Brisket Chili

Leftover smoked brisket makes an a strong fit pot of chili because the beef is already soft and brings plenty of smoky flavor with it. This brisket chili recipe leaves you with thick tomato-based chili, big bites of brisket, beans, green chiles, and enough seasoning to stand up to that beef without burying it. It’s exactly what leftover brisket deserves when the weather finally cools off and chili sounds better than another plate of barbecue.

The Brisket Chili we Make With Leftover Smoked Brisket

As a seventh generation Texan, we know there’s a difference between traditional Texas chili and chili that happens to be made in Texas. This recipe has beans, and we're not trying to pretend otherwise. It’s packed with plenty of beef, a lot of seasoning, and the smoky flavor of brisket throughout the whole pot.

Leftover brisket fits well because you don’t have to cook this chili for hours to get soft beef or that slow cooked flavor. The brisket has already done that work. The rest is pretty straightforward with tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, roasted green chilis, and beef bouillon, then let everything simmer together.

And there is some pretty good real-world proof behind this one. A reader told us she won her office chili cook off with this recipe! Another said she now sets brisket aside specifically so there’s enough left to make chili. That’s about as good an argument for keeping leftover brisket around as we can give you.

Won an office cook off with this recipe! 10/10 recommend!
– Miranda Hinojosa

Why This Brisket Chili Works

• The brisket does the heavy lifting. Already smoked beef gives the chili a rich, smoky taste without an hours-long simmer.
• You still get real pieces of beef. The chopped brisket stays soft rather than disappearing into the sauce like ground beef can.
• Two kinds of beans make it hearty. Pinto beans give you the beans themselves, while chili beans bring some of their seasoned sauce into the pot.
• It’s mild enough to serve as is. Jalapeños, hot sauce, or cayenne can go into individual bowls if somebody wants more heat.

Ingredients for Brisket Chili

Smoked brisket: This recipe is made for cooked smoked brisket, so it’s a good use for leftovers after smoking a whole brisket or bringing barbecue home. Both the flat and fattier point pieces work.

Avocado oil: You only need a little for cooking the onion and garlic. It’s a neutral oil that has a high smoke point.

Onion: White or sweet onion both work well. Once cooked down, it becomes part of the sauce rather than leaving big pieces of onion throughout the chili.

Garlic: Fresh garlic leaves you with a house favorite flavor here, especially with the short simmer time. You can use the jarred pre-minced kind here as well though.

Tomato Sauce: Use plain canned tomato sauce, not pasta sauce. This gives the chili its thick tomato base without adding another set of seasonings.

Chili powder: We use standard chili powder. Keep in mind this means an American chili powder blend, not straight ground chile pepper. A smoked chili powder and even an adobo chili powder work great as well.

Ground cumin: Cumin gives this the familiar warm, earthy flavor you expect from chili and fits well with the smoked beef.

Salt and black pepper: We use coarse kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Beef bouillon: This strengthens the beefy flavor of the sauce so it can stand up to the brisket.

Water: This helps loosen the tomato sauce for the chili to simmer without turning soupy.

Roasted green chiles: Canned chopped green chiles work evenly here and add chile flavor without making the whole pot especially hot. You can typically find them in the Mexican food section of your grocery store.

Pinto beans: Canned pinto beans are mild and creamy enough that they don’t compete with the brisket.

Chili beans in sauce: Unlike the drained and rinsed pinto beans, these go in with their seasoned sauce. That’s part of what makes the finished chili taste fuller after such a short cooking time.

How to cook Leftover Brisket Chili

This chili recipe is incredibly plain and straightforward to cook and doesn’t take long.

1. Heat the avocado oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and translucent.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Don’t let it sit long enough to brown.
3. Add the chopped brisket, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, beef bouillon, water, and roasted green chiles. Stir everything together well.
4. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. You want the sauce bubbling gently rather than boiling hard.
5. Stir in the drained pinto beans and chili beans with their sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the beans are heated through.
6. Spoon the chili into bowls and add your favorite toppings.

