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You are going to love this Secret Chili Recipe! This delicious chili is a cut above many chili recipes because it does one thing that most chili recipes don’t do. It purees a seeded green pepper with an unseeded jalapeno pepper and an unseeded serrano pepper. Adding chili powder and cumin beefs up the heat even more. It’s utterly amazing! Another thing I really like about this recipe is it’s made in the crockpot. Oh, yes, give me easy!
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I have my daughter-in-law’s brother to thank for this scrumptious prize-winning chili recipe. Ryan actually worked with both of my sons while they were in college and my oldest son actually roomed with him for a couple of semesters as well. He introduced his sister to my youngest son and the rest, is history!My son’s brother-in-law has kept this recipe a secret for a long time, but he shared it with me and I bring it to you!
Back over the Christmas holidays we got together with all of Candice’s siblings, parents, and the siblings’ parents for a holiday get-together in the outer banks of North Carolina. We rented a 10-bedroom, 10-bath, 3-level house for all of us. We had a terrific time and each night someone else would cook dinner. One morning John fixed breakfast for everyone. Along with my traditional Breakfast Casserole we alsomade up some Pumpkin Muffins that were a big hit. For dinner, I made our favorite Manicotti, Greek Salad, homemade bread and Red Velvet Cake Roll for dessert. I even made my Cheddar Bay Biscuits one time for dinner.
The day we were leaving, Ryan made this chili. I asked him for the recipe and he told me he had actually won a chili contest with this recipe several years ago. Let me say, that Chili is a favorite here in Texas. Not only that, but most native Texans love their Tex-Mex food spicy hot. It’s an acquired taste, I think. Mom didn’t make chili often when we were growing up, but since the 90s I’ve started eating a lot of Tex-Mex foods and it seems like I can eat it spicier and spicier every year.
Mypreferred method for eating Ryan’s Secret Chili Recipe was smothered with sour cream, cheddar cheese and green onions. But I also had it with sliced jalapenos a few times and I enjoyed that too. Having the unseeded jalapeno and serrano peppers added some heat to the chili but it was not overpowering by any means. I only made one adjustment to Ryan’s recipe. Initially, he called for draining both the kidney beans and the tomatoes. I decided to save the tomato liquid and I’m glad I did. I felt the chili needed a little more liquid so I added it in at the end. Other than that, I haven’t fiddled with the recipe. If you enjoy eating Chili, I offer Ryan’s Secret Chili Recipe. If you’re a Tex-Mex fan, I’m sure you’ll love it.
Secret Chili Recipe is a prize-winning chili recipe that will become a family favorite!
This chili was good garnished with cheese and sliced jalapeno peppers.
Prepare to drool over Ryan’s Secret Chili Recipe!
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients. The pepper on the left is a serrano pepper, the one on the right is a jalapeno pepper.
Brown beef and onion in a skillet until beef is no longer pink. Do NOT drain. You’ll need the liquid.
Seed the bell pepper and chop half of it and add to a chopper or food processor. Add UNSEEDED sliced serrano and jalapeno peppers. Chop on low 5-10 seconds. Don’t completely puree the mixture.
Add chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and garlic. Add one tablespoon water.
Puree ingredients until the consistency of a coarse paste.
Place cooked, UNDRAINED ground beef and onions in a crockpot. Add pureed pepper mixture, rinsed and drained kidney beans and UNDRAINED tomatoes. (They are drained here but I added the liquid back in later).
Stir ingredients to combine.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or about 5 hours on high.
Garnish Secret Chili Recipe with sliced serrano peppers or jalapeno peppers, if you dare!
This chili is nice and thick.
Secret Chili Recipehas a nice warm spice to it. But it’s not so overwhelming that you can’t eat it.
This chili is also great garnished with green onions, sour cream and tortilla chips.
Here’s the recipe.
(Recipe adapted from Ryan Vennell, Angleton, TX)
Secret Chili Recipe
Teresa Ambra
Secret Chili Recipe is sensational. This fabulous prize-winning chili recipe is made in the crockpot! It uses beef, kidney beans, tomatoes & 3 kinds of peppers. Spicy without being overwhelming. It's a great comfort food meal for cold weather, along with being one of the most mouthwatering and irresistible chili recipes you'll ever eat! Gluten free.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Total Time 5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course Main Dish, Soup, Stews and Chowders
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 12
Calories 185 kcal
Equipment
1 large skillet
1 hamburger chopper to break meat down in small pieces while frying
1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
1 food processor
1 large crockpot
measuring cups
measuring spoons
1 wooden spoon
1 soup ladle
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef (thawed) 90-93% lean
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 15-oz. cans light red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 2 14-oz. cans diced petite tomatoes undrained
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1 serrano pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 3 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. sea salt
- 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips or Fritos for garnish
- 1/2 cup sour cream for garnish
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded, for garnish
- 1 green onion sliced, for garnish, if desired
Instructions
Chop up onion and measure out one cup.
Mix ground beef and onion in a large frying pan and brown together.
