This boilermaker chili is one of the chili recipes to end all chili beans recipe. It’s got it all: ground beef, sausage, beans, tomatoes, garlic, BACON, and BEER. Yep. Got your interest now?
If you can’t decide between a beef chili recipe or a pork chili recipe, if you want a bowl full of nonstop flavor, if you want dynamic texture and good-to-the-last bite deliciousness, my boilermaker chili recipe is calling your name!
I hope you try my Texas Chili, my mom’s Classic Chili, Steak Chili, and White Chicken Chili next. They’re all delicious in different ways, and my mom’s classic chili even has an unusual surprise ingredient!
It’s chili cooking time!
What I Love About Boilermaker Chili
This recipe will win you all the awards at your next chili cookoff. But if you’re looking to just make it for your weeknight dinner, well, it’ll get you all the accolades at the table too!
- Stovetop or Crockpot options
- Flavor for DAYS
- Better with age!
- Bacon! And! Beer!
Boilermaker Chili Ingredients
- Sausage: This recipe has no shortage of meat! One I wanted to note is the Italian sausage. What kind should you use? I like using bulk sausage because there are no casings to remove. You want to be able to break it up and have it evenly distributed throughout the chili.
- Bacon: I like to use real homemade bacon bits. Before I start making my chili, I cook the 4 slices of bacon and crumble it so it’s ready to go into the chili. If you’d prefer, you can use store-bought bacon bits. Bacon bits are not created equal! Make sure you get actual, honest-to-goodness bacon in your bacon bits, not icky chemicals.
- Beer: I’ve tried a few in this boilermaker chili recipe, and my favorite is definitely a stout. It adds a nice rich, dark flavor profile. But if you want a lighter option, you can try an IPA. If you’d like to read about more choices, here’s an interesting article.
- Hot Sauce: On a similar note as the beer — which hot sauce is best? I always go with a classic like Tapatio, but there is an endless array of hot sauces to choose from. From mild to scald-your-throat spicy, get crazy!
- Ground Beef: I like the flavor of 80/20 ground beef best.
- Chili Beans: Use the entire can of beans with their juices.
- Diced Tomatoes + Tomato Paste: Adds the perfect tomato flavor to the chili.
- Onion: Use yellow onion.
- Celery: Adds body and natural saltiness to the chili.
- Bell Peppers: I like the sweeter bell peppers, red, yellow, or orange.
- Jalapeño Peppers: I remove all the ribs and seeds.
- Better Than Bouillon: Fortifies the meaty flavor in the chili.
- Chili Powder: I use a mild commercial chili powder.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds umami and depth of flavor.
- Garlic: I only use fresh garlic. Not the stuff that comes minced in a jar.
- Oregano + Cumin + Basil: The combo of herbs adds just the right herbaceous flavors to the chili.
- Hot Sauce: Use your favorite brand.
- Salt + Pepper: Use regular table salt and cracked black pepper.
- Cayenne Pepper: Adjust the amount to suit your family’s taste for spiciness.
- Optional Toppings:
- Cheddar Cheese
- Fritos
- Red Onions
How to Store and Make Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Weekday lunches or leftover dinner night — this boilermaker chili recipe is a wonder in the fridge because the flavors get better with age! In an airtight container, your chili will last up to four days. And trust me, one bite of chili on the second day after you make it, and you’ll be purposefully aging your chili every batch after!
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, indeed! Frozen chili will keep for up to six months. But! Be sure to thoroughly cool your chili before transferring it to the freezer, and use an airtight container with a good seal.
- Also, I’d hold off on freezing your chili if it has any toppings like crackers or cheese — those tend to through off the texture of your chili, as their freezer-friendliness differs.
- Make-Ahead Tips: This boilermaker chili recipe is not one for the faint of heart! To get all that good, deep flavor, you need at least a few hours of simmering.
- But you know I wouldn’t leave you guys without a slightly faster option! I’ve included a Crockpot alternative below the recipe. It’s much more dump-and-forget and will be happily simmering in your home all day, so all you have to do is come home, ladle it out, and indulge!
