese.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Hi Joanna, I was wondering if I can cook this on the stove?
You can, you’d have to cook it on low and stir it occassionally.
This IS, by far, the best, most robust flavorful chili I have ever made!!! The flavor is a bit subtle at first, but really come alive the more you eat it and with just the right amount of heat. It is a bit more time consuming to prepare, but absolutely worth every minute. I am so glad I searched for a new chili recipe!!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Jo for this great recipe and I look forward to trying many of your other dishes.
Love,
Neal
Thanks so much Neal, I’m really happy you enjoyed it! Did you end up using the dry habanero?
Can I use Dry Habanero for this recipe? No one in my area has anything else…not even at my local Mexican market. Would I have to do anything special to the Dry Habanero to use it?
Love,
Neal
Hi Neal! Normally I wouldn’t swap dry for fresh, the heat will change for one, but in this case, since you’re using a jalapeno too, it might not hurt so much by using a dry habanero. Let me know how it turns out.
Jo,
I am preparing this chili as I write and a question about the directions, Is that “one half” of a Habanero and “one half” of a Jalepeno or is it “one or two” Habanero and “one or two” Jalapeno’s.
Love,
Neal
It’s half a habanero and half jalapeno, trust me 1 or 2 would be too much, unless you like spicy. 🙂
I made this Chili last night and although it took a lot more time to prep as stated, it was well worth it! I didn’t use short ribs cause i already had a 3lb Chuck Roast. The meat was so tender and the sauce was wonderful. I will definitely this chili make again!
So glad you liked it!
Do the roasted tomatoes go in whole or do you chop them up?
We just dump them straight from the can. You can chop yours up if you like but make sure you don’t loose too much of that flavorful liquid!
Looks soooo good! I want to try it now.
This is fantastic! The depth of flavor is amazing! It’s well worth the extra time! I used New Mexico and Ancho peppers because that’s what I had. Now I’ll have to find some more varieties to try! Thanks!
Glad you liked it! 🙂
I am trying this today! I am American and live just outside Guadalajara Mexico – the one thing you can’t find in any grocery store is plain old chili powder. I can find dried chilies so this recipe is perfect for me. I will let you know how it turns out.
I hope you do, and hope that you like it!
You were doing well . . . Until you got ahold of the Kidney beans
Oh well, can’t win them all. 🙂 What do you recommend?
Oh please, don’t be snarky and crass. The kidney beans are WONDERFUL in chili.