Chop the meat down with a hamburger chopper into small pieces while frying.
Do NOT drain! This is kept for viscosity and flavor.
Seed the bell pepper and chop the half-pepper into medium-small pieces.
Remove the stems from the Serrano and jalapeno peppers and chop into a few pieces each.
Do NOT seed the hot peppers.
Put all the peppers into a food processor and chop on low for 5-10 seconds.
Don’t completely puree the mixture.
Add garlic, chili powder, salt, black pepper and cumin to the food processor.
Add 1 tbsp. water to food processor.
Puree all contents at desired speed until it has the consistency of a coarse paste.
You may have to stop and spoon the mixture down from the sides of the food processor, back into the blades to get it all mixed together.
Drain beans of excess water. (I also rinsed and drained).
Add ground beef (and the small amount of leftover grease), the pepper/spice paste, tomatoes and beans into a crockpot.
This recipe is almost exactly 3.5 quarts, so make sure the crock pot is at least that big.
Cook for 8-10 hours on low or about 5 hours on high.
Serve chili garnished with tortilla chips, sour cream and cheddar cheese.
Notes
NOTE: The chili has a nice warm spice to it. Not enough to be noticed as “hot,” but it leaves your lips warm! You can substitute the Serrano pepper for another Jalapeno to lower the heat a bit, or vice versa to make it a little warmer.
NOTE: Ryan’s original recipe called for draining the tomatoes. I decided to drain the tomatoes but reserve the juice. I found that the chili didn’t have enough liquid without the juice. So I added the reserved tomato juice in at the end.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
Calories: 185kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 19gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 640mgPotassium: 409mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1256IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 3mg
Keyword beans, beef, cheese, chili, gluten free, ground beef, main dish, soup, Tex Mex
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Secret Chili Recipe will leave your lips slightly warm without being too much heat.
My favorite way to serve this chili was spread with sour cream, cheddar cheese and green onions on top.
Unseeded serrano and jalapeno peppers give this scrumptious Secret Chili Recipe a nice kick without being too much.
Chili Con Carne
Three Bean Chipotle Chili
Pinto Bean Chili
Secret Chili Recipe
Teresa Ambra
Secret Chili Recipe is sensational. This fabulous prize-winning chili recipe is made in the crockpot! It uses beef, kidney beans, tomatoes & 3 kinds of peppers. Spicy without being overwhelming. It’s a great comfort food meal for cold weather, along with being one of the most mouthwatering and irresistible chili recipes you’ll ever eat! Gluten free.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Total Time 5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course Main Dish, Soup, Stews and Chowders
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 12
Calories 185 kcal
Equipment
1 large skillet
1 hamburger chopper to break meat down in small pieces while frying
1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
1 food processor
1 large crockpot
measuring cups
measuring spoons
1 wooden spoon
1 soup ladle
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef (thawed) 90-93% lean
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 15-oz. cans light red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 2 14-oz. cans diced petite tomatoes undrained
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1 serrano pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 3 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. sea salt
- 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips or Fritos for garnish
- 1/2 cup sour cream for garnish
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded, for garnish
- 1 green onion sliced, for garnish, if desired
Instructions
Chop up onion and measure out one cup.
Mix ground beef and onion in a large frying pan and brown together.
Chop the meat down with a hamburger chopper into small pieces while frying.
Do NOT drain! This is kept for viscosity and flavor.
Seed the bell pepper and chop the half-pepper into medium-small pieces.
Remove the stems from the Serrano and jalapeno peppers and chop into a few pieces each.
Do NOT seed the hot peppers.
Put all the peppers into a food processor and chop on low for 5-10 seconds.
Don’t completely puree the mixture.
Add garlic, chili powder, salt, black pepper and cumin to the food processor.
Add 1 tbsp. water to food processor.
Puree all contents at desired speed until it has the consistency of a coarse paste.
You may have to stop and spoon the mixture down from the sides of the food processor, back into the blades to get it all mixed together.
Drain beans of excess water. (I also rinsed and drained).
Add ground beef (and the small amount of leftover grease), the pepper/spice paste, tomatoes and beans into a crockpot.
This recipe is almost exactly 3.5 quarts, so make sure the crock pot is at least that big.
Cook for 8-10 hours on low or about 5 hours on high.
Serve chili garnished with tortilla chips, sour cream and cheddar cheese.
Notes
NOTE: The chili has a nice warm spice to it. Not enough to be noticed as “hot,” but it leaves your lips warm! You can substitute the Serrano pepper for another Jalapeno to lower the heat a bit, or vice versa to make it a little warmer.
NOTE: Ryan’s original recipe called for draining the tomatoes. I decided to drain the tomatoes but reserve the juice. I found that the chili didn’t have enough liquid without the juice. So I added the reserved tomato juice in at the end.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
Calories: 185kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 19gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 640mgPotassium: 409mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1256IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 3mg
Keyword beans, beef, cheese, chili, gluten free, ground beef, main dish, soup, Tex Mex
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
