Looking for a pressure cooker Texas Red chili? You've come to the right place. Even if I'm not from Texas.
I know this will get me in trouble with the Texas chili purists. First, because I'm from Ohio. Second, because they believe chili should ALWAYS be cooked cowboy style, in a cast iron dutch oven, over a post oak fire.
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My best argument for pressure cooker chili: it helps me make chili the day before I want to eat it. This is a great chili hot out of the pot, but chili is always better the next day; that overnight rest and reheating does something good."It lets the flavors marry", is the traditional explanation. (I have no idea what that actually means, but it describes the results perfectly.) If you have the time - and the pressure cooker buys me the time - make this chili a day ahead. Your patience will be rewarded.
What is red chili made of?
Beef and spices, crushed tomato, and some masa harina (corn flour) to thicken. Save the beans, if you want them, to pass on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 minced chipotles en adobo, with sauce
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 1 cup coffee (or water, or beer)
- 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted crushed tomatoes)
- ¼ cup masa harina (optional)
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
How to make Chili
Brown the beef (on one side, working in batches - 3 batches for my instant pot.)
Heat the oil in an Instant Pot set to sauté mode - high until the oil starts to shimmer (use medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). Sprinkle the beef with 2 teaspoons fine sea salt. Brown the beef in two to three batches, depending on the size of your pressure cooker - you don't want to crowd the pot, or the beef will steam instead of browning. (I brown in 3 batches in my Instant Pot.) Brown each batch on one side, about five minutes, then remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat behind as possible.
Saute the aromatics, toast the spices, deglaze the pan with coffee
Add the onions and ½ teaspoon kosher salt to the pot. Saute until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat edged with a wooden spoon to loosen the stuck bits of browned beef. Add the garlic cloves and chipotle en adobo, and saute for one minute. Make a hole in the middle of the aromatics, and add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute, or until fragrant, then stir the spices into the onions. Pour in the cup of coffee and scrape the bottom of the pot again to release any browned onions or spices.
Stir everything into the pot
Pour the beef (and any juices in the bowl) into the pot, and then the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the beef is coated in tomatoes and spices, then scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure nothing is sticking.
Pressure cook the chili for 30 minutes with a natural release
Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and pressure cook on high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-Custom mode set to 30 minutes in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes). Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
Overnight Rest (Optional, but a good idea)
If you have the time: Let the chili cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, scrape the fat from the surface of the chili, and bring the chili back to a simmer over medium heat, scraping the bottom occasionally.
Thicken with masa harina (Optional)
Ladle 2 cups of liquid from the pot into a bowl and whisk the masa harina into the liquid to make a slurry. Stir the masa slurry into the pot of chili.
Season and serve
Stir in the lime juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Serve the chili straight up, or with green onions (pictured), diced onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, minced cilantro, hot sauce, tortilla chips, pickled jalapenos…whatever you like as toppings for your chili. Enjoy!
Scaling the recipe
Scaling up Cooking for a crowd? If you have an 8 quart (or, even better, a massive 10 or 12 quart pressure cooker), you can double this recipe.
What to serve with Texas Red Chili
If you're from Texas, this is where beans come in. It's heresy to put beans in your chili while you're cooking, but common courtesy to serve chili with a side of beans. (I like to make a batch of my Instant Pot pinto beans or Instant Pot small red beans on the side.)
I also like to serve my chili with a variety of toppings: green onions, diced onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, minced cilantro, hot sauce, tortilla chips, or pickled jalapeños. I usually don't serve all of these at once; I'll use what I have available from this list. Unless it's a party, when I'll go all-out with the sides.
How to store chili
Chili is a great make-ahead meal. Make a pot the day before, refrigerate the inner pot (covered), and reheat it to serve. Or, store it in 2-cup containers for a convenient lunch-sized serving. Chili will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, or in the freezer for up to six months.
Tips and Tricks
- Only brown the beef on one side. I learned this trick from Kenji Alt. Browning the beef on one side gives chili the extra flavor from the caramelized pieces of beef in the shortest amount of time. Can you brown the beef on all sides? Yes, of course. But you get most of the flavor in much less time if you only brown one side of the beef cubes.
