It’s that time of year again, packing away the swim suits and tank tops and pulling out the sweaters and hoodies. There’s a chill in the night air, the days are getting shorter, football is on the tv and it’s got me craving some Good Ol’ comfort food. And there’s no better comfort food than a nice warm bowl of hearty chili…not too spicy, but just enough to warm you up.
“Everyone I know has their own recipe. The chili I grew up eating always had lots of beans, meat and tomato sauce…but now being on keto, we need to omit the beans, and limit the amount of tomatoes, without sacrificing the flavor or texture of your traditional chili. Easier said than done”.
But with a little inspiration from our friends over in Texas, and a few little tips and tricks to extract maximum flavor in minimum time, you’ll be glad you stopped by. How do we get the hearty texture of chili without the beans? Well… I use 2 different types of meat.
Ground Beef – This is your typical chili meat. I like to use a 75/25 grade of beef, because you want something that has a decent amount of fat.
Cubed Pork – Not only will this give it a huge bump in flavor, but this is what’s going to replace that texture that you’re used to from the beans.
This is a style of Chili that is popular in Texas, where using beans is mostly frowned upon.
KITCHEN TIP:
For a flavor boost and to make it even more of a Texas Chili, use cubed up Beef Brisket instead of the cubed pork. However you will need to cook the chili for an extra couple of hours, or until brisket is tender.
That’s the reason we initially went with the pork for speed.
A great chili that’s full of flavor usually has to be cooked over a period of several hours, but with this unusual tip that I learned from a restaurant I worked at in Australia, you’re going to have the most flavorful Chili in less than an hour.
Now you’re going to think I’m crazy when you hear the secret ingredients that I throw in this Chili to quickly boost that flavor, but you gotta trust me on this one.
Here it goes….Fish Sauce and Coconut Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce IF it doesn’t offend your keto)
But they’re Asian ingredients right, not something that you put in a Chili?
I first came across this tip used in both a stew and also in a spaghetti meat sauce. At first I thought they were crazy, surely you’re going to taste it in there… Nope you don’t at all.
Fish Sauce and Liquid Aminos are high in what they call Umami.
Umami is what gives things a rich, savory, meaty flavor. Foods that are naturally high in Umami flavor are Parmesan Cheese, browned meats, ketchup, and for all the Aussies out there…Vegemite(which also works well in stews or chili’s in small doses may I ad).
These 2 additions are going to quickly boost the rich, meaty flavor in your chili, that usually can only be replicated by hours and hours of slow cooking. So not only are you getting an awesome tasting Chili, but you’re getting it in record time. And if you’re anything like me, you want it NOW! There’s nothing like watching the game with a warm bowl of Chili.
YOU CAN NOW FOLLOW ALONG THE STEPS TO MAKING THIS RECIPE WITH US, IN THE VIDEO BELOW!!
Also pair it with some fantastic Southern Cornbread…Our great friend Neisha, from Neisha Loves It, has a great Keto Southern Cornbread Recipe here.
See bottom of the page for a great LEFTOVERS idea!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound ground beef (I use 75/25)
- 1 pound pork cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup green pepper(capsicum) finely diced
- 3 tspn minced garlic – fresh or paste is fine
- 3 TBSP tomato paste
- 3 TBSP bacon grease/lard/manteca/olive oil (these are my preferences in order of flavor)
CHILI LIQUID SEASONING:
- 3 cups beef bone broth
- 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBSP fish sauce
- 1/2 TBSP coconut liquid aminos (or soy sauce IF it doesn’t offend your keto)
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
CHILI SPICE BLEND
- 2 1/2 TBSP chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika – normal is fine also
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1.5 tsp of our Sazon Recipe or 1 sachet of GOYA Sazon(If it doesn’t offend your keto)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp of our our Adobo Seasoning Recipe or GOYA Adobo Seasoning
*** OR IF YOU’VE MADE OUR CHILI SPICE BLEND IN BULK – USE 2.5 TBSP PER POUND OF MEAT ***
In a large jug, mix all the liquid ingredients and stir to combine. In a small bowl, mix all dry spices together and set both aside.
- In a large pan or dutch oven, heat your choice of oil on medium heat until very hot.
- Add both meats and sear until meat is browned.
- Turn heat down to medium, add onions and green peppers and saute until softened, about 10 minutes, then add minced garlic and stir for a further 1 minute.
- Make a well in the center of pan and add tomato paste and saute it for about 1 minute until it darkens in color, then stir into the meat mixture until combined.
