Topper Chili
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Need a pot of chili that’ll feed a crowd? This Topper Chili recipe combines ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, and a mix of peppers for a hearty bowl with plenty of kick. A little lime brightens things up, and an hour on the stove gives those flavors time to come together. It makes about two gallons, so invite some friends over!
The name comes from the recipe creator’s West Liberty Hilltopper roots, but there’s another reason it fits: this chili makes a great hot dog topper. Spoon some on, add slaw, onions, and mustard, and you’ve got a West Virginia favorite. Of course, a big bowl with your favorite toppings works just fine, too.
If you enjoy this one, check out our Competition-Style Texas Chili or browse the rest of our CCC recipes for something to cook next.
- Prep time
- 2 hrs
- Yield
- 2 Gallons
Ingredients
For the Chili Paste:
- 2-28 ounce cans whole plum tomatoes, divided
- 1/2 cup Franks RedHot
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1/4 cup cumin
- 1 tablespoon cayenne
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- 1/2 cup beef stock
For the Chili:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 cup garlic, minced
- 3 cups onion, minced
- 2 jalapeños, minced
- 1 poblano, minced
- 3-15.5 ounce cans kidney beans, drained
- 2-28 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup beef stock , divided
Instructions
- Make the paste: In a blender, add tomatoes, hot sauce, spices, lime juice and zest, and blend until smooth. It will be thick. Set aside.
- Make the Chili: In a large Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook until it’s well browned and starting to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic, onion, jalapeños and the half the minced poblano, and cook until the onions turn translucent and start to stick.
- Stir in drained kidney beans and cook until they start to stick too. Deglaze with ½ cup stock, scraping everything on the bottom of the pot. Add the paste and keep stirring until it turns a deep, rusty red.
- Deglaze a second time by adding diced tomatoes. Rinse the blender with the remaining ½ cup stock and add that to the pot. Simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring often, until the chili is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add salt to taste. Add to bowls and sprinkle the reserved minced poblanos over top and serve.