- Brown in a second pan at the same time.To speed up browning the beef, do one batch in the pressure cooker, and another in a skillet on the stove. Deglaze the skillet with the coffee, scraping the browned bits of beef into the liquid, then pour from the skillet into the pot when the onions are done.
- Thicken the chili with masa harina. The sealed pressure cooker environment is good for trapping flavor and cooking quickly, but it doesn't allow any evaporation. That means the liquid in the pot tends towards soupy instead of a thick chili. To thicken after cooking, I whisk a quarter cup of masa harina - Mexican corn tortilla flour - into some of the cooking liquid, then stir the masa slurry back into the pot, and let it simmer for a few more minutes to thicken up.
- Masa harina substitute - tortilla chips.Can't find Masa Harina? Substitute two cups of tortilla chips, crushed to a powder in a blender or food processor.
- Chipotle en adobo for smoky heat.Two chipotles en adobo add quite a burn to the chili. Cut back to one chipotle to reduce the heat, or no chipotles for a mild chili. Can't find chipotles en adobo? Substitute two fresh jalapeno peppers, minced.
- No pressure cooker? No worries. See "related recipes", at the bottom of the recipe for stove top and slow cooker versions of this recipe.
Adapted from: International Chili Society winning recipes, 1989 to 1993
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Pressure Cooker Texas Red Chili Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Texas Red Chili. A bowl of Texas red, pressure cooker style.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 2- inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 minced chipotles en adobo, with sauce
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 1 cup coffee (or water, or beer)
- 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted crushed tomatoes)
- ¼ cup masa harina (optional)
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Brown the beef (on one side, working in batches - 3 batches for my instant pot.): Heat the oil in an Instant Pot set to sauté mode - high until the oil starts to shimmer (use medium-high heat in a stovetop PC). Sprinkle the beef with 2 teaspoons fine sea salt. Brown the beef in two to three batches, depending on the size of your pressure cooker - you don't want to crowd the pot, or the beef will steam instead of browning. (I brown in 3 batches in my Instant Pot.) Brown each batch on one side, about five minutes, then remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat behind as possible.
- Saute the aromatics, toast the spices, deglaze the pan with coffee: Add the onions and ½ teaspoon kosher salt to the pot. Saute until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat edged with a wooden spoon to loosen the stuck bits of browned beef. Add the garlic cloves and chipotle en adobo, and saute for one minute. Make a hole in the middle of the aromatics, and add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute, or until fragrant, then stir the spices into the onions. Pour in the cup of coffee and scrape the bottom of the pot again to release any browned onions or spices.
- Stir everything into the pot: Pour the beef (and any juices in the bowl) into the pot, and then the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the beef is coated in tomatoes and spices, then scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure nothing is sticking.
- Pressure cook the chili for 30 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Pressure cook on high pressure for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 25 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-Custom mode set to 30 minutes in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes). Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Overnight Rest (Optional, but a good idea): If you have the time: Let the chili cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, scrape the fat from the surface of the chili, and bring the chili back to a simmer over medium heat, scraping the bottom occasionally to make sure the chili is not sticking.
- Thicken with masa harina (Optional): Ladle 2 cups of liquid from the pot into a bowl and whisk the masa harina into the liquid to make a slurry. Stir the masa slurry into the pot of chili.
- Season and serve: Stir in the lime juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Serve the chili straight up, or with green onions (pictured), diced onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, minced cilantro, hot sauce, tortilla chips, pickled jalapenos…whatever you like as toppings for your chili. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cup
- Calories: 314
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Sodium: 738.5 mg
- Fat: 13.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.3 g
- Protein: 40.7 g
- Cholesterol: 139.8 mg
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Texas Red Chili (In a regular dutch oven)
Slow Cooker Texas Red Chili
Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
Pressure Cooker Pork Chili with Beans
Cincinnati Chili (Instant Pot) Recipe
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James says
Mike, thanks for the great recipe! I’ve made it several times and again today. One bit of feedback for what it’s worth. I’ve been adding beans, sorry Texas, and adding 4-5 of the chipotles in adobo versus the 1-2. If you remove the seeds you get the smoky vibe without too much heat. Thanks again!
