When I make Chili, I go big or go ground. My Texas Red Chili uses big chunks of beef – 1½-inch to 2-inch cubes. Or, I use ground beef for wimpy weeknight chili with beans.1. This Instant Pot Steak chili splits the difference, with small cubes of beef.
I got the idea from Chef Michael Ollier, when I visited Certified Angus Beef® Brand to make chili for their Facebook Live channel. Much to my surprise, Chef Michael uses small, ½-inch cubes of beef in his Game Day Steak Chili. I filed the idea away for later…and promptly forgot about it.
The idea came back while I planned my annual work ChiliFest potluck lunch. (I mix in a new chili every year.) I The smaller pieces cook quickly and evenly under pressure in my Instant Pot. Also, the shorter cooking time lets me mix in a can or two of beans while I’m cooking the chili, without the beans turning to mush. (Yes, I add beans to this chili. If this offends you, don’t go any further – check out my bowl of Texas Red recipe instead. Look away! Turn back! Beans ahead!) Now, I didn’t cut my beef quite as small as Chef Michael does – my knife skills aren’t quite good enough to cut beef cubes that small – so I went with ¾-inch cubes.
Other than the smaller cut of beef, this is my standard Instant Pot chili technique. If you’ve been following along at home, it will look very familiar.
Adapted from: Game Day Steak Chili – CertifiedAngusBeef.com by Michael Ollier
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Instant Pot Steak Chili
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 quarts of chili 1x
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Instant Pot Steak Chili. Pressure cooker chili, made with bite-sized cubes of chuck, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking. Adapted from Game Day Steak Chili, Chef Michael Ollier, CertifiedAngusBeef.com
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 cup beef broth or water (homemade is best, but expensive)
- 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups homemade beans)
- 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
- 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- ½ to 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt (depending on the beef broth)
Cornstarch slurry (optional)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Accompaniments
- shredded cheddar cheese
- diced scallions
- sour cream
Instructions
- Sear the beef in three batches: Heat the vegetable oil in the Instant Pot over Sauté mode set to high until the oil shimmers (medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). While the oil heats, sprinkle the beef cubes with 1½ teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Add a third of the beef in a loose single layer and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don’t crowd the pot or the beef will steam, not brown). Transfer the browned beef to a bowl, add half of the remaining beef to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned beef to the bowl. Add the rest of the beef to the pot and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned beef to the bowl.
- Saute the aromatics, toast the spices, deglaze the pan with broth: Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the pot, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of beef. Make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and brown sugar. Cook for one minute, or until you smell the chili powder toasting, then stir the spices into the onions. Add the beef broth to the pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute. Scrape the bottom of the pot again to release any browned onions or spices.
- Stir everything into the pot: Add the beef and any juices in the bowl to the Instant Pot, then stir to coat the beef with the spices. Stir in the black beans and chopped green chilies. Spread the diced tomatoes over the top of the stew, but don’t stir.
- Pressure cook the chili for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 30 more minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 20 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Season, thicken, and serve: Season with more salt: If you used store-bought beef broth, add ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt; if you used homemade beef broth or water, add 1½ teaspoons of fine sea salt. Whisk the water into the cornstarch to make a cornstarch slurry, and then stir the slurry into the chili to thicken. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Bottom Round is also a good cut of beef for this recipe; it cooks the same as chuck roast.
- If you have the patience to cut ½-inch cubes, or can get your butcher to do the work, cut the cooking time to 10 minutes at high pressure; everything else is the same.
- Don’t want beans? That’s OK. You can leave them out. Want more beans, like my bean-loving son? Go ahead and throw in another can or two. I’m easy.
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- Flat edged wooden spoon for scraping the pot
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Instant Pot Steak Chili, Pressure Cooker Steak Chili,
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Texas Red Chili – DadCooksDinner
Pressure Cooker Quick Chili with Canned Beans – DadCooksDinner
Pressure Cooker Chili Verde (Green Pork Chili) – DadCooksDinner
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
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- I say “wimpy” with love – ground beef and bean chili is what I grew up with. ↩
Mike – what’s your “go to” chile powder for this and the Texas Red?
