12th Man Chili–a rich and hearty Instant Pot or Crockpot chili with beef stew meat, tomatoes and kidney beans.
12th Man Chili
Today’s recipe is an adaptation of 12th Man Chili from Buy This Cook That. The inspiration is Texas A&M which is home to the 12th man. This chili recipe is a perfect tailgating recipe or watching football recipe. It tastes so good loaded up with all the fun toppings like sour cream, green onions, Fritos and shredded cheese. The leftovers are great over baked potatoes or on top of hot dogs. I do have to say the leftovers are better than the first night…the flavor seems to get better over time.
This recipe may be controversial because I put kidney beans in it. I know some people don’t like beans in their chili and don’t think they belong. I love beans so I did put them in my chili but you can totally leave them out if you’d like!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Bacon
- Beef stew meat–or chuck roast cut into cubes
- Seasoned salt
- Onion–or shallot
- Minced garlic–or 1 tsp of garlic powder/granulated garlic
- Water
- Better than Bouillon Beef Base
- Tomato paste
- Chili powder
- Brown sugar
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Pepper
- Crushed tomatoes
- Rotel–diced tomatoes with green chiles. I use mild.
- Kidney beans–optional. Or pinto beans.
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says hot add in the bacon and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces and set on a paper towel lined plate.
Add the stew meat into the Instant Pot and brown in the bacon grease for about 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle in the seasoned salt. Add in the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Dump in the bouillon, tomato paste, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, paprika, pepper, crushed tomatoes, Rotel and beans. Don’t stir.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 20 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting.
Stir in the bacon. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, Fritos, cilantro or green onions and shredded cheese. A side of cornbread is always welcome with chili.
- If you like extra meaty chili use 1 ½ pound of stew meat instead of 1 pound.
- Feel free to leave out the beans if you don’t like them.
- If you like heat then try adding in a couple of diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. That will spice things up quickly!
- This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Another recipe you can make with beef stew meat is Instant Pot Cheater Beef Stew.
More Instant Pot Chili Recipes…
Instant Pot Killer White Chili
This Instant Pot killer white chili is full of tender pieces of chicken, along with dried navy beans, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, cream cheese and a special ingredient that gives it tons of flavor–salsa verde. It’s an excellent, intensely flavored white chili that’s great for a party.
Instant Pot Texas Roadhouse Chili
Easy ground beef chili with lots of flavor and very little work. Make this copycat recipe at home in your Instant Pot or Crockpot.
Instant Pot Wendy’s Chili
An easy copycat version of Wendy’s chili that you can make in the Instant Pot or the Crockpot.
Instant Pot Hillbilly Chili
A flavorful and easy chili recipe with spaghetti noodles in it! Make it fast in your Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Chili
A slightly sweet and slightly spicy chili that comes together quickly with the help of your Instant Pot. It’s the perfect supper for a chilly evening or for watching football. Don’t forget all your favorite toppings!
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
12th Man Chili
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A rich and hearty Instant Pot or Crockpot chili with beef stew meat, tomatoes and kidney beans.
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of bacon, cut into half inch pieces
- 1 pound beef stew meat
- 1/4 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp Better than Bouillon Beef Base
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (10 oz) can Rotel
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says hot add in the bacon and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces and set on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add the stew meat into the Instant Pot and brown in the bacon grease for about 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle in the seasoned salt. Add in the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Dump in the bouillon, tomato paste, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, paprika, pepper, crushed tomatoes, Rotel and beans. Don’t stir.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 20 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting.
- Stir in the bacon. Serve and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the bacon and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces and set on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add the stew meat into the pan and brown in the bacon grease for about 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle in the seasoned salt. Add in the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the water, bouillon, tomato paste, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, paprika, pepper, crushed tomatoes, Rotel and beans.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Stir in the bacon. Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Leave a Reply