Major Grubbage

Food, and Opinions with Major Attitude

Prize-Winning Smoky Three-Meat Chili with Beans

· · Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Prize-Winning Smoky Three-Meat Chili with Beans

Prize-Winning Smoky Three-Meat Chili with Beans

A rich, smoky, slow-simmered chili that took 1st Place at a Community Chili Cook-Off. Built around three meats, fire-roasted tomatoes, and a custom low-heat spice blend, this chili delivers deep flavor without overwhelming heat.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Servings: 14
Course: Comfort Food, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southwestern, Tex-Mex
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat
  • Meat
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 pound hot breakfast sausage
  • 1/2 pound grilled porterhouse steak minced
  • 1/2 pound baked ham minced
Vegetables
  • 1 large sweet onion diced
  • 2 cups celery coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups sweet or bell peppers (green, yellow, orange, red) coarsely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
Tomatoes & Liquids
  • 1 10 oz can Rotel
  • 1 6 oz can Muir Glen tomato paste
  • 1 28 oz can Muir Glen fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 3 cups pork broth
  • 3 cups beef broth
Beans
  • 2 15.5 oz cans black beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 15.5 oz cans black-eyed peas drained and rinsed
  • 2 15.5 oz cans large red kidney beans drained and rinsed
Signature Smoky Spice Blend
  • 3 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tsp oregano dried or fresh for more flavor
  • 2 tsp dried minced onion powder ground
  • 2 tsp dried minced garlic powder ground
  • 2 tsp black pepper course ground
  • 1½ tsp salt Kosher (course ground) to taste

Method
 

Brown the First Meats (Main Pot)
  1. Use a large stockpot or Dutch oven for the entire recipe.
  2. Place pot over medium-high heat.
  3. add ground beef and breakfast sausage
  4. Cook until fully browned, breaking meat apart as it cooks.
  5. If needed, carefully drain excess fat (leave a small amount for flavor).
Add the Secondary Meats to the same pot
  1. minced grilled porterhouse, minced baked ham
  2. Cook 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until heated through and slightly browned at the edges.
Sweat the vegetables in a frying pan or skillet
  1. add diced onion, bell peppers, garlic, and celery
  2. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to lightly caramelize.
Bloom the Tomato Paste
  1. Push ingredients aside slightly and add tomato paste directly to the pan.
  2. Cook 2–3 minutes, stirring it into the bottom of the pot, until it darkens slightly and smells rich and sweet.
  3. add the carnalized vegetables and tomato paste to the main pot
Build the Chili Base
  1. Stir everything together
  2. then add Rotel, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, pork broth, and beef broth
  3. Mix thoroughly, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Create the Chili Seasoning
  1. Add all spice blend ingredients: paprika, cumin, oregano, ground minced onion powder, ground minced garlic powder, black pepper, salt to a bowl and mix thoroughly.
  2. add to main pot and stir well
  3. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.
  4. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mix in beans
  1. add black beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans
  2. Stir well and continue simmering uncovered for 45–90 minutes.
  3. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
  4. If the chili gets too thick, add additional broth (beef or pork) a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Finalize the Chili
  1. drop the temp to a low simmer and cover with a lid.
  2. Continue to cook for several hours, stirring occasionally to desired texture, consistencey, and tatse.

Notes

This chili is built for:

  • deep smoky flavor
  • layered meat richness
  • low-to-moderate heat
  • competition-style depth without traditional chili powder or cayenne
The combination of grilled beef, ham, paprika, cumin, and fire-roasted tomatoes creates a strong smoky backbone that develops further overnight.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with:
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • sour cream
  • diced onion
  • cornbread
  • oyster crackers
Best flavor develops after resting overnight in the refrigerator.

Why Some of Our Recipe Images Are AI-Generated

We believe that a recipe's value is in its flavor, not just its looks. Sometimes, the Major forgets to snap a picture because the food is too good to wait for, or a recipe is simply too old and a photo was never taken. The Major personally verifies all images to insure they accurately represent the dish. Major Grubbage™ is committed to replacing all images with authentic photos as the site grows, but until then, we hope you'll dig in with the same enthusiasm that makes us forget the camera.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating