30-60 min6 servingsAmerican

Firehouse Chili

By Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

6 servings

30-60 min

Easy

Recipe Details

Course: Dinner, Main Dishes

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 23 min

Total Time: 30-60 min

Cooking Technique: Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook, Slow Cook

Cuisine: American

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive, vegetable, corn, or canola oil
2 medium green bell peppers, cored and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs. plum or Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp. table salt
15 oz. red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/4 cup tomato paste

Here’s a chili made with fresh tomatoes, not canned. We modeled it on the hearty, comfort-food chilis often made in firehouses across the United States. As such, it’s a little more savory than some other offerings, if also admittedly a little more work.

INSTRUCTIONS

Press Sauté and set the time for 10 minutes. Pour the oil into the Instant Pot to warm for a minute or two. Then add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and continue cooking, stirring several times, until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, and salt until fragrant, just a few seconds. Add the beans and broth, then crumble in the ground beef and stir well. Turn off the Sauté function and lock the lid onto the pot.
Option 1: Max Pressure Cooker
Pressure Cook on Max for 6 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Option 2: All Pressure Cookers
Press Bean/Chili or Pressure Cook/Manual on High pressure for 8 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Option 3: Slow Cook
Slow Cook on High for 3 hours with Keep Warm setting off (or on for no more than 2 hours)
If you’ve used a pressure setting, when the machine has finished cooking, use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal.
Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Press Sauté and set the time for 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste. Bring to a full simmer, stirring all the while. Stir for 2-3 minutes at a full simmer until a little bit thickened and almost irresistible. Turn off the Sauté function and carefully remove the hot insert from the cooker to stop the cooking.

Notes

Beyond
• For a 3-quart cooker, you must use 1/2 cup broth and halve the remaining ingredients.
• For an 8-quart cooker, you must keep the ingredients as they are but increase the broth to 1 1/4 cups—or simply increase all the ingredients by 50 percent.
• Serve with dollops of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
• And/or serve with spoonfuls of pickle relish, or even purchased India relish (a more savory version of pickle relish), as well as bottled hot red pepper sauce.
• Use a 50/50 mix of lean ground beef and lean ground pork.

Share:

About the chef

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

In this duo, Bruce Weinstein is the chef and Mark Scarbrough, the writer. Together, they’ve published over 35 cookbooks, hit international best-seller lists, won national and international awards, and have been interviewed by the best, from Lester Holt to Barbara Walters. Weinstein also writes knitting books, designs patterns, and teaches knitting workshops. Besides writing their cookbooks, Scarbrough also teaches literature classes; has a podcast called Walking With Dante, where he takes you on journey from hell to paradise; and has written a memoir, BOOKMARKED: HOW THE GREAT WORKS OF WESTERN LITERATURE F*CKED UP MY LIFE.

View All Bruce's Recipes