Chili with a Secret Twist (It’s Not What You Think!)
Ingredients
- 2 Anaheim peppers roasted, peeled, de-seeded and chopped
- 8 slices of thick cut bacon diced
- 5 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 yellow onion diced
- ½ head of garlic minced
- 1 can of tomato paste 6oz can
- 2 cans of tomato sauce 15oz cans
- ½ can of diced tomato 15oz can
- 1 ¼ lb ground beef
- 1 ¼ lb breakfast sausage mild or hot is good
- 1 beer bottle of lager like Dos Equis, Corona, or Modelo
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 15.5-ounce cans kidney beans with juice
- 1 15.5-ounce cans pinto beans with juice
Spice Mix
- 4 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp granulated onion
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cocoa powder unsweetened
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
For serving
- cheddar cheese grated
- onion diced
- cilantro chopped
- sour cream
Instructions
Roast the peppers
- Preheat your oven to broil.
- Coat the Anaheim peppers in oil. Place on a sheet pan and put in oven until blistered and color has appeared.2 Anaheim peppers
- Remove from the oven and place the peppers inside a ziplock bag and seal it. Allow the peppers to steam for 10-15 minutes. This will loosen the skin and make them easy to peel.
- Remove the peppers from the ziplock and peel the thin layer of skin off the outer layer of the pepper. De-seed, chop, and set aside.
Start the bacon
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add a drizzle of neutral oil and add the bacon. Cook until browned. Remove bacon from pot, leaving the bacon grease.8 slices of thick cut bacon
Saute veggies
- Add butter the bacon grease. Toss in roasted peppers, bell pepper, and onion. Stir until coated and cook on medium until fragrant (about 2 minutes).5 tbsp butter, 1 red bell pepper, 2 yellow onion
- Add garlic and tomato paste. Stir to combine until the tomato paste is coating all of the veggies. Cook for another 2 minutes.½ head of garlic, 1 can of tomato paste
- Add spice mix and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.4 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp ground coriander, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp granulated garlic, 2 tsp granulated onion, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cocoa powder, ½ tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp black pepper
- Remove from pot and set aside.
Brown the meat
- Add the ground beef and breakfast sausage. Break it up with a masher. Cook until the meat is nicely browned and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes.1 ¼ lb ground beef, 1 ¼ lb breakfast sausage
Combine everything
- Add the bacon and sauteed veggies to the browned meat. Add tomato sauce, diced tomato, beer, chicken broth, and beans. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil.2 cans of tomato sauce, ½ can of diced tomato, 1 beer, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 15.5-ounce cans kidney beans, 1 15.5-ounce cans pinto beans
- As soon as it begins to boil, lower the heat and simmer about 1 hour. Serve and enjoy!
What do you think of this recipe?Keep scrolling for the full recipe post. Please consider Leaving a Review!Look, I’ve made a lot of chili in my day. Like, an embarrassing amount. My friends have nicknamed me “Chili Joe” on more than one occasion, and honestly? I’m not even mad about it.
But here’s the thing about chili – everyone thinks they have the “secret ingredient” that makes theirs the best. I’ve heard everything from cinnamon (yep, that’s in here) to chocolate (also in here, kinda) to… grape jelly? Yeah, that one I’m still not sure about.
This recipe though? The secret twist isn’t just one thing. It’s actually a combination of breakfast sausage mixed with the beef (game changer), roasted Anaheim peppers for depth, and a sneaky bit of cocoa powder in the spice mix. Trust me, no one will taste chocolate, but they’ll definitely notice something special is going on.
Why This Chili Hits Different
Most chili recipes throw everything in one pot and call it a day. And hey, that works! But if you want chili that tastes like it’s been simmering in a Texas roadhouse for three days, you’ve gotta build layers of flavor.
The breakfast sausage is probably the biggest surprise here. It adds this subtle sage-y, fennel-y background that makes people go “wait, what IS that?” in the best way possible. Combined with the traditional ground beef, you get way more complexity than beef alone could ever give you.
And those roasted Anaheim peppers? They’re mild enough that they won’t blow your head off, but they bring this smoky, earthy flavor that canned green chiles just can’t match. Yeah, roasting peppers is an extra step, but I promise it’s worth it. Plus, it makes your kitchen smell amazing, so there’s that.
