Try this Paleo/Primal Chili recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 2 -3 slices bacon chopped
- 2 lbs ground grass-fed beef (original recipe says gr
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 1 1/2-2 cups water (i use beef broth) or 1 1/2-2 cups bee
- 1 1/2-2 cups beef broth (i use beef broth)
- 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes with liquid finely chopped (seeded and diced (28 ounce can may be used also) or 3 -4 medium sized tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 3 -4 medium sized tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1 -2 peeled carrot cut into 1/2 inch dice
- Carbohydrate 22.0141525093172 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.21991750281016 g
- Fiber 6.8952501512301 g
- Protein 3.87619000216603 g
- Saturated Fat 0.574795250560319 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1058g)
- Sodium 87.3933751600742 mg
- Sugar 15.1189023580871 g
- Trans Fat 0.326232500446288 g
- Calories 105 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large saucepan (at least 4 quart size) or Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook bacon for a few minutes until slightly brown and some fat has been rendered out.
- Add chopped onion to the pan and stir into bacon. When the onions are semi-translucent, add garlic and stir. Cook a few minutes longer.
- Add ground beef/bison to pan and cook over medium -low heat until brown (cooked) throughout and no pink remains. Drain if necessary without losing onions and garlic (if lean ground beef or bison is used, should not need to drain).
- Add spices, water/broth, tomatoes and carrots and stir well to combine.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes to prevent sticking.
- Add vinegar and cocoa powder and stir well then simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste.
- *After everything has "cooked," I like to let this chili cook for several hours on a low temperature. I tastes wonderful and makes your whole house smell yummy!
Most home cooks ruin chili by dumping pre-mixed spice packets directly into boiling liquid, which burns the volatile aromatics before they can properly bloom in the fat. Real Texas-style chile con carne historically relied on whole dried pods simmered and pureed rather than powdered shortcuts, establishing a deep foundation of earthy dried chilis rather than stinging heat. Understanding this lineage helps explain why building depth requires careful temperature control and intentional fat rendering in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Render the bacon slowly over medium heat until the fat coats the bottom of a four-quart pot, leaving enough residual grease to sweat the onions without scorching the garlic. Combining paprika, chili powder, and unsweetened cocoa powder directly into the meat mixture allows the fat-soluble compounds in the spices to disperse evenly throughout the ground beef. When adding liquids like beef broth and crushed tomatoes, maintain a gentle low-heat simmer for exactly one hour while stirring every twenty minutes to prevent the thick paste from sticking to the cast-iron base. Adding apple cider vinegar and cocoa powder during the final twenty minutes of uncovered simmering brightens the heavier beef flavors through targeted acid balance. Rest the finished pot off the heat for at least thirty minutes before serving to let the temperature drop below boiling, which allows the emulsified fats to settle and the complex spice notes to fully cohere on the palate.
