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Slow-Cooker Texas Red Beef Chili

Slow-Cooker Texas Red Beef Chili

Published September 18, 2026

Cubed chuck roast braised low and slow until tender in a deep, savory gravy built from toasted chili paste, beef broth, and aromatics—no beans, pure beef-forward comfort.

Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant; this step is essential for building deep, complex flavor. For a thicker chili, leave the slow cooker lid off during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Make ahead: Prepare the chile paste up to 2 days in advance, refrigerate, and add to the slow cooker with beef and broth when ready to cook. Texas red chili is traditionally bean-free; the cubed beef and rich gravy are the stars.

Cook time
8 hrs 20 min
Rating
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Ingredients

Scale
Measurement units
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
  • 4 oz dried guajillo chiles
  • 3 oz dried ancho chiles
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 medium onion
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • salt (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cup beef stock (for chile paste)

Instructions

Toast and prepare the chile paste
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the dried guajillo chiles (4 ounce) and dried ancho chiles (3 ounce); toast, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2–3 minutes.
Transfer the toasted chiles to a blender. Add beef stock (1 cup) and blend until smooth.
Equipment: skillet
Prepare the beef and aromatics
Cut the beef chuck roast (3 pound) into 1-inch cubes.
Dice the 2 medium onions and mince the garlic cloves.
Build the slow cooker base
Add the cubed beef to the slow cooker.
Pour in the chile paste, beef broth (4 cup), and vegetable oil (2 tablespoon).
Stir in the diced onion (2 medium), minced garlic, tomato paste (3 tablespoon), cumin (2 teaspoon), 1 tsp dried oregano (1 tsp), and paprika (1 teaspoon).
Season with salt and black pepper to taste and stir well to combine.
Equipment: slow cooker
Slow-cook the chili
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the beef is very tender and breaks apart easily with a spoon.
Equipment: slow cooker
Finish and serve
Taste the chili and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

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