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Brisket Chili Recipe with Bacon and Chipotles

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Brisket Chili Recipe with Bacon and Chipotles explodes with delicious, deep, rich flavors that will warm you to your soul. It’s not just a comforting weeknight meal, you will totally wow weekend guests with it, too!

Chipotle Bacon Brisket Chili in a bright-colored striped bowl, with a box of red kidney beans in the background.

This is not a sponsored post. Melissa’s Produce sent me their Steamed Red Kidney Beans for recipe testing. Precooked, with a super smooth texture, they’re a delicious addition to this chili — especially this Brisket Chili Recipe! All opinions are my own, and as always, I only work with products I like and want to share with my readers.

Inspiration

“When you’re cooking, be sure to touch your ingredients, your equipment — everything — with feeling. With love. With heart and soul. You will taste this affection in the food. It’s the difference between good and amazing.”

This is one of the many things Roy Choi said today when I watched his cooking demo at the LA Times-The Taste. (In case you don’t know him — and you’ll want to — read about him here.)

Brisket Chili Recipe in a brightly colored striped bowl, topped with fresh herbs and chopped red onion.

I love making recipes likes this chili — layers and layers of flavors, each one building upon the last. The flavors are deep and complex . . . and when they’re combined, they are exquisite.

And let me tell you, this Brisket Chili Recipe with Bacon and Chipotles is certainly one made with my love, heart and soul. It’s for my family, after all. And you can taste it!

Brisket Chili with bacon and chipotles in a cast iron skillet.

This is an an ideal fall and winter comfort food, so keep the recipe close as the days cool down. And make it with love! 🙂

I mean, seriously, just look at that deliciousness above. Come on!

Secret Ingredient in Chipotle Bacon Brisket Chili

Can you guess what it is?

It adds richness, flavor and a creamy texture to the sauce.

It’s chocolate! Yep, bittersweet chocolate. Just a little, and it’s just enough to do the trick.

Brisket Chili recipe in a pretty, red, yellow, orange and green striped bowl with fresh oregano, red onion and cheddar cheese.

What to Serve With it

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chipotle Bacon Brisket Chili in a rainbow striped bowl

Brisket Chili Recipe with Bacon and Chipotles

Valentina K. Wein
This is an unbelievably flavorful chili that's rich, smoky, hearty and super delicious!
Please note that the active work time for this recipe is 45 minutes, the remainder of the time is for the brisket to slowly cook -- and this can be done a day ahead of time.
5 from 2 votes
Print
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 6 hrs 25 mins
Total Time 6 hrs 45 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 to 8
Calories 444 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • * YOU CAN DO THIS ENTIRE STEP THE DAY BEFORE -- JUST DON'T WASH THE PAN IF YOU DO. COVER IT WITH FOIL, KEEPING IT AS IS.*
    Prepare the brisket. Preheat the oven to 225°F, and lightly coat your largest oven safe skillet (cast iron is perfect) with olive oil. (See notes) Season both sides of the meat generously with salt and pepper, and then place it -- fat side up -- in the pan, and cover it with a fitted lid or heavy-duty foil. Place it in the preheated oven for 6 hours. Remove the brisket from the oven, and place it on a large plate. (Leave any grease and juices in the pan!) Let the brisket cool slightly, and then use the back of a knife or a spoon to gently scrape off the fat and discard it. Now either shred the meat with your fingers, or cut it into slices -- against the grain, and then into bite-sized pieces. (The bite-sized pieces will ultimately shred later in the recipe.) Set aside.
  • Place the unwashed pan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Stirring occasionally, cook until golden and mostly crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeños, still stirring from time to time, cook until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
  • Stir in the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, fresh oregano, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. Cook until this is very aromatic, about 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and then turn the heat to the lowest setting.
  • Either crush the tomatoes in a blender, or roughly chop them until they're a coarse purée. Add this to the pan, along with the wine, turn the heat back up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and let this simmer for at least 15 minutes -- the alcohol should be cooked off and the liquid should be beginning to thicken.
  • Cut the kernels off the ears of corn and add them to the pan with the kidney beans and the prepared brisket. Keeping the heat low, let all of the flavors marry for another 20 minutes or so.
  • Mix in the chocolate and let it melt. Then season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with any of the desired garnishes.

Notes

My cast iron skillet is very large (12 inch), and I can make this entire recipe in it, from start to finish. If that's not the case for you, simply change to a larger pan when you need to -- ideally after the tomatoes and wine have simmered.
Calorie count is only an estimate.
Keywords best beef stew recipes, comfort food recipes for fall and winter
Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

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Comments

  2. David says

    I love the mole aspect of this chili! Brisket makes the best chili – used so much for that here in Arizona. The layers of love and flavor you have added make this darned appealing, even in the hot summer days!

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Thanks, David. I know, it’s still super hot here also (though cooler, I’m sure). I can’t wait until it’s cool enough for this sort of food every night. My favorite! xo Valentina

      Reply

    • valentina says

      Hi there. Oh I so hope I’m not too late and so sorry about the missing step! You’ll see that step 6 has been edited — that’s where you add the prepared brisket. I hope all went well and that it was delicious!

      Reply

    • valentina says

      Hi Jeriann! So happy to hear from you. 🙂 Thank you for checking out my site and trying my recipe. So happy you loved this chili, and yes, perfect for these rainy days. Hello to everyone! ~Valentina

      Reply

  13. Marty says

    Could I substitute the wine for a bottle of chocolate stout beer instead? also it calls for 1/4 cup of fresh oregano? That seems like alot

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Hi Marty,
      I think the stout would be fantastic! That’s a great idea! (I would use the same measurement as wine.) As for the oregano, it is a lot, but works well. Feel free to adjust it if you want — it won’t really affect the overall deliciousness of the chili. 😉 Enjoy and thanks for checking out my recipes. 🙂 ~Valentina

      Reply

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