Brisket Chili
This Brisket Chili is a hearty chili filled with tender shredded brisket, butternut squash, peppers and is packed with bold flavors. There are instructions for preparing this both as a slow cooker chili or oven chili depending on your preference. This brisket chili freezes well, so make extra to enjoy throughout the winter.
During the winter months, chili was a dish I grew up eating for dinner at least once a week. I’ve wanted to create a Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal version of the dish for awhile now, but have been struggling with what could replace all of the different varieties of beans traditionally used in the dish. Most chili recipes use ground chicken, turkey or ground beef, but to give this chili more substance, I swapped the ground meat for shredded brisket which gives the chili some chunkiness and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love meat that is melt in your mouth tender.
Why You Will Love This Brisket Chili
- This isn’t your average chili recipe, it’s packed with melt in your mouth tender pieces of beef, chunks of vegetables and a rich and flavorful sauce. Think of it as an elevated version of chili.
- There is minimal hands on work that goes into preparing this chili, the majority of the time is spent leaving it to cook.
- This is the perfect meal to make on a cold day that the whole family will enjoy for dinner, or serve it to a crowd as part of your game day spread.
- This brisket chili is a wonderful dish to make a big batch of and then store in the freezer for nights when you need an easy dinner and don’t feel like cooking.
- This Beef Brisket Chili recipe is Paleo, Whole30, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
Ingredients You Need To Make This Brisket Chili
- Brisket: brisket is a cheap cut of beef from the chest of the cow. It contains layers of fat and sinewy meat that require a longer cooking time to break down into tender fall apart meat.
- Onions: I love a lot of diced onion in chili, I find that it really helps to create a thick sauce. Feel free to use less onion if you prefer, or swap a portion of the onion for diced shallots or red onion.
- Bell Peppers: For this chili I use a combination of red bell peppers (or orange or yellow) and green bell peppers. The red pepper has a softer texture when cooked in the chili and blends into the sauce whereas the green bell peppers hold their shape more and remain as chunks in the chili. place
- Spices: This chili has a rich blend of spices which includes cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon and chipotle chili powder.
- Canned Tomatoes: I prefer using chopped canned tomatoes for this recipe as they add a nice chunkiness to the chili. I do not recommend using tomato sauce in its place as it will result in a much thinner sauce.
- Butternut Squash: I like adding cubed butternut squash to bulk up the chili and I find that the soft cubes are a nice contrast to the texture of the shredded beef. You can swap the butternut squash for sweet potatoes.
- Beef Stock: bone broth or store bought beef broth both work
- Black Beans: The black beans in this recipe are completely optional and can be skipped if you are on a legume free diet such as Paleo or Whole30. Alternatively if you enjoy eating beans then feel free to add in more such as kidney beans or pinto beans.
How To Make This Brisket Chili
- Cut the brisket into chunks and sear them in olive oil in a large dutch oven on medium-high heat. Once they are seared on all sides, set aside and add the onion, garlic and bell peppers to the pot and saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the large pot, cover and transfer to the oven to cook for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours of cooking, remove the pieces of beef from the pot, they should be fall-apart tender and will easily shred with a fork.
- Return the shredded brisket to the pot of chili, stir and serve!
(You can find the full recipe in the recipe card below)
Is This Brisket Chili Spicy?
The chipotle chili powder is the only ingredient in this chili that adds any spice and because of this it’s really easy to adjust the level of spice depending on your tastes. Two teaspoons of chipotle chili powder is about a 6/10 on the spiciness scale, feel free to reduce it to just one teaspoon if you are serving this to kids, or increase it to a tablespoon if you like a spicy chili.
Can I Use A Different Cut Of Meat?
Although this is called a brisket chili, you can easily swap the type of meat used to another tough cut of meat with almost no difference in the final dish. If you are unable to find beef brisket, feel free to substitute it for Chuck Roast, Blade Roast or Short Ribs. If you are using short ribs I recommend increasing the amount of meat used by approximately 50% to compensate for the bones in the short ribs.
What Toppings Should I Serve On This Brisket Chili?
When it comes to chili, 80% of the reason I eat it is usually for the toppings, but when there is fall apart tender pieces of shredded brisket, there is no need to add anything on top. That being said, if you still prefer to add some, here is a list of some of my favorite toppings for this delicious brisket chili:
- Chopped avocado or guacamole
- Salsa
- Chopped scallions/green onions
- Cilantro
- Thinly sliced jalapenos or pickled jalapenos
- Grated Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Tortilla chips broken into pieces
Is This Brisket Chili Recipe Whole30 and Paleo?