Mare says
Thank you for the thickening tip!! Just opened the instant pot and was like “gee, this is soupy.” I actually did not make your chili (what can I make with what’s in the pantry day) (yours: next time), but I knew you’d have an IP recipe for chili and wanted to see what you did. Love your rubs and the 15 bean and ham soup! Thanks!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Taylor says
If I don’t have time to overnight it does it still turn out okay?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, it will be fine.
ATexasDad says
This is the chili recipe I've been searching for for years! If you've been to Texas Chili Parlor in Austin, this is very similar - maybe even better. I made it exactly as written, with coffee, and found it to be pretty mild. For reference, I used 2 La Costena chipotles en adobo (2 peppers not 2 cans). Since this doesn't start with dried chilis like most Texas red chili recipes (which is great - it's faster), make sure you use a good chili powder - I used Gebhardt.
Robyn Peacock says
Mike - We made this today for Super Bowl 54. Amazing depth of flavor. We can't stop eating it! What I had to change - no Masa at our local market, so I went with your suggestion of tortilla chips. Also, opened a can of white and black beans, put it in a pot on the stove while the pressure cooked did its work with the brisket. After the 20 minute natural release of the pressure cooker, I blended a handful of tortilla chips and few scoops of beans and a cup of sauce from the brisket. Then added it back to the pressure cooker brisket and mixed. Oh my gosh. Such yumminess! I loved some of your tips that I hadn't tried before - browning one side of the meat pieces. Creating a hole in the middle of the aromatics to place the spices then let them cook for a minute before blending into the onions/chipolte peppers. I used Coffee for my acidic needs. I pureed the 14.5 oz cans of roasted tomatoes and chiles as my husband doesn't care for chopped tomatoes. Can't wait to try the depth of flavor tomorrow! Thank you!
Angela says
Just wanted you to know, I used this recipe in a chili-cookoff at work & I won. I am a very smug Yankee.
Mike Vrobel says
Congratulations!
Deb says
Tastes amazing! Wouldn’t change a thing!
Ken says
Great recipe. I'd never considered using coffee as a liquid but it worked well. I've used beer in other recipes and didn't particularly like the flavor.
For me, 2x2 cubes are a bit too big. I like more of a ground texture, so I'll probably go with 1x1 next time. There was also a lot more liquid than I anticipated so I think more and smaller cubes will blend better.
Chris says
Do you have a preference between using coffee or beer (or coffee-like beer aka Guinness)? I imagine the choice between lager or dark roast would lead to very different flavor profiles.
Mike Vrobel says
No, I don't really have a preference. With all the other spices in this recipe, I'm just looking for a little bit of acid, which both the coffee and beer provide.
Denise says
Easy to follow.
Perfect bean free chili.
I won our office cook off!!!
Just bragging rights but hey I’ll take it!
Thanks
Anna S says
Absolutely excellent! After I started cooking, I realized I was out of chipotles in adobo so I threw in 2 cans of diced green chiles and it was delicious. Will definitely be making it again - next time with the chiptoles. Thanks for a great recipe!
David says
I just got the instant pot duo plus. My first one. Do you think it's too big for one or two people who don't like to cook every day & love beans, soups & one pot meals? Did you cook the chili in a 6 qt? If adding beans would you use the 8 qt? Chili looks great! Dave.
Mike Vrobel says
No, the IP duo is not too big for two people. Yes, I cooked it in a 6 quart. I wouldn't add beans to this recipe...but if I did, the 6 quart would be fine.
MoyJoy says
I swapped out some of the beef for lamb (!) and got my hands on some berbere from an Ethiopian restaurant that I used instead of the plain old chili powder and HOLYCRAPTHATWASAMAZING!!!
Thank you!!!! This will be my new goto! I’m making it again this weekend!!
Bb says
Love berbere but did you use the full 1/2 cup like the chili powder? Berbere seems like it has a bit more heat so I wondered if you reduced the amount..
BJ says
When browning the meat in different batches, do I put a tablespoon of salt on each batch?
Thanks for all your hard work!
Mike Vrobel says
No. One tablespoon across all 5 pounds of meat.