Easy Texas Red Chili (Pressure Cooker) (2024)

Looking for a pressure cooker Texas Red chili? You've come to the right place. Even ifI'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.

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 tablespoonvegetable oil
• 5pounds beef chuck roast, cut into2inch cubes
• 2 teaspoonsfine sea salt
• 2medium onions, diced
• 4cloves garlic, minced
• 2minced chipotles en adobo, with sauce
• ½ teaspoonfine sea salt
• ½ cupchili powder
• 2 tablespoonscumin
• 2 teaspoonsoregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
• 1 cupcoffee (or water, or beer)
• 14.5 ouncecan crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted crushed tomatoes)
• ¼ cupmasa harina (optional)
• Juice of2limes
• 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, amassive 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 fromKenji 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

Print

Pressure Cooker Texas Red Chili Recipe

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 12 reviews

• Author: Mike Vrobel
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 1x

See Also

Gluten-free Spicy Fried Chicken - Marion's Kitchen

Print Recipe

Description

Pressure Cooker Texas Red Chili. A bowl of Texas red, pressure cooker style.

Ingredients

Scale

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 5pounds beef chuck roast, cut into2inch cubes
• 2 teaspoonsfine sea salt
• 2medium onions, diced
• 4cloves garlic, minced
• 2minced chipotles en adobo, with sauce
• ½ teaspoonfine sea salt
• ½ cupchili powder
• 2 tablespoonscumin
• 2 teaspoonsoregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
• 1 cupcoffee (or water, or beer)
• 14.5 ouncecan crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted crushed tomatoes)
• ¼ cupmasa harina (optional)
• Juice of2limes
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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!

Equipment

6-Quart Pressure Cooker

Buy Now →

Flat edged wooden spoon

Buy Now →

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Category: Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: Tex-Mex

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 Pork Chili with Beans
Cincinnati Chili (Instant Pot) Recipe

Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via eMail or RSS reader, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, and buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.