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
Serving Recommendations
For our family, cornbread is a must to serve with chili! Try it with jalapeno bacon cornbread, Southern cornbread, or sweet cake-like Bisquick cornbread, If you’re feeling like biscuits instead, you’ll love our huge cat head biscuits, butter swim biscuits, easy-peasy drop Bisquick biscuits.
My hubs like it with a side of Mexican rice, KFC Coleslaw, or my southwest salad.
How To Make Boilermaker Chili
- Brown the ground beef and the sausage.
- Add the chili beans, vegetables, canned tomatoes and tomato paste, bacon, and bouillon.
- Pour in the beer.
- Stir in the herbs and spices.
- Cover and simmer. Adjust the seasonings.
- Serve and add the toppings.
***See the full instructions below.
More Great Chili Recipes
- Hot Dog Chili
- Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Turkey Chili
- Green Chicken Chili
- Frito Pie
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Chili Dog Casserole
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Boilermaker Chili
Boilermaker chili brings chili cookoff goodness to your dinner table. It's got it all: ground beef, sausage, beans, tomatoes, garlic, bacon, and beer!
Servings: 12 People
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 3 (15-ounce) cans chili beans, undrained
- 1 (15-ounce) can chili beans, in spicy sauce
- 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 green bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon~Beef Flavor
- 1 cup beer
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Toppings
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups Fritos, crushed
- 1 cup red onions, minced
Instructions
- For Stovetop:
- In a large stockpot, over medium-high heat, crumble while browning the beef (2 pounds) and sausage (1 pound) until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
- Add chili beans (4 cans), canned tomatoes (2 cans), and tomato paste (1 can) and stir. Then add onion (1), celery (3 stalks), green (1) and red bell peppers (2), jalapeno pepper (1), crumbled bacon (4), bouillon (2 tablespoons), and beer (1 cup). Stir in the season with chili powder (1/4 cup), Worcestershire sauce (1 tablespoon), garlic (1 tablespoon), oregano (1 tablespoon), cumin (2 teaspoons), hot sauce (2 teaspoons), basil (1 teaspoon), salt (1 1/2 teaspoons), pepper (1/2 teaspoon), cayenne (1/4 teaspoon), and sugar (1 teaspoon). Stir to combine, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- After 2 hours, taste and adjust salt, black pepper, and chili powder, if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the more the flavors will develop. NOTE: The chili will also thicken as it sits overnight.
- Remove from heat and serve or cool, then refrigerate and serve the next day. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese, Fritos, and red onions
For Crockpot:
- In a large stockpot, over medium-high heat, crumble while browning the beef and sausage until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
- Add the rest of the chili ingredients, as in step 2 above, simmered in a crockpot on Low for 6-8 hours.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/12 of the recipe | Calories: 799kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 1477mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 659IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 3mg
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An Ohio State grad gave me this recipe! I am a Purdue grad. This chili is the best I have ever had. You can add more or less heat to it. It freezes well. Everyone loves it!
Hey Joni, I;m so glad you enjoyed this chili! Thanks for leaving a comment and the 5-star rating!!
Awesome! My son is a Buckeye as well. We would rename this Big 10 Chili, but our appreciation is to the Boilermaker Nation for creating this fabulous chili recipe!
Boilermaker Chili recipe is my Go To recipe when I want to make Good chili for a party or to just make ahead and freeze. It’s delicious and different every time depending on what I have on hand, I like to make it in my cast iron Dutch Oven and reheat in the oven
Hi, Cheryl! That’s awesome! I’m glad you liked it. Nothing beats a yummy chili, right? 🙂
Thank you for the positive feedback.
I have made this chili for years. Here is my hack to the receipe. do only 1 lbs of ground beef and 1 lbs of italian sausage and add 2-3 boneless pork chops, I cook this all day on high and the pork chops will just fall apart and are really tender and add a lot of different texture to the chili.
That sounds so perfect, Thomas! Thank you for sharing.
DELICIOUS!! I added two cans of Hatch’s green chilis (mild) and an additional can of spicy chili beans. I upped the bacon quantity to maybe a cup and a half. I added a couple of dashes of Liquid Smoke, a little smoked paprika, and a bit more Frank’s Hot Sauce than the recipe called for. I’m definitely going to make this again!
Woot! Loving your tweaks, Jessica! ?
LOVE Chili!
Thank you, Traci! Enjoy! 😀