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Cause its chili season!!
And it’s Thursday, which means football, which just means GOOD food!
Which also means, SMILE!!
Gosh, I love Thursday. It’s almost always a good day. I mean, it’s basically the weekend, so that just makes the whole mood of the day a million times better, you know? Also, Thursdays during the fall mean football, which means cozy football food for dinner. Reason number 1,444,444,333 why I love fall to pieces!!
Ok, so I promised I would not bore you with my excitement over fall today.
SOO…let’s talk about the important things in life. Things like that new little black cat of mine, Snape. Remember, I talked all about him on Monday. He’s currently chillin right next to me. He likes to squeeze into the tightest places possible and be EXTRA close to me. It’s the best, I kind of love having the little guy by my side all day. While I work in the kitchen, he hangs out collecting scraps off the floor, then he gets tired and sleeps under my shooting table. While I work at my desk, he’s either on my lap or right beside me in my chair. And when we sleep, well he literally sleeps on top of me. Basically the little guy likes to be in touch at all times. Again, it’s the best.
OK, but the problem?!? He is SO small that I keep trapping him places. Like in cabinets, the bathroom…the fridge…don’t ask. I am also deathly afraid of crushing him, like he is TINY!
I promise photos. Do you want a whole dedicated post, or just a few snaps?? Let me know!
In other important news, my right hand brother Kai is headed off to school on Saturday and I am beyond sad. I have been working him hard, having him do some filming things and such for the blog…hoping to show you guys soon!!
But really, life is alway more fun when this kid is around, so I am so sad to seem him head off to school. BUT very excited that he is headed off to LA. That means warm Cali visits and lots of shopping with Caitlin (his girlfriend).
YES.
Most important news though?? This crockpot carne asada beer chili!!
It’s actually kind of funny though, because I can’t really take full credit for this idea. See, a while back I asked my oldest brother Creighton if he had any ideas for some fall themed football recipes (his favorite) and of course he responded – chili. Thing is, he likes chili from the packet, so he asked his friends and one of them (hi Tom!) suggested a Carne Asada Chili. I think this was one of the first times I ever asked Creigh for a recipe idea that I came away with one I actually liked.
I was pumped, I mean, carne asada chili? Sounds pretty awesome!!
So I was sold and literally made it the next day.
This is just like a carne asada taco, but in chili form. Which I’m actually thinking I like better. I know, what?!? But this is just SO good, plus it’s so easy! The meat gets slow cooked all day, then topped with seasoned baked potato wedges and basically every other topping you can think of!
Hello, avocado, jalapeños, cheddar cheese, grilled corn, green onions, FRITOS and maybe even some sour cream or greek yogurt, if you’re into it!
And there you go, that’s your bowl of carne asada chili!!
YUMMERS!!
*Lastly, for those of you who saw the note at the end of my post yesterday, I want to you to know that your efforts to contact Pinterest on my behalf of my issue worked! Pinterest finally contacted me to let me know that we have been removed from their blacklist. They apologized for the inconvenience and said, “Occasionally good websites get caught in the mix when we’re looking for spammy sites. This shouldn’t happen again, however, please let us know if it does”. Thank you all for being such AWESOME loyal readers. You have no idea how much this means to me. 🙂 Tieghan
Crockpot Carne Asada Beer Chili.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 747 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carne asada meat or flank steak
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dark chocolate cocoa powder or cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- a good pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 (28 ounce) can fired roasted diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons apple butter
- 1 (12 ounce) beer
- 4-6 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1-2 ( 14 ounce) cans pinto and or black beans, rinsed or drained
- sliced avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, Fritos, grilled corn, limes, sliced jalapenos + fresh cilantro, for topping
Seasoned Potato Wedges
- 4 russet potatoes, cut into wedges
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy bottomed skillet, grill pan or grill to high heat.
- Rub the steak all over with olive oil and season with salt + pepper. Sear the meat on both sides until, light char marks appear, about 3 minutes. Add the meat to the crockpot bowl.
- To the crockpot, add all the remaining ingredients except the beans (start with 4 cups chicken broth and add the remaining 2 towards the end of cooking if desired). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hour or on high for 5-6 hours. I recommend cooking on low if possible.
- Just before serving, shred the meat with two forks. It should easily fall apart. Stir in the beans. If you like a soupy chili, add more chicken broth to your liking.
- To serve, divide the chili among bowls and top with seasoned baked potato wedges (recipe below), sliced avocado, cheddar cheese, Fritos, grilled corn and jalapeños. EAT!
Seasoned Potato Wedges
- Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease with a little olive oil.