- Sprinkle the spice blend over the top of the meat and combine until incorporated, about another minute. Don’t worry about the stuff sticking on the bottom, that’s called the fond, that is pure flavor.
- Add liquid seasoning into the pot and stir, be sure to scrape up all that fond on the bottom at the same time, until it comes to a rapid boil, then reduce heat and bring it down to a low simmer for about 45 minutes.
Garnish and Serve! I like grated cheese, sour cream and an avocado for freshness
Cooking Keto With Faith 
Yummy. Making it now. Halting the recipe. Can you tell me the macros please
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Hi Candis, the macros are as follows per serving: 5g Net Carbs, 27g fat, 54 g protein, 495 Calories.
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Naive question, what is your recommendation for serving size so that I can plan my macros?
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About 1 1/2 to 2 cups per serving that’s approx.
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Total carbs?
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Total carbs?
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But how many servings does this recipe make
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It says it on the bottom of the recipe…5 servings
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Absolutely Delicious. So happy I found this recipe. My husband stuffed himself he liked so much. Thanks for sharing.
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Glad you liked it!!
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Can this be made in a slow cooker?
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As long as the meats are seared off first, I don’t see why not.
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I have this on the stove top now. Christmas Eve prep. My husband commented from the other room how good this smells. This is my fourth time making it. It is the tastiest and heartiest chili recipe. Thank you again Melissa. Now onto the jam jar cheese cake!😋
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I just made this chili, I can honestly say it is the most flavorful Keto meal I have made since starting this journey mid-April! I didn’t have enough bone broth, so I used chicken bone broth also.
I doubled the recipe to feed my lg family.
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So if I wanted to triple this recipe is it just as easy as tripling all the ingredients or is it more complicated than that ?
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Hi Tim, yes you can, maybe just reserve some of the seasoning and some of the stock, and taste as you go along and adjust the seasoning and liquid….you don’t want it too liquid or too salty either….but I’ve doubled it with no problems. Let us know how you go with it!
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When you double it do you double every ingredient?
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Could you possibly make a link to the recipe for gat can be printed? It’s hard to follow when your phone keeps going dark and you have to put your code in so you can get back to the recipe
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Not “gat”. Supposed to be “so that it”
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I made your chili today and the flavors were amazing! Great combination of spices. I served it with Neisha’s cornbread which was also a new recipe for me. Both are winners for sure!
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Several questions …. Green pepper …Bell ? , what kind of pork ?
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Yes green bell pepper or capsicum if you’re Australian. However, if you like it spicier feel free to use fresh jalapeno or poblano.
For the pork, any boneless cut is fine, we used a boneless pork chops in this recipe and diced it into 1/2 inch cubes.
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Being a Texasnative, born and breed I am going to try your take on chili this weekend. In my non keto days I have no problem with beans sometime in my chili, it just makes a dish heartier.
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Made this recipe using ground pork in place of cubed pork. AWESOMENESS! This was easy and satisfying – didn’t miss the beans at all. I liked that I could eat chili without the gas later, lol. But seriously, fantastic recipe. Look forward to trying others.
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So glad you enjoyed it!
I love seeing people making little tweaks to make it “Their Own”
That’s what it’s all about!
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I’m going to make this today:). The link for the fish sauce isn’t working. Can you tell me what kind you recommend?
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viet huong – 3 crabs fish sauce is what I use
https://amzn.to/3qCftbg
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I’ll need to double this next time so we have more for chili dogs😜
Even my picky nephew loved this. Neisha’s “corn bread” was the perfect side…I added shredded pepper jack to it…Great Sunday supper for Superbowl!!!
I’m a fan!!! 💕
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Glad you like it Michelle!!
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Has anyone tried this in the instant pot?
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Not as of yet, I would assume you may have to lower the liquid slightly though. Let us know how it turns out.
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I made a few changes, doubled all the ingredients, because I used 1lb hamburger, 1lb pork chop, 1lb diced steak, 1lb shredded chicken breast and 1lb bacon. Also added 1 can fire roasted tomatoes and 1 can mild Rotel. This was the best chili I have ever eaten and this will be added into regular rotation for me.
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Absolutely fantastic, that’s what we want you to do, take our recipe as a base, and make it your own.
I’m originally from the mid-west, and I sometimes find myself adding rotel in it also to give that more familiar chili feel.
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Why is it so salty? How do I reduce the saltiness?
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If it’s too salty, it probably overly reduced. When sauces reduce too much it concentrates the flavor, especially the salt. However you can also lower the seasonings to your liking.
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