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4.71 from 17 votes

Slow Cooker Texas Chili

A spin on classic Texas chili combining ground beef and sausage with Texas-style smoked chuck roast or brisket, fire roasted tomatoes with garlic, and a guajillo and ancho chile powder.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 20 minutes
Course: Healthy Soup and Chili
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthier Texas chili, Instant Pot Texas chili, slow cooker texas chili, texas chili
Servings: 14 Servings
Calories: 360kcal
Author: Mason Woodruff

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Ground Beef 96/4
  • 1 lb Reduced Fat Breakfast Sausage
  • 1 lb Smoked Chuck Roast Brisket, etc., cut into bite size pieces*
  • 1 Tbsp 16g Olive Oil
  • 1 White Onion diced
  • 6 cloves Garlic minced
  • 4 oz can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
  • 2 14- oz cans Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
  • 28 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
  • 12 oz can Beer I used a non- alcoholic cerveza
  • 6 Tbsp Chili Powder**
  • 1 large Jalapeño

Instructions

  • Brown the ground beef and breakfast sausage in a large skillet (or in a slow cooker with a sauté function) over medium-high heat with 1/2 Tbsp (8g) of olive oil. Once fully cooked, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  • Heat the remaining 1/2 Tbsp (8g) olive oil in the skillet and add the onion. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, before adding the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds, before adding the chipotle peppers.
  • Transfer the cooked ground beef, sausage, smoked chuck roast, and onions mixture to a slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients. Stir everything together, place the jalapeño in the center, and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.

Notes

*Smoked Meat Note

You can use any smoked/cooked beef here. You can also use fresh chuck roast by cutting it into bite size pieces, seasoning with salt and pepper, and browning with 1-2 Tbsp oil before browning the ground beef and sausage. OR you can swap for an extra pound of ground beef.
Nutrition facts per serving with 2 lbs of ground beef instead of smoked meat: 225 calories, 20g protein, 15g carbs, and 9g fat

**Chili Powder Note

For a homemade chili powder, remove the seeds and stems from 1.5 oz dried guajillo chiles and 1.5 oz dried ancho chiles. Toast them in a pan over medium heat for 5 minutes until fragrant (no browning) before blending to a fine powder with the following:
  • 1 oz Tortilla Chips (thickener)
  • 2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
  • 1 Tbsp Paprika
  • 1 Tbsp Dried Mexican Oregano
  • 2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
This makes about 1/2 cup of chili powder. You can use the 6 Tbsp called for or the whole thing for an extra kick.

Nutrition

Serving: 9oz (about 1 cup) | Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 21g