Shiner Bock Beer Chili
Hearty Shiner Bock Beer Chili makes the perfect wintertime meal that the whole family will love. Comforting to the core, this twist on classic beef and beer chili recipe highlights the spicy/sweet of chili en adobo and a well-loved lager. Makes 6-8 servings.
You know those days where you work and work and work and get a lot of your tasks done, but don’t complete everything?
That’s the story of my life, and apparently has been for a long while, even though I can admit that I knew nothing about being busy before I had kids. 😉
Why I love this recipe:
This Beer Chili recipe is one we’ve come to love over the last several years because it is so darn comforting and incredibly easy to make. In fact, if you have about 30-45 minutes of time, I promise you can make this goodness, too.
While this chili calls for Shiner Bock, a beloved beer, you can certainly use your favorite dark local beer that’s not a stout. (I think a stout would give this chili a little bit too much, but you do you.)
Whether you serve this chili for a game day celebration, a weeknight dinner for your family or even a casual gathering with friends, it’s sure to fill bellies and make your people happy.
Other comfort food recipes we adore: Chicken Pot Pie / Chili Cheese Biscuits / Instant Pot French Onion Soup / Chili Cornbread Pot Pies / Turkey Tortilla Soup / Beef and Buffalo Chili / Texas Chili
Looking for another dish to serve for dinner? Check out my Entrees recipe index for inspiration.
What you need to make this recipe
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- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Dutch Oven
- Cheese grater (if you want to serve cheese with your chili)
In addition to these tools, you’re going to need some ingredients, too:
- Olive oil—or an unflavored oil, like vegetable, canola or even avocado oil.
- Onion—yellow onions are my go-to for a homemade chili, but you could also use a white onion if you have one of those on hand
- Garlic—this adds so much flavor! Please don’t skip it!
- Seasonings—kosher salt (medium grain is my go-to), chili powder and dried oregano all go in to this chili recipe
- Tomato paste—we aren’t using a ton, so I suggest purchasing tomato paste in a tube so you can save the rest of it in your fridge.
- Chipotle chile en adobo and adobo sauce—you can usually find these smoky chiles in the aisle of the grocery store that has rice and beans. They’re normally next to the beans, and they add an incredible amount of flavor to this chili recipe, so please try to find them.
- Ground beef—I prefer to use 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef, as you want that extra fat and don’t necessarily want to use a super lean cut of beef.
- Shiner Bock Beer—or your favorite amber or bock-style beer
- Whole peeled tomatoes—I’ve also used tomato puree and crushed tomatoes in a pinch
- Kidney beans—listen, I know beans in chili are controversial, but I like how they add a different texture to the mix. Be sure that you’re using canned beans. You could swap kidney beans with pinto beans if you’ve got those on hand, too.
Please note that you can season your chili with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
Garnishes for beer chili:
The world is your oyster when it comes to garnishes for homemade chili, and I know so many people have so many opinions on this.
Here are a few ideas of different things you can use:
- Cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Green onions or chives
- Avocado slices
How to Make Beer Chili on the Stovetop
You’re going to use a large Dutch oven for this recipe, so get our your biggest one.
A word of advice before we get started: Before you turn on the stovetop, prep your ingredients. This means chopping the onion and the garlic, as well as the chipotle chili pepper and the whole tomatoes. (You could technically throw in the tomatoes and break them up with the spoon, but it requires a longer cooking time so they break down more.)
Once you’ve got all your ingredients ready to go, turn on the heat to medium-high and drizzle in the oil.
When the oil is shimmering, add the onion and garlic. Season ’em immediately with chili powder and oregano. You’re going to cook these until soft and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes. You do not want them to get much color, nor do you want them to crisp up, so keep and eye on ’em and stir constantly.
Add the tomato paste and the chipotle chile with the adobo sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
I know this process seems a little counterintuitive, but we’re building the flavors by adding the onion and garlic, the spices and flavors before the meat hits the pan.
Once the flavors have melded, it’s time to add the ground beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, and cook until the meat is brown and crumbly.
At this point, pour in the beer. Simmer until the beer has reduced by half, and then throw in the chopped tomatoes with their juices, as well as the broth and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Cook the chili uncovered until it’s thick and delicious.
Serve warm with your favorite garnishes!
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips and Tricks
If you’ve never had a CHILI NIGHT with friends, you’ve got to change that immediately!
