Americas Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Weeknight Beef Chili Recipes

Steps:

• Mash bread and milk into paste in large bowl using fork.
• Mix in ground beef, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper using hands.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over med-high heat until shimmering.
• Add onions, chili powder, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in beef mixture, 1 pound at a time, and cook, breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes per pound.
• Stir in 1 cup tomato puree, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.
• Stir remaining tomato puree, diced tomatoes with juice, beans, soy sauce, sugar, and chipotles into slow cooker.
• Cover and cook until beef is tender, 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-5 hours on HIGH.
• Let chili settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon.
• Break up any remaining large pieces of beef with spoon.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. , Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the next 9 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. If desired, top individual servings with cheese and green onions.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and refrigerate. Pour half of bacon fat into small bowl; set skillet with remaining bacon fat aside.
• Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper; place half of beef (uncooked) into the slow cooker.
• Heat skillet containing remaining bacon fat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook remaining beef in single layer until deep brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer browned beef into slow cooker.
• Add reserved bacon fat to now empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chopped onion, carrots and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and stir until beginning to brown, about 45 seconds. Transfer mixture to slow cooker.
• Return now empty skillet to high heat and add 1 1/2 cups wine, chicken broth and soy sauce. Simmer, scraping up brown bits, until pan bottom is clean, about 1 minute. Transfer wine mixture to slow cooker.
• Stir bay leaves and tapioca into slow cooker. Set slow cooker on low, cover and cook until meat is fork-tender, about 9 hours.
• In a skillet mix 1 tbs butter, 1 tbs sugar, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 cup of water place frozen pearl onions in the skillet, cover and let it cook on medium heat for 5-10 mins until the onions begin to caramelize, add mushrooms and 1/4 tsp salt cook another 3-5 minuets thoroughly caramelizing the mushrooms and pearl onions. Transfer the pearl onion/mushroom mixture into the slow cooker and cook for another 30 minuets.
• When ready to serve, discard bay leaves and stir in reserved bacon(personally I served the bacon on the side seeing as the hubbs isn't crazy about pieces of bacon in his Beef Burgundy). In large skillet, bring remaining 1 cup wine to boil over high heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir reduced wine and parsley into stew and adjust seasonings. Serve with buttered egg noodles, YUM!

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef and garlic, season with salt and cook, breaking the beef into crumbles with a spatula, until the beef has lost its pink color, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until slightly darkened and caramelized, about 1 minute. Stir in all the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beer and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the beef mixture into a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, beef bouillon paste, cocoa, beans and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. (The chili can hold well on warm for an additional 2 hours.)
• When ready to serve, stir in the Worcestershire sauce. If the chili is too thick, stir in a bit of water until the texture is to your liking. Season to taste with salt. Serve in bowls and pass the toppings at the table.