This Brisket Chili can very easily be modified to be Paleo and Whole30 with one simple modification, omitting the black beans. I love black beans so I included them in this recipe, but they are definitely not a crucial ingredient in this dish and can easily be skipped if you do not eat legumes.
Is This Brisket Chili Recipe Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal?
To make this Brisket Chili Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal be sure to use tomato paste and canned tomatoes that do not have any additives, sugar or preservatives. I like using brands such as Pomi which are allowed on the diet. Alternatively if you are unable to find SCD legal canned tomato products you can find recipes in my cookbook on how to easily make both. Also be sure to use dried black beans that have been soaked in water overnight.
Can I Make This Brisket Chili In The Slow Cooker?
This can easily become a slow cooker chili! If you have a slow cooker with a sear function that’s ideal, otherwise I would recommend searing the beef in pot on the stove before transferring the browned meat to the slow cooker. Searing the meat adds a lot of flavour and a caramelized texture to the outside which greatly benefits the final dish so don’t skip this step! Everything is then added to the slow cooker with the meat and it can be cooked for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high until the meat easily falls apart with a fork. This is a great way to make the chili if you are super busy and always on the go, you can put everything in the slow cooker and leave it to cook overnight, or alternatively put it on in the morning before you head out the door and come home to a delicious cooked dinner.
Can I Make This Brisket Chili In An Instant Pot?
You can! Thanks to the speeding cooking abilities of the instant pot it cuts the cooking time down to less than an hour and thirty minutes of cooking. Turn the instant pot to sear and sear the meat until brown on all sides. Next add in the veggies and continue to cook for a few more minutes before pouring in the liquids listed below. Once they are gently simmering, return the beef to the instant pot, turn it to high pressure and cook for 60 minutes followed by natural release, then shred the beef and enjoy!
Can I Make This In Advance?
This Paleo Brisket Chili is one of those dishes that actually tastes better on day two after the flavours have had time to meld. You can make this Whole30 Chili up to 4 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat simply warm it in a pot on medium heat until warmed through, you may need to add a splash of water if the mixture is chili seems too thick. Alternatively you can also warm the chili in the microwave.
What About Leftovers?
Leftover brisket chili can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This chili also freezes very well and is best stored in the freezer for up to 4 months. I like to freeze the chili in small batches for a quick dinner I can pull out when I’m in need of something fast. To thaw I recommend placing the frozen chili in a pot on medium heat with a splash of beef broth and cook until the chili has thawed. Leave on a low simmer until ready to enjoy.
Here are a few more hearty soups and stews that you might enjoy:
- Whole30 Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Turkey Mulligatawny Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower & Garlic Soup
- Thai Curry Noodle Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Brisket Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds brisket
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 4 yellow onions chopped
- 2 green bell peppers chopped
- 2 red bell peppers (or orange/yellow peppers)
- 3 tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp chipotle chili powder (use 1 tsp chipotle chili powder if you prefer less spice)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (28oz can) can chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 (14-oz) can black beans (omit for Paleo/Whole30)*
Optional Toppings
- guacamole or diced avocado
- fresh salsa
- spring onions
- sliced jalapeños
- chopped tomatoes
Instructions
Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius)
- Cut the brisket into approximately 1 inch sized cubes and season with salt and pepper
- Place the oil in a large dutch oven/oven proof pot and once hot, work in batches searing the cubes of brisket on all sides. Once seared put the beef on a plate and set aside.
- Next add the garlic, onions and peppers to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add in the remaining ingredients including the black beans and cooked beef and place the pot in the oven to cook for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, remove a piece of beef from the pot and test to see if its tender. It should easily shred with a fork. If cooked remove all of the beef from the pot and shred into pieces using 2 forks. Return the shredded brisket to the pot and stir.
- Serve the chili with any toppings of choice.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Cut the brisket into approximately 1 inch sized cubes and season with salt and pepper
- Turn the slow cooker on sear/saute and add in the oil. Once hot, work in batches searing the cubes of brisket on all sides. Once seared put the beef on a plate and set aside.
- Next add the garlic, onions and peppers to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add in the remaining ingredients including the cubed butternut squash, black beans and cooked beef and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- Once done cooking, remove a piece of beef from the pot and test to see if its tender (it should easily shred with a fork). If cooked, remove all of the beef from the pot and shred into pieces using 2 forks. Return the shredded brisket to the pot and stir.
- Serve the chili with any toppings of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
I have just finished putting in the slow cooker and the taste before the cooking is amazing. I am not rally big on capsicums but I did use one green and one red. I also added 2 Serrano peppers as we like a spicy chile. This is definitely a keeper recipe.