Kitchen products used to make chili

Dutch oven

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Measuring spoons

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Knife set

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Measuring cups

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Wooden spoon

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Souper cubes

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Brisket Chili Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Keep the simmer gentle. The brisket is already fully cooked and soft. You aren’t trying to cook the meat again; you’re giving the sauce enough time to pick up that smoky beef flavor.
• Don’t drain the chili beans. Their seasoned sauce belongs in the chili. The pinto beans are the ones you’ll drain and rinse.
• Sometimes chili can be overly spicy for those with a lower heat tolerance. You can lower the spice level of chili by omitting the green chiles and using less chili powder.
• If you want to increase the spice level, add in extra green chiles and chili powder. You can also add in a little cayenne pepper.
• If you’re a “no beans” person when it comes to chili, feel free to omit them entirely.
• Be sure to use a large pot or Dutch oven for this. That way you’re able to stir and simmer without any issues once the other ingredients have been added.

Top Tip

To make it straightforward, you can transfer the chili into a slow cooker to simmer or even to keep it warm while serving.

Can we Make Brisket Chili Without Beans?

Yes. If you’re firmly in the no-beans camp, you can leave out both the pinto beans and the chili beans.

Know that the finished chili won’t be exactly the same. The beans make this pot heartier, and the sauce from the chili beans also contributes seasoning and thickness. This particular recipe is written and photographed as a brisket chili with beans, rather than a traditional beanless Texas chili.

How Spicy is Brisket Chili?

This one lands on the milder side. The roasted green chiles bring chile flavor without a lot of heat, which makes it a good pot to serve to even those that are sensitive to spicy food.

If you want more heat, add cayenne or extra chili powder, or keep sliced jalapenos and hot sauce at the table.

Brisket Chili Toppings

We like putting toppings out and letting everyone fix their own bowl. A few good options are:

• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Diced green onions
• Diced sweet onion
• Tortilla strips or crumbled tortilla chips
• Dollop of sour cream
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Diced avocado
• Sliced jalapenos
• Lime wedges
• Diced tomatoes
• Pickled red onions

If the chili is already rich from a fattier piece of brisket, something sharp like pickled red onions, jalapenos, or lime is a strong fit on top.

What to Serve with Brisket Chili

This is already a pretty substantial dinner, so it doesn’t need much. We'd keep whatever goes beside it plain.

For football Saturday: Cornbread, tortilla chips, or a pan of something warm that can sit out next to the chili toppings.

For dinner: A Warm roll, cornbread, or a plain crunchy side works well without making the meal feel heavier.

For feeding a crowd: Keep the chili warm in a slow cooker and set the toppings beside it so people can make bowls whenever they’re ready to eat.

Cook ahead

Brisket chili is a good cook-ahead dinner. Like most chili, it tastes even better after it sits overnight because the tomato, brisket, and spices sauce have more time together.

Cook it completely, let it cool, and refrigerate it until you’re ready to reheat it.

How to keep Leftover Brisket Chili

One great thing about chili is that it’s even better the next day.

​Refrigerator

Let leftover chili cool before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freezer

This chili freezes well. Portion cooled chili into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

We like freezing individual servings so we don’t have to thaw an entire batch to get one bowl of chili.

How to Reheat Brisket Chili

Stovetop: Reheat the chili in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Slow cooker: For a larger amount, transfer the chili to the slow cooker and let it warm gradually. This is also the easiest way to keep it hot if you’re serving people over a few hours.

Microwave: Reheat individual servings in a microwave safe bowl until hot, stirring partway through so it heats evenly.

Brisket Chili FAQs

Prep 10 minutesCook 30 minutesTotal 40 minutesMakes 10 people

Ingredients

• 2 lbs smoked brisket chopped
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 30 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted green chiles
• 16 ounces canned pinto beans drained and rinsed
• 16 ounces chili beans in sauce

Method

1. Add the avocado oil to a large sauce pot and heat over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and saute until it’s softened and translucent. It will take about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic to the onion and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add in the brisket, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, bouillion green, cube, and water chiles.
5. Bring it to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes.
6. Add in both types of beans and stir to combine. Let it heat through for about 5 minutes.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Brisket: Use fully cooked smoked brisket. Leftovers from from-scratch brisket work great, or you can use brisket from your favorite barbecue restaurant.
• Salt: Smoked brisket can vary quite a bit in saltiness. If yours is especially salty, you can start with less salt and adjust the finished chili to taste.
• Beans: For a beanless brisket chili, omit both cans of beans. The chili will be a little less thick and the yield will be lower.
• Heat level: This chili is fairly mild as written. For more heat, add cayenne, extra green chiles, or additional chili powder.
• Make ahead: The chili is even better after it sits overnight. Store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.