It’s Chili Season in the South. Not familiar with Chili Season? Of course you are! It’s those precious weeks during football season when the fall weather finally starts to cool off, causing sudden cravings for big pots of chili. Like pumpkin spice latte season, but spicier.
If your favorite chili recipe calls for ground beef, make sure to choose the best kind and don’t just reach for whatever is closest in the meat aisle. Different types of ground beef have different meat-to-fat ratios, depending on the meat trimmings that were used. Ground chuck (made from chuck roast trimmings) contains the most fat, typically 80 percent meat to 20 percent fat, so it cooks up juicy and rich. Ground sirloin (made from the loin) is much leaner, usually 90 percent meat to 10 percent fat. When cooked, ground sirloin is drier with a heartier texture.
WATCH: 10 Ground Beef Recipes
You don’t have to choose one type over the other. When making chili, Southern Living Test Kitchen Director Robby Melvin recommends using a mix of ground chuck and ground sirloin. “It’s the best of both worlds,” he says. “You get a balanced lean-to-fat ratio from the chuck and the hearty, beefy leanness from the sirloin.” Our West Texas Chili recipe calls for two pounds of ground chuck or venison, but you could easily make it with a pound of ground chuck and a pound of ground venison (or sirloin).
Because you’re making chili, not spaghetti sauce, you want the meat to really stand out. If your butcher will grind meat to order (or if you grind your own meat at home), Melvin recommends coarsely ground beef for a heartier texture. “Coarsely ground beef has a presence that a chunky style of chili needs,” he says.
When making chili, former Southern Living Test Kitchen Director, Robby Melvin, recommends using a mix of ground chuck and ground sirloin. "It's the best of both worlds," he says. "You get a balanced lean-to-fat ratio from the chuck and the hearty, beefy leanness from the sirloin."
Ground beef – for this recipe I like to use 80/20 ground beef for the best flavor. You can of course use leaner beef, or even ground turkey if you cannot eat beef! I would avoid ground chicken because it tends to dry out.
Ground Beef that is not less than 70% lean (usually a 73/27 or 75/25 lean-to-fat ratio) is used for burgers and in recipes calling for browning (crumbles) and pouring off drippings, such as chili, tacos and spaghetti sauce. When properly cooked, it is moist and juicy.
Most chili lovers will tell you that this is the ideal cut of meat for stew and chili. Chuck is initially a very tough cut of beef, but when you consider the fact chuck is highly marbled, it turns out this is perfect for the low-and-slow way to cook the perfect Texas chili.
It's hard to imagine Mexican chilli con carne without cumin. This spice is commonly used in Mexican cuisine and pairs nicely with hot peppers to round out the flavours of the dish. Cumin's fragrance and warmth helps to create a balanced palate, with its deep earthiness and lemony hint brightening up any chilli recipe.
Because baking soda neutralizes the acid in the meat and prevents it from becoming tough when cooked, using it as your go-to meat tenderizer just might be the game-changing hack to the best burger you've never cooked.
The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.
Ground Beef: Provides the hearty meaty base for the chili. Opt for 85% lean; the fat enriches the meat, enhancing the dish's overall flavor and texture. And don't stress about the fat—post-cooking, it's easy to skim off any excess.
Use only high-quality lean beef. Beef chuck works well because it cooks in a reasonable length of time and makes a good looking glossy gravy. A good cut is the chuck tender, which is sometimes known as a “mock tender”.
The meat from the loin primal is very lean, so it produces ground beef with the healthiest lean point. You will often hear ground sirloin called extra-lean ground beef. If you want to create a healthy menu and limit the saturated fat in your dishes, then ground sirloin is the best choice.
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