The Bacon Grease Method
Here’s where I’m going to sound like your grandma for a second: don’t you DARE throw out that bacon grease. Cooking your veggies in bacon fat (plus butter, because we’re not monsters) is what gives this chili that rich, savory base that makes it taste like it’s been cooking all day.
I learned this trick the hard way after making a batch of chili that tasted… fine. Just fine. I couldn’t figure out what was missing until I realized I’d been too health-conscious and skipped the bacon step entirely. Lesson learned.
Building Those Layers
The order of operations here actually matters. Sautéing the veggies first, then blooming the spices in the tomato paste – these aren’t just fancy cooking terms, they’re flavor builders. When you bloom spices (aka cook them briefly in fat), you wake up all those oils and aromatics that would otherwise just sit there doing nothing.
And yes, there’s cocoa powder in the spice mix. Before you freak out, remember that cocoa powder is bitter and earthy, not sweet. It adds this deep, almost umami quality that makes the chili taste richer without being identifiable as “chocolate.” If you’ve ever had mole sauce, same concept.
If you’re into experimenting with Mexican-inspired flavors, you might also enjoy my birria tacos recipe – it uses similar slow-building flavor techniques with dried chiles and warm spices.
The Beer Question
Any light lager works great here. I usually grab whatever’s on sale – Modelo, Corona, Dos Equis, whatever. The beer adds a subtle maltiness and helps tenderize the meat a bit. Can you skip it and use all broth? Sure. But then you’d have to drink the beer yourself, and honestly, that doesn’t sound like the worst problem to have.
Beans: The Eternal Debate
Listen, I know some chili purists are gonna come at me for including beans. “Real Texas chili doesn’t have beans!” they’ll shout into the void. And you know what? They’re right about Texas chili specifically. But this isn’t Texas chili – it’s my chili, and it has beans, and I will die on this hill.
The kidney beans and pintos add heartiness and make this more of a complete meal. Plus, the bean juice (yes, I said it) helps thicken the chili naturally. If you’re militantly anti-bean, I can’t stop you from leaving them out, but just know you’re missing out.
Looking for other hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals? My beef stew recipe uses similar braising techniques to develop deep, rich flavors.
Let It Simmer (Seriously)
That one-hour simmer time isn’t a suggestion – it’s when the magic happens. All those flavors need time to get to know each other, hang out, maybe exchange phone numbers. The chili will go from tasting like “a pot of ingredients” to tasting like “actual chili” during this time.
I usually make this on a Sunday afternoon when I’m just hanging around the house anyway. It fills the place with the most incredible smell, and by dinnertime, everyone’s practically dying from anticipation.
The Toppings Situation
The toppings aren’t just garnish – they’re part of the experience. The sharpness of the cheddar, the cooling effect of sour cream, the fresh bite of cilantro and raw onion… each one adds a different dimension.
I’m a “pile everything on top” kind of person, but you do you. My dad literally just eats his plain with crackers crumbled on top, and while I think he’s wrong, I also respect his commitment to his weird ways.
Make It Your Own
The beauty of chili is that it’s super forgiving. Want it spicier? Use hot breakfast sausage or throw in some diced jalapeños. Prefer it less tomato-y? Cut back on the tomato sauce and add more broth. Hate cilantro (looking at you, people with the soap gene)? Leave it off.
I’ve made this probably fifty times by now, and I still tweak it based on what I have on hand or what mood I’m in. Last time I was out of pinto beans, so I used black beans instead. Did the chili police come arrest me? No, no they did not.
Why This Recipe Works
At the end of the day, this chili works because it doesn’t cut corners on flavor development. The roasted peppers, the bacon fat, the bloom-your-spices step, the breakfast sausage surprise – they all add up to something that tastes way more complex than the sum of its parts.
Is it the most time-efficient chili you’ll ever make? Nope. But is it the kind that’ll make your friends ask for the recipe and then actually make it themselves? Absolutely.
And honestly? Once you’ve roasted those peppers and browned that bacon, the rest basically cooks itself. You just stir occasionally and try not to sneak too many “taste tests” before dinner.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pot of chili calling my name. And maybe a cornbread situation to handle on the side.