This beer chili recipe is easily doubled or tripled for a crowd… and it’s great to serve because it’s both versatile and easy to make.
Here are some things you can do when planning to entertain with this chili recipe:
- Prep your ingredients in advance. If you know you’re making it on a weeknight, chop your ingredients the night before. It’ll be quicker this way.
- Make the whole thing in advance if you won’t have time the day you’re hosting friends. This recipe cooks up really easily. You could make it in the morning, then keep it in the slow cooker on LOW all day to stay warm.
- Go wild with the toppings! Everyone likes something different with their chili, so offer your favorite toppings and theirs. We love to have a bowl of sour cream, chives, a ton of shredded cheese and even avocado slices to offer dinner guests.
Frequently Asked Questions
I suggest an amber beer if you don’t have Shiner Bock on hand. You don’t want one that has floral notes or anything that’s too sweet because it could throw off the flavors of the chili. That said, you could use a stout with chocolate/coffee undertones because it will pair well with heat from the chipotle en adobo. However, I’ve never tried that before.
We keep ours in food-safe containers in the fridge for up to a week. (However, it never lasts that long!)
Yes. Use your favorite freezer bags or storage containers and freeze for up to three months.
If you don’t drink or are serving folks who don’t drink, substitute 12 oz. of chicken stock for the beer.
Yes! We’ve made this several times with ground turkey and chicken. Since those meats are leaner, I feel like their flavors are less intense, but you certainly can use them if you don’t eat red meat.
I chop each chipotle individually and place it with a little bit of adobo sauce into an ice cube tray. Freeze them, and once frozen, pop them out of the tray and place in a freezer-safe container for storage until the next time you make this chili or another dish that calls for a chipotle en adobo.
What dishes should I serve alongside this beer chili recipe?
- Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos would be a delicious appetizer to warm up your guests’ palates for the heat and smokiness of this chili
- Easy Homemade Cornbread pairs beautifully (and makes a fabulous dipper, too)
- A Spicy Bloody Beer Cocktail, which I normally consider a breakfast drink, would be super tasty alongside this spicy chili
Shiner Bock Chili
Ingredients
Chili
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped (about 2 cups)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 chipotle chile en adobo finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce found in the can with the chile en adobo
- 1 lb. ground beef 80/20 or 85/15 works beautifully
- 12 oz. Shiner Bock Beer
- 28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes and their juices
- 1 cup chicken stock low-sodium
- 15 oz. kidney beans rinsed and drained
Garnishes
- Cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Green onions or chives
- Avocado slices
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Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder and oregano and cook, stirring until softened and fragrant. (About 5-10 minutes.)
- Stir in the tomato paste and the chipotle chile with its sauce. Cook the ingredients for 5 minutes.
- Add the beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon (or a rubber spatula), and cook until the meat is browned. This will take around 10 minutes.
- Add the beer and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Chop the tomatoes, then add them and the juices they let out in the chopping process to the Dutch oven. Alternately, add the tomatoes whole with their juices and break/smash them with the wooden spoon. (This method will require you to cook them longer, but it also works!)
- Add the broth and the beans, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cook, uncovered, until thickened.
- Serve warm with the garnish of your choosing.
Notes
Nutrition
The photos and recipe for this Shiner Bock Chili were originally published on February 4, 2013. The post was republished on February 24, 2020.
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
HI Erin, I love my chili served on top of mashed potatoes with sour cream, grated cheddar and sliced scallions as toppers! Let me know if you try it…. ss
Hey Susan! I love that you like chili on top of mashed potatoes — I do that sometimes, too! And all your toppers sound delightful, as well! I’ll have to give them a go when I make chili for my sister and her friends this week. Thanks for sharing and stopping by!
Great Erin, it will definitely fill the bill on a freezing cold Colorado night! ss
Thanks, Susan. It definitely DID fit the bill and was delicious to boot!
Where was this recipe over the weekend??? I totally came here searching for a chili recipe, before deciding on a different one! In any case, it’s a long and cold winter in Chicago, so I’ll surely be trying this recipe in the near future! Also, I’m gonna call you out on the prep time … I’m going to bet it takes me longer than 10 minutes to get everything together, measured and ready for cooking!!! Heck, it takes me 10 minutes to cut up an onion, given how much they make me cry! hahaha.
