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This brisket chili combines tender, slow-cooked brisket with sweet onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, tomatoes, kidney beans, and pinto beans in a perfect blend of warm chili spices with a hint of sweetness.

A large white Dutch oven full of brisket chili.

This is one of my husband’s and son’s favorite chili recipes. It’s a true gem, and fall wouldn’t be the same without it. Serve it with fresh cornbread muffins or jalapeño cornbread.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients.

Beef brisket: I used a 3 lb flat-cut trimmed brisket, but beef is pricey, so you can cut it back to 2 lbs. Or cut a brisket in half and freeze the second half for later.
Chili powder: If you can find ancho chili powder, I highly recommend it. It’s earthier, sweeter, and milder than regular chili powder.
Chipotle peppers: Aged, dried, and smoked jalapeño peppers. You can find them canned with adobo sauce in the Hispanic food section of your local grocery store.
Rotel tomatoes: Rotel now has fire-roasted tomatoes with green chiles. Use regular, mild, or hot Rotel tomatoes depending on your preference.
Diced tomatoes: I love the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, but you can use any diced tomatoes.
Beans: Dark red kidney beans and pinto beans. You can substitute black beans.
Brown sugar: A little bit helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

A white serving bowl full of brisket chili topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese, red onions, and green onions.

How To Make Brisket Chili

This is a summary; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.

Brown the brisket in oil. Remove the browned pieces.
Cook the onion over medium heat until soft, deglazing the pot. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, and smoked paprika, cooking for 1 minute.
Stir in the chipotle peppers, beef broth, and tomato paste. Add the browned brisket back to the pot. Simmer for a few hours.
Add the Rotel tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for a couple of hours or until the beef is tender.

Some of the steps for making brisket chili. Brown the brisket in oil. Remove the browned pieces Cook the onion over medium heat until soft, deglazing the pot. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, and smoked paprika, cooking for 1 minute.

Some of the steps for making brisket chili. Stir in the chipotle peppers, beef broth, and tomato paste. Add the browned brisket back to the pot. Simmer for a few hours. Add the Rotel tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.

Cook’s Culinary Tips

Leave a little fat on the brisket. Some fat helps the brisket cook tender.
Sear the beef and include all the fond in the chili. Fond is the flavorful brown bits left in the bottom of the pot after browning meat. It is so incredibly flavorful.
Add the spices to the onion and garlic to bloom them.
Adjust the seasonings to your taste. This chili is moderately spicy. If you want it mild, reduce or eliminate the chipotle peppers. If you like it spicier, add more chipotle peppers or ground cayenne pepper.
Allow a lot of simmering time. Beef brisket requires a slow simmer to tenderize the meat. Give yourself extra time to get it tender.

A Dutch oven and a ladle full of beef brisket chili.

Serving Suggestions

Brisket Chili

This brisket chili combines tender, slow-cooked brisket with sweet onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and kidney and pinto beans in a perfect blend of warm chili spices with a hint of sweetness.

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner, lunch, main meal beef

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 4

Total Time: 4 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

3 lbs beef brisket cut into bite-sized pieces (see notes)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil plus more if needed
1 large sweet onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
2-3 chipotle peppers minced
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 (10-ounce) cans Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (15.5-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Brown the brisket. Work in batches so you don't crowd the pan. Remove the browned pieces to a plate. Do not clean the pot. You want those brown bits to give flavor to your chili.
Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft, deglazing the pot. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, and smoked paprika, then stir and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the chipotle peppers, beef broth, and tomato paste. Add the browned brisket back to the pot. Simmer for 2½-3 hours.
Add the Rotel tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes (if using). Simmer for 2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Customize with your favorite toppings.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave at reduced power for short intervals until warm.

Nutrition

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Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on this site should be used as a general guideline.