Crack Open A Can Of Beer And Pour It In One Classic Comfort Food

Many years ago, I discovered a recipe for chili that my family loved, so it's been in my recipe binder for decades now. Honestly, when chili is on the menu, it's the only one I make. It includes the usual suspects: ground beef, onions, peppers, beans, and lots of spices, plus a bottle of beer. I made this recipe once for my in-laws, who told me they'd never heard of putting beer in chili, and I was a little surprised; it had become so common to me that I never thought twice about using it. But while there are lots of ingredients that can elevate chili, adding a brewski to this comfort food is a winning move.

First and foremost, beer adds flavor – malty, robust, nuanced flavor — to a pot of chili. Furthermore, it is excellent for deglazing your pan. After you've sautéed your base veggies, browned your meat, and toasted your spices, you'll have a good bit of caramelized, flavorful bits on the bottom of the pot, and pouring in a beer helps to release all that flavor into your chili. 

Depending on how long you simmer the dish, some of the alcohol evaporates out, and you're left with a stunningly tasty meal that will blow away even the best canned chili on the market. It works with vegetarian or vegan chili as well as with beef. And there are lots of styles of beer you could use, depending on the flavor profile you're after.

Although many chili recipes will simply call for a 12-ounce bottle of beer, you should pay attention to the type of beer you use, too. This is because cooking with it can intensify the flavors, particularly if you're cooking your chili low and slow. With my recipe, I sometimes include unsweetened cocoa powder in the spice mix because the bitter ingredient adds an incredible depth of flavor to chili. On these occasions, I will use a stout or porter-style beer, and the resulting chili is deliciously rich and robust.

On the occasions that I don't use cocoa powder, I'm partial to lagers that aren't too bitter. The hops that are used to make lagers lend some signature bitterness to the beer, and while some make for an excellent taste, I find that certain types are just too biting for my liking. Many IPAs are known for having a lot of bitterness, so I shy away from using them in my chili. Red ales are generally a good choice, as they often have malty and caramelized characteristics, which taste great in chili. 

For traditional chili, I probably wouldn't experiment with sour or fruity beers, although there is definitely potential in using pumpkin beer, which goes back further than many people realize. Ultimately, use a type of beer that you enjoy drinking on its own, and one that won't overpower your chili with its own attitude.