Haha. This recipe was queued up for Monday, that’s where it was. 😉 Sorry it wasn’t here when you were searching for it, but I hope that you DO make it this winter and that it’s delicious for you. And haha. My sister said the same thing about the prep time when she read the recipe. I don’t know if it’s something where I can chop, measure and put everything into a pot in a quick amount of time or what, but next time I make this, I’ll time myself to be sure. Haha.
I’m totally in a chili mood and almost made some last night. Now your post really is getting me in the mood for chili so I have no excuses anymore. I have never tried chili with beer but I always get people telling me to try it out 😛
Isn’t it funny how a random chili mood can get just you and then you need it? I find that happens to me, too, and it’s not super cold where I live, either. I totally recommend trying chili with beer. It’s an awesome addition, in my opinion, and it’s darn tasty!
Beautiful chilli! I’m assuming the beer can be switched with broth, right? My week has been pretty rough so yeah, probably just need a really really quiet time at home curled up on the sofa in a blanket right now.
Thanks, Jayne! And yes, I’m sure you could swap beer with broth if you didn’t want to cook with it. I’ve never tried that before, but I’m sure it would still be delicious.
Aww. I hope your week is getting better and that you’ve had that quiet time at home! Sometimes, that’s the best kind of way to deal with a bad day.
You sure had a busy day. Hope you’re enjoying your trip meeting up with your sister. Your chili recipe looks and sounds fantastic. Can’t wait to try it.
Monday was super busy, haha. Thanks so much, Amy. I am thoroughly enjoying my trip so far, and we enjoyed the chili on Monday evening.
I hope you’re doing well. If you happen to try the chili, I’d love to know what you think!
I’ve actually never made chili before. No kidding, but I love this recipe! Shiner bock? OKAY! Heart your face.
Umm, this needs to happen. Because beer in chili is one of my favorite things, and I hope it’s one of yours, too. Heart your face, too!
You sure had a busy day. Hope you’re enjoying your trip meeting up with your sister. Your chili recipe looks and sounds fantastic. Can’t wait to try it.
Those toppings look amazing!
Looks amazing! You can’t beat a good chili!!
Wow, 3 posts in one day? I’m impressed! And it’s been cold here this week, so this chili looks perfect to me!
This chili looks awesome! I love the flavor that beer adds to food; especially a Texas one! 😉
Best Chili ever! I love Shiner Bock!
Now that is some good looking chili! And I love that beer is the featured ingredient.
This is the perfect season for this quick homemade shiner bock chili. It looks delicious!
Phew, I’m glad to see that despite your Texas location, you still include beans in your chili! I can’t get behind the traditional Texas bean-less chili – it seems so… empty! I love love love chiplotle in adobo sauce, but I always forget exactly how much heat they bring – I put four into a roasted red pepper soup tonight and let’s just say it’s a good thing we all love spicy around here because whew.
My husband would LOVE this. (And so would I 🙂 ) But he just loves Shiner. I can’t wait to tell him about it!
I cant believe I haven’t put beer in my chili before… what a great idea!
That is one beautiful bowl of chili Erin!
What a great looking bowl of chili.
Isn’t this just the perfect time now to enjoy chili? This looks really hearty and full of goodness. Love the photography.
Isn’t this just the perfect time now to enjoy chili? This looks really hearty and full of goodness. Love the photography.
This has become my go-to recipe for beer chili, but there’s one thing I always question. After chopping the tomatoes recipe says to add them and their juice to the chili. Is that just the juice accumulated from the chopped tomatoes? Or the accumulated chopping juice + the remaining juices from the can?
This has become my go-to recipe for beer chili, but there’s one thing I always question. After chopping the tomatoes recipe says to add them and their juice to the chili. Is that just the juice accumulated from the chopped tomatoes? Or the accumulated chopping juice + the remaining juices from the can?
Hi Theresa! I’m so happy to hear this has become your go-to recipe for beer chili. 🙂 Thanks for leaving your question, too, as it’s going to help me make this recipe more clear. The juice I mention is the juice accumulated from the chopped tomatoes, not from the can.
I’m going to go specify that in the recipe for anyone else who might be wondering.
Thanks for the comment, and I hope you and yours continue to enjoy this chili!
Making this right now. I needed to add much more chili powder, adobe chili’s & sauce, plus cumin to this recipe. I also tripled the amount of tomato paste