Slow Cooker Steakhouse chili is a unique recipe! It has tender steak and a few secret ingredients. Rich and deep in flavor and wonderful topped with Fritos. You know when you are at a steakhouse you are going to have a mean bowl of chili!
This recipe was given to me by a dear friend, I adapted it for the slow cooker so I don’t have to watch a pot on the stovetop.
Why this recipe works
The slow cooker is the perfect vehicle for making chili with steak. Slow cooking all day makes for a tender and flavorful chili that you can beat.
This is one of those recipes that makes life easier. No matter what you have going on during your busy day, you can make this chili. The only prep work involved is to open the cans and dice the onion. The slow cooker does the rest and you have an incredible dinner waiting for you at dinner time. There is nothing better on a chilly night or when you are craving comfort food.
How to make Steakhouse Chili
Ingredients
- Steak or Stew Meat – No ground beef in this recipe! Steak provides an even more hearty flavor than ground beef.
- Taco Seasoning – Taco seasoning is used in this chili recipe instead of chili powder and you won’t believe the difference in flavor! Taco seasoning has more of a cumin flavor than an overpowering chili powder flavor.
- Beef broth– Use beef broth instead of water to make this chili extra beefy.
- Tomato paste – This thickens the recipe.
- Pinto beans – 2 cans, drained and rinsed.
- Fresh Salsa – Note that there aren’t cans of diced tomatoes in this recipe, that’s because we add FRESH (refrigerated style) salsa at the end of the cooking time. Doing this is just like adding fresh tomatoes, onion and cilantro to the chili.
Step By Step Directions
Step 1: Add the ingredients, except the salsa, to the slow cooker. Mix it together well.
Step 2: Cook the chili for 8 hours if cooking on low or 4 hours if cooking on high.
Step 3: When the chili is done cooking, add the salsa and stir well. Let the chili continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until it is warm again.
Step 4: Add Fritos to the top of the chili and serve.
What is the best steak for slow cooker chili
This recipe uses steak instead of ground beef to make the chili. Steak gives it the most amazing flavor and creates a thick filling chili. There are different types of steak you can use.
You can use stew meat, which is usually diced up and ready to go. This is a favorite when it comes to conveniences. You can also use tri-tip, sirloin, rib eye, round steak, or chuck roast – just cut into cubes. Whichever of these meats you have or you can find on sale work great for this recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Leftover prime rib makes the best chili and in fact, many restaurants do just that!
You can make this chili on the stovetop but it takes more work and you need to watch it more. Cook it on low for about 2 hours or until the meat starts to fall apart. Be sure to stir it often while it is cooking so it does not burn to the pan. Do not add the salsa until the end of the cooking time. You may need to add additional broth or water if it evaporates too much.
You can not go wrong with serving cornbread with this chili. You can also serve biscuits or garlic bread. You can also serve chili with a salad or even a salad. We love just serving this chili with Frito chips on top.
This chili will last in the refrigerator for about three days. If you will not finish it before then, you will want to move it to the freezer.
Many people choose to freeze chili. It’s a great way to save for another day or have it on hand when you are too busy to cook one night. This recipe freezes well so it makes the perfect thing to stock your freezer with. It is very easy to freeze this chili. Take two cups of the chili, put it into an airtight container, label it with the date, and freeze. Freeze for up to three months. You can thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or reheat it straight from the freezer.
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Slow Cooker Steak House Chili
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. cubed sirloin or cheap stew meat
- 30 oz. pinto beans drained and rinsed (two 15-oz cans)
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1.25 oz. taco seasoning packet
- 1 white onion diced
- 30 oz. beef broth (two 15-oz. cans)
- 16 oz. container fresh salsa (found in the refrigerated section of the store, not too chunky)
Serving suggestions:
- Fritos (regular kind, not scoops)
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
Instructions:
- Add the beef, drained pinto beans, tomato paste, onion, and taco seasoning to the slow cooker. Pour over the beef broth. Stir. (DO NOT ADD THE SALSA YET).
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Stir in the fresh salsa.
- Cook for 20 minutes longer if desired, just enough to warm it up again. Often my chili is so hot that this doesn't need to be done.
- Serve with fritos on top if desired.
Stove-top Instructions:
- You can make this chili on the stovetop but it takes more work and you need to watch it more. Cook it on low for about 2 hours or until the meat starts to fall apart. Be sure to stir it often while it is cooking so it does not burn to the pan. Do not add the salsa until the end of the cooking time. You may need to add more broth or water if it evaporates too much.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Definitely more brothy than I am used to, but really tasty! Followed recipe, cooked 4 hrs on high, I think next time I will try 8 hr on low. Just have to remember to start it early! I am curious if this has ever been tried in an instant pot? I’m new to that world and wouldn’t know how to convert things. Just in case the “start 8 hours ahead” slips my mind 🙂 because this really is tasty. And makes so much!! Bonus!
I have not tried in the instant pot though I think it would work great.
Quick question – I’ve made this a few times before and I remember it using an au jus packet instead of beef broth. Just wondering why the recipe was changed? We’ve really loved it the times we made it before. I hope the ingredient swap doesn’t change the flavor too much, because it was so delicious!
You can most definitely use half of an au juice packet. I changed it to make it an easier recipe to follow and I didn’t notice a flavor difference honestly. Here is the old version if you want it! https://web.archive.org/web/20200818081812/https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/steakhouse-chili/
I made this chili using both pinto and kidney beans, because I like the variety. I did not drain and rinse the beans. Why should you drain and rinse the beans when there is much flavor in the liquid?….I was delicious !
There is a ton of sodium and starch in the liquid, so it can change the flavor of the recipe. Some canned beans can also take on a ‘tin” flavor in the liquid.
Have you ever noticed how rinsing canned beans produces bubbles? Of course the bubbles are gas from carbs in the liquid.
These are some reasons that a lot of people rinse their canned beans.
Added a cap full of Gravy Master just to darken it up a bit. You could also add 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate too. Sarah, is there really any cheap meat you can still buy at the grocery store? haha Porter house or rib eye steaks for a family of 6 used to be a treat to look forward to. Now it’s a distant memory or a trip to the bank and inquire about re-fi options tp get thru the check out line.