The art and science of Classic Beef Chili with Beans

Baking soda tenderizes the ground beef in this richly flavored classic chili. Recipe below.

DON’T YOU LOVE IT WHEN COOKING BECOMES A SCIENCE LESSON? We do. In this chili recipe, baking soda (that same thing the fluffs up cakes and cookies) tenderizes the ground beef while making it brown better.

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is alkaline. According to Cooks Illustrated, when mixed with ground beef, it raises the meat’s pH level, “making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively.” This helps the beef brown better and, even more important, makes it quite tender. This chili recipe is quite meaty; mixing the ground beef with baking soda and a little water, then letting it sit for 15 or 20 minutes before cooking makes it wonderfully tender.

Besides the tenderness, this recipe has plenty of big flavor tricks up its sleeve. Corn tortilla chips are ground up with an impressive bunch of spices and herbs. Together, they provide lots of flavor spiciness without any one ingredient taking over, along with a pleasant level of heat. The canned chipotle chiles add a hint of smokiness. This is not a fiery five-alarm chili. It is a classic beef chili, with a complex, satisfying depth to it.

For years now, our go-to chili has been Marion’s three-bean chili. Along with the more usual ingredients, it has some surprises—coffee and red wine. It is genuinely satisfying comfort food for us. And it’s weeknight quick, a real bonus. For all those reasons, it will remain a go-to. But this recipe, while not weeknight quick, is certain to become a weekend favorite of ours.

Print Pin

Classic Beef Chili with Beans

Baking soda tenderizes the ground beef in this richly flavored classic chili.

Servings 6 or more

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ounce corn tortilla chips, crushed, 1/4 cup (see Kitchen Notes)
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon New Mexico red chile powder (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder (not garlic salt—see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 14-1/2 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 15-ounce cans beans, drained and rinsed (see Kitchen Notes)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Possible garnishes

• chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream

Instructions

• Mix beef with 2 tablespoons water, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and baking soda in bowl until thoroughly combined. Use your hands to do this—it's the best way to get it all mixed together. Set aside for 20 minutes.
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275ºF.
• Put tortilla chips, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, oregano, thyme, both chile powders and 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper in a food processor. Process until finely ground, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl. Process tomatoes and their juice in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy, oven-safe lidded pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add beef and cook, stirring with wooden spoon to break meat up into small pieces, until beef is browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Add spice mixture and chipotle. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add 2 cups water, sugar, tomato puree, tomato paste and beans. Bring to boil, scraping bottom of pot to loosen any browned bits.
• Cover the pot, transfer to oven and cook 1-1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. (We did 2 hours.)
• Remove chili from oven and let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in any fat that has risen to top of chili (it contains flavorful fat-soluble spices), then stir in vinegar and season with salt to taste.
• Serve, along with the garnishes you prefer. This chili is even better the next day, so feel free to make ahead of time.

Kitchen Notes

Tortilla chips. These add a deliciously authentic touch, so get the best you can find. If you have access to Mexican grocery stores, that’s a good place to look.

Chile powders. We use a mix of two in this recipe for the flavors they each bring. Use whatever your favorite is. You can use less than the 4 teaspoons we did to control heat, but don’t dial back too much. Chiles are a big part of the classic flavor.

Paprika. We use Hungarian sweet paprika; the smoked varieties can add too much smokiness. A mix of sweet and smoky would also work.

Garlic powder, not salt. As the name implies, garlic powder is dehydrated garlic. If the name says salt, that is the main ingredient. Don’t use that.

Pick your beans. We often use a mix of beans in our chilis—black and pinto in this batch. You can do the same or just use pinto beans.