- In a large bowl, toss the fries with olive oil. Add the chipotle chile powder, honey, salt and pepper and arrange the fries in a single layer without crowding them (this is very important - I used two baking sheets). Bake for 20 minutes, remove and toss, then bake for another 15-20 minutes. I like to start checking them at 15 minutes just to make sure that none are burning or getting too crisp.
Notes
*If you are in a hurry, you can skip searing the meat and just add it directly to the crockpot. However, I find that searing the meat really boosts the flavor. **TO MAKE IN TH OVEN: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat a large heavy bottomed soup pot to high heat. Rub the steak all over with olive oil and season with salt + pepper. Sear the meat on both sides until, light char marks appear, about 3 minutes. To the pot, add all the remaining ingredients except the beans (start with 4 cups chicken broth and add the remaining 2 towards the end of cooking if desired). Cover and cook for 4-5 hours, string once or twice. Just before serving, shred the meat with two forks. It should easily fall apart. Stir in the beans. If you like a soupy chili, add more chicken broth to your liking. Plate as directed above
But one thing, double up on the cheese. Well two things – DON’T skimp on the potatoes either! Mmmm, K?! Cool! 🙂
I just wanted to say that I love your food photography and food styling – so beautiful!!
And this dish looks so amazing!! Can’t wait to make it
Big fan of the base to the dish, a great depth of flavor with the dark chocolate and then I doubled up with a chocolate stout for the beer. I went with beef chuck ($6/lb) that I crusted heavily, it was amazingly tender. Added some fire roasted Anaheim chilis as well. They jalapeños are a must, don’t skip them! They added a perfect heat to the dish.
Looking to build upon the dish again!
Made this chili tonight but substituted ground turkey for the steak. Totally not the same, but it came out delicious. Your combination of seasoning was so rich and was an great base. I used a fall ale for the beer. The fries were also delish! Thank you!
YEAH! So happy you liked this, THANK YOU!!
Mmmmmm, chiliiiiiii! Since my sister is vegan, I’ll replace the steak with more beans or vegan beef!
My husband doesnt eat beef/pork, do you think this would taste okay with Chicken or another protein substitute?
HI Caitlin,
I think that chicken would be awesome! Just sub and equal amount for the beef and no need to sear it on the stove. Let me know if you have any other questions. THANKs!!
this looks fantastic! Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks Kat! Have a great week!
Need this chili, love your posts with gorgeous photos and MUST have a dedicated post about Snape. Life as you know it as a dog person is over and as he snuggles in and wraps up your heart with a perfect little fur covered bow, I would be happy to see random photos of and comments about Snape at least once a week. =)
Having a hard time adding up the ingredients in my head. Do you think it would fit into my 4QT Crockpot or would it be too tight? Thanks!
Haha! I will try and figure out a way to work in a post about the little guy! 🙂
A 4QT crockpot shout just fit! Hope you love this and thank you!
A dedicated post about your fur baby and then random photos often so that we can watch Snape grow. This chili is going to happen in my kitchen soon. But since I’m in California and the temps are still in the mid 90s it will have to wait a while. Your photography is breathtaking as always.
Thanks Maralyn!! Hope it cools off soon so you can make this!! 🙂
Hoping to get a cat post up soonish! 🙂
Great chili–love the corn and frito additions.
I want to see the little kitten.
Thank you so much, Nancy! Have a great weekend!
If you’re feeling up to a whole post, I love any kind of adorable animal pics and lots of them… 😉 And your kitty sounds the sweetest!
Thanks Hannah! Have a great weekend!
This looks beyond good! I noticed you had your chili in a Dutch oven, do you have a recommendation for how long and what temp in the oven?
Oops! Just saw that you did include an oven method! Your the best!
hehe! Thank you so much! Hope you love this chili!
1. This chili looks amazing! Like, for real. 2. Snape sounds like the cutest thing ever, and I think snapshots would be super fun! 3. I’m so glad the Pinterest thing worked out! That sounds so stressful!
Happy Thursday!
xx Sydney
THANK YOU!! 🙂
Very relieve about the pinterest situation!
Love the sound of this…maybe substitute crunched up hard taco shell “chips” for the Fritos for a more “taco” like taste…sneak some shredded lettuce past the “green averse” eaters.
Oh that sounds fun and awesome! Thanks Amy! Hope you love this!!
OH yay! I was hoping you would have another chili recipe soon. Chili is my very favorite thing about fall and I am always looking for new recipes to try. This looks GREAT!
YEAH!! Thank you so much, Chelsea!! Have a great weekend!!
I can’t wait to make this chili for my footballing love friends!
YAY!! Thanks Nicole! Hope everyone loves this!