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White bowl with handles and spoon scooping bite of beef and bean chili with shredded cheese, sour cream and corn chips.

"No Cap" Best Southern Style Chili Ever

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork or pork sausage (see note)
  • 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 medium green bell pepper or poblano pepper, cored, seeded and chopped (about 1/2 to 1 cup)
  • 1 medium stalk celery, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 medium jalapeno, cored, seeded and finely diced (leave seeds in for more heat)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder)
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups beef stock or beef broth
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce (see note)
  • ¾ cup white grape juice or apple juice (SEE NOTE)
  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar (optional - helps cut the acidity)
  • 1 tablespoon coarse, kosher salt (or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt)
  • ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon finely ground pepper)
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions 

  • In a large 7-quart pot, add the ground beef, pork or sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeno, and garlic. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the veggies have started to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain excess grease.
  • Add all remaining ingredients and give a good stir to combine.
  • Bring the chili to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, uncovered or partially covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot.
  • Add additional broth if the chili thickens too much while cooking. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
  • Serve warm with chili toppings of choice, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla or corn chips, green onions, etc.

Notes

Pork: if using sausage, look for country- or breakfast-style sausage rather than Italian-flavored sausage. 
BBQ Sauce: it's really important to use a BBQ sauce you love the flavor of. Don't opt for sub-par BBQ sauce as the flavor is important in the chili. I use Kinders Hickory Brown Sugar or Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (best version was half of each). 
Juice: this ingredient is important for the balance of flavors, so don't leave it out - or if you do or if you sub with something else, keep in mind that the overall flavor will change. UPDATE: based on some reviews, brand of juice can make a big difference, so to avoid overpowering the flavors add 1/2 cup juice to start and add more to taste, if needed. White grape juice has a more mild flavor than apple juice. 
Chili Powder: I use Penzey's basic chili powder. Different brands of chili powder will vary in flavor and heat. 
Make-Ahead: this chili tastes even better with time. It can be made several days ahead of time and reheated in a slow cooker or on the stovetop (thin with beef broth, if needed, when reheating).