Cowboy Beef Chilli

Fri, 26 September 2025

Feeds 5 people

Ingredients

· 4 tablespoons olive oil

· 1 onion, chopped

· 1 Red bell pepper, chopped

· 1 Mild chilli pepper, chopped

· 2 Jalapeno pepper, chopped

· 4 garlic cloves, minced

· 1 kg beef mince

· ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

· 1 pinch garlic powder, or to taste

· 2 beef bouillon cubes

· 1 bottle light beer

· 1 can chopped tomatoes

· 3 fresh tomatoes, fine diced

· 2 tablespoons tomato paste

· ½ cup white wine

· 2 tablespoons Kashmiri chilli powder

· 2 tablespoons ground cumin

· 1 tablespoon brown sugar

· 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper sauce

· 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

· 1 teaspoon salt

· ½ teaspoon dried oregano or fresh if you have

· ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

· 2 cans dark red kidney beans

· 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

 

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, bell pepper, Mild pepper, jalapeno peppers, and garlic in the hot oil until softened.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Add Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Crumble bouillon cubes over beef and add beer. Continue to cook, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until liquid is hot, about 3 minutes.

4. Stir beef mixture into pepper mixture.

5. Stir chopped tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and wine to the beef mixture. Season with chilli powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, brown sugar, pepper sauce, paprika, salt, oregano, and black pepper.

6. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until meat and vegetables are very tender and flavours have developed in the chilli, about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Mix kidney beans into beef and vegetables. Continue to simmer until beans are hot, about 15 minutes more. Lastly add your cilantro just before serving.

8. Best served with cornbread or steamed rice

9. This chilli can be cooled and frozen in portions or cooled; refrigerated and reheated the next day (always tastes better the next day!)

 

SIDE DISH – CORNBREAD

 

Dry Ingredients:

· 1 cup cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

· 1 tablespoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1 tablespoon Castor Sugar

Wet Ingredients:

· 2 large eggs

· 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

· 1/2 cup of corn kernels

· 1/4 cup butter, melted (plus 1 tablespoon for greasing the pan)

 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven and skillet: Preheat the oven to 220°C and place a 9-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to heat.

2. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Combine wet ingredients: In a food processor, blitz the corn and buttermilk leaving chunky kernels. Add eggs and melted butter & amalgamate with a few short blitzes in the food processor. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

4. Prepare skillet: Remove the hot skillet from the oven, add butter, and pour in the batter.

5. Bake: Reduce heat t0 180 and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. If your skillet is a bit smaller, it may take longer.

6. Serve: Let cool slightly before slicing and serving, always with butter!