My favorite is Penzeys Regular Chili Powder: https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/regular-chili-powder/c-24/p-55/pd-s
and I also get Frontier Chili Powder from the bulk section of my local grocery: https://www.frontiercoop.com/frontier-co-op-chili-powder-seasoning-blend-1-lb/
★★★★★
Can I substitute red wine for part of the beef broth and how much?
Red wine? Um…sure, if you really want to. Replace it 1:1 – 1 cup of wine for the beef broth. (I’m not sure red wine and chili powder are a good match. I’d use beer instead, if you really want some alcohol in the mix.)
I thought the wine might tenderize the meat. However, beer is also a good idea. Thanks.
1. I love the recipe… I used 3.5 lbs stew beef and cut it 1/2″ I don’t use broth – I use 2 cans (28 oz) Italian (Plum) Tomatoes – peeled in puree and then water with (frozen home made) concentrated beef stock cubes. I chunky tomatoes in our chili – we use Red and Black beans (not always) and serve with rice, warm corn tortillas (and tortilla chips too) Before the Instant pot I used ground beef simply because it was a quicker cook (Full time Mom and Therapist – 3 teens….) now we love this recipe.
Instead of wine or beer – the tomatoes and pressure tenderize the beef really.. I have also made this in a crock pot with chuck roast cubes. DELISH!!
★★★★★
This was excellent! Definitely adding to our regular rotation . Thank you!
You’re welcome!
This chili is terrific with bottom round roast! Since I was short on time, I skipped browning the meat yet it may be the most flavorful beef chili I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for an excellent recipe!
Great chili, fast and easy! I left the jalapeno and green chilies out because I’m feeding little kids but added fresh jalapenos after cooking to get the heat for me. Thanks for all you put into this site!
★★★★★
I made this last night. I realized that I forgot jalapenos so I added a little more chili powder. I also added about a half a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. It turned out amazing. I absolutely love the flavor and so did everyone else who tried it. Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe.
★★★★★
Used leftover choice sirloin i had grilled the day before ($4.99 lb weekly food city special) so that really cut down on the time…added 3 pieces of cooked chopped and trimmed bacon while sauteeing the veggies..used 3 10oz cans of rotel and omitted the can of green chillies 1 extra can of seasoned black beans with half the sauce…everything else as written except no corn starch….chili was amazing..spicier than i expected but really awesome flavor…definitely gonna be the new go to! Cooked 12 mins instant pot high pressure normal heat…let slow release for 20mins and then quick released til open (also turned off keep warm function). Thank you for an awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Excellent recipe!! Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks Mike.
★★★★★
Try putting the beef in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. That would make 1/2 cubes easier. I’m going to try this, nut with crushed tomatoes instead of diced.
I used leftover top sirloin from a family gathering and omitted the jalapeños and green chilies for a more kid friendly dinner. I used one 15oz can of diced tomatoes and one can of tomato sauce with some diced green and yellow bell peppers and diced fresh tomatoes that I needed to use. Garbanzo and kidney beans instead of black beans. Everything else the same and it turned out amazing! With the cooked meat it made it a lot easier for a busy mom! Saving this recipe for sure!
★★★★★
I never comment on recipes but this was the best steak chili I’ve made, and I’ve made a whole bunch. Added a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder, otherwise made it exactly as the recipe states. Also, I used the “better than boullion” beef flavor, which adds a nice depth compared to the watery stuff in the cartons.
★★★★★
If I double this recipe, will the cooking Tim be the same?
★★★★★
Yes
Love it. Flexible with meat (I used left over batches of sirloin steak and turkey sweet ital sausage). Taste was right on. Will make again.
★★★★★