You guys, it’s finally cooling off here in San Diego, and I’m so excited to start transitioning to those cozy fall meals.
Hearty and satisfying, this Beer Brat Chili recipe is so simple to prepare and packed with rich, chile flavor. Imagine a brat sitting in a bun, topped with chili, cheese and sauerkraut. This soup is a similar experience (just without the bun!). Start by cooking onion, garlic and bell pepper in olive oil until tender, then stir in ground pork. The pork adds some good flavor and texture to the soup as it simmers. Next, chile powder and cumin sizzle with the pork and aromatics before chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, oregano and white beans are added to the mix. Finally, beer-infused brats are grilled until golden, sliced and added to the chili during the last 30 minutes of cooking. The soup is finished with grated cheddar, chopped red onion and a bit of tangy sauerkraut. The kraut helps to balance the richness of the soup, so don’t skip it! I could seriously eat bowl after bowl of this chili. It’s so darn good. Continue reading for the recipe.
I partnered with Johnsonville on this recipe to help spread the word about their new Johnsonville Sizzling Sausage Grill. It’s a table-top grill that cooks brats (and other sausages) to golden perfection. Simply place brats in the sausage-shaped wells straight from the fridge. Close the lid, hit start, and in 15 minutes, you’ve got perfectly cooked brats! In this chili recipe, I am using Johnsonville Beer’n Bratwurst to add another layer of beer flavor to the soup. The brats are cooked first in the grill to get that golden flavor, then finished in the soup, so they can soak up all that chile goodness.
Hot Italian sausages are frequent add-ins to our pot of Sunday tomato sauce, so this grill will definitely get some good use. I love how it evenly cooks the sausage all around without the use of oil! If you want to get one of these grills for yourself, be sure to check out the link above and use the coupon code sizzle2 to get $20 off.
Jorge and I are not big football fans; however we LOVE Game Day food. Chili, guac, layered dips, burgers, hot dogs, and so on! We’ve been known to throw Game Day parties in the past just to enjoy the food with friends 😉 This Beer Brat Chili would be a perfect addition to any Game Day party. I would recommend cooking it on the stove top in a cast iron pot, and then transferring it to a slow cooker to keep warm during the party. Set out big bowls of grated cheddar, chopped onions and sauerkraut, so guests can add to taste. The flavor of the chili is even better the next day, so you can totally prepare this in advance and just warm up right before everyone arrives.
Beer Brat Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 tablespoons chili powder*
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 43 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices (that's 1 big can and 1 smaller can)
- 2 15 ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 12 ounce bottle beer (use what you've got on hand)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 package (1 lb 3 oz. ) Johnsonville Beer'n Bratwurst
Toppings: shredded cheddar, chopped red onion, sauerkraut
Instructions
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Warm oil in a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are tender but not brown (5 - 6 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add the ground pork, and cook until browned all over. I like to get all the meat in the pan, stir to combine, and then let sit for a few minutes to really get some brown color. If you continuously move the meat around, no caramelization will occur. You won't get that much dark brown color here, but even just a little bit will help with flavor.
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Stir in chili powder and cumin, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes with juices, beans, tomato paste, beer, oregano,salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer then reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for an hour.
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Meanwhile, cook brats using the Johnsonville Sausage Grill. This takes about 15 minutes. Let the brats rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 3/4-inch slices. Stir in the brats into the chili during the last 30 minutes of cooking. To finish the soup, season to taste with salt.
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To serve, spoon chili into soup bowls and top with shredded cheese, chopped red onion and sauerkraut.
Recipe Notes
*When making chili, I love using a mixture of chile powders to add depth of flavor. If you don't have access to these types of chile powders (or they are super expensive), you could definitely use the spice labeled "Chili Powder." Just keep in mind that chili powders usually have other things mixed in like garlic and oregano, so the end result might taste a little different.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville. The opinions and text are all mine.
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Jenny (VintageSugarcube) says
You are sooo right! This is just what I need in the cool Cali evening weather. But I definitely ain’t complaining about temp dropping.
Brandon Matzek says
Me too!! Yeah I’ve been loving these cool days.
Melinda says
Hello I recently read on one of your posts(which I can’t find) you mentioned a slow cooker that you use? Wondering if you a let me know the name of that brand. Thanks
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Melinda, I’ve got two that I’m using right now. The first is an All-Clad: http://amzn.to/2duG1VA It doesn’t seem to be getting good reviews, but I’ve never had any issues with it. And it’s beautiful!! The second is an Instant Pot: http://amzn.to/2e7MR4s It’s a newer purchase, and I’m still getting used to the heat and settings. Very highly rated!
Kate says
Brandon-
I have pinned this recipe and people are pinning it off of my page like crazy! Can’t wait for our Indian summer to go in Indiana to try it. Love your blog. The watermelon panzanella was amazing!
Kate
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Kate!! So glad you liked the panzanella, and let me know how this chili turns out 🙂 I’m craving it again now!!
Rony Jahid says
It was an amazing recipe for friends & family parties. You mentioned that, if I don`t have mixture of chile powders than I could definitely use the spice labeled “Chili Powder.. Could you please tell me, it will be the same ratio as chile powder & how much expensive this chile powder?
Brandon Matzek says
So glad you liked the chili!! And yes, you can make a directly substitution with Chili Powder – same ratio. Pricing on chile powders can vary. I like to get it from a bulk bin, so it’s cheaper. You also might be able to find cheap chile power in the Mexican section of your grocery store (rather than the spice section).
Rony Jahid says
Thank you very much #Brandon for your valuable time to reply me, Also thank you for the given informative suggestion, I am one of regular reader of your blog post, hopefully to get some interesting post soon, I have started blogging on relevant topic of food. Hopefully your suggestion and assistance will help me a lot.
Kristina says
This chili recipe has seriously just become my favorite! I made it for a chili cook-off at work and it was a huge hit! The flavor development is amazing in this dish. Wow!
Brandon Matzek says
YES!! Thanks for sharing Kristina. Glad you like the recipe 🙂