Who wouldn’t want to cannonball straight into a bowl of this chili?
It might be warm, but we can float on an avocado raft, snack on tortilla chips, and paddle our way to the rim. Sign me up. Chili swim.
Especially THIS chili. It’s seriously delicious.
This version is adapted from Ayesha Curry’s cookbook The Seasoned Life, and it blew us away. Unexpectedly fantastic—my family loved it.
Over the years I’ve made and shared a ton of chili, and I usually improvise instead of strictly following recipes. That said, I mostly followed this one with only a couple small tweaks (used beef instead of lamb and cut the cinnamon slightly), and I may end up making it forever.
What drew me in: the recipe uses lots of beans (pinto beans are a favorite), includes sausage, calls for a full bottle of beer, and—most intriguingly—adds maple syrup.
Maple syrup? Yes. The minute I saw that, I wanted to try it. I worried it might be too sweet or mask the smoky notes, but it didn’t. The maple adds depth and balances the beef, sausage, beer, and tomatoes rather than overwhelming them.
Eddie and I liked that this chili is hearty and not overly saucy, which makes it ideal for topping burgers, hot dogs, or nachos—though I may have indulged in a big chip-and-chili session. It also works great as a scoopable dip with tortilla chips, which ranks highly in priority around here.
In short: it tastes really, really good. I was skeptical about the maple, but it complements the other flavors and helps create a rich, well-rounded chili.
Ayesha calls it Game Day Chili, and that name fits. It’s perfect for parties and game nights because it’s sturdy, flavorful, and easy to serve. You can also make it in a crockpot if you prefer a hands-off approach.
Honestly, this might be life-changing chili—the best I’ve had in a long time and the rare recipe that convinced me to follow one almost exactly. Not complaining at all.
Game Day Beer Chili
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (removed from casings)
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle of your favorite beer
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- For topping: freshly grated cheese, sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips, chives, cilantro, red onion
Instructions
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Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the beef and sausage with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add the beef and sausage and cook, stirring often, until browned and golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and place it on a plate. Set aside.
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Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic, stirring well to coat. Add a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, cinnamon and chili flakes and stir, mashing the paste into the vegetables. Cook, stirring often, as the tomato paste darkens in color—about 5 minutes. Add the beef back into the pot. Pour in the bottle of beer to deglaze, scraping any browned bits off the bottom.
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Stir in the crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, beans, and maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for at least one hour, or until it reaches your desired thickness and depth of flavor.
Notes
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p.s. I like a little chili with my chips.