Beer Brat Chili Recipe
Servings 8 servings
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- To serve, spoon chili into soup bowls and top with shredded cheese, chopped red onion and sauerkraut.
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.