Pork chili with beans is quick, easy, and filling. Use up what ya got and make a big pot of chili today, as spicy as you like.
Nothing is better than a huge pot of chili! You can customize everything in it from the type of peppers to the spice level. It's great for feeding a crowd or stocking the freezer. It's also a good way to introduce kids to some heat.
Soaking beans is SO easy and so much cheaper than even cans of beans. We also love making Vegan Maple Baked Beans from scratch. Valdeans Beans will let you use up any type of beans you like!
Key Ingredients
Ground Pork - Feel free to use literally any type of ground meat here, or mix and match.
Beans - I like classic kidney beans, but you do you. You can either soak and cook your own dried beans or pick up some cans.
Produce - Celery, onions, and peppers work so well here, and we are going to singe the peppers first.
Spices - Again we are going to mix and match since I buy spices in bulk. No "chili powder" used here. Adjust spice level to your liking.
Tomatoes - Home canned or from the store, all is good!
How to Make Pork Chili with Beans
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Soak and cook beans, and singe the pepper over a flame.
Step 2: Add chopped onions to the pot to gain some colour.
Step 3: Add meat to brown and stir in remaining produce.
Step 4: Allow meat to cook and veggies to become tender.
Step 5: Stir in spices and tomatoes and give a taste.
Step 6: Stir in cooked beans to heat through and serve.
FAQs
I find dried beans to be super economical, plus it's so easy to store in bulk versus a bunch of little cans. We are cooking enough as four cans of beans. I know not everyone likes or feels safe cooking kidney beans, but we have perfected our method. If you are using dried beans, you will be starting them the day before you want to eat. Otherwise, grab canned beans and drain and rinse them to use.
Yup, totally! The tomatoes add some flavour as well as some liquid. This is a somewhat drier chili, so it's not soupy. Feel free to use home-canned, canned diced tomatoes, or even fresh, it's totally your call. The best part about chili is how it can be completely from scratch or a convenience meal of decently healthy ingredients.
This is a nice way to enjoy pork! However any red meat or poultry will work here. And because it's two pounds, you can even mix and match whatever meat is in your freezer. You can also decrease the amount used if you like, and add more beans.
Photos by Dante from Shire by the Sea
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Pork Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 2 litres kidney beans either in cans (4) or pre-soaked and cooked
- 1 litre stewed or canned diced tomatoes or 28 oz can
- 4 onions
- Bacon fat, lard, grease for cooking onions
- 3 - 4 ribs celery
- 3 - 4 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 1 bell pepper we scorched ours for that smoky flavour
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili pepper we used chipotle
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
Instructions
- If you are preparing your dry kidney beans, start the day before serving. Rinse thoroughly in a colander, and then soak in a large bowl or your cooking pot overnight. We used a pressure cooker the next day and added plenty of water with a tablespoon of salt and cooked for several hours on low. This step is only necessary if you want to go the “from scratch” route. While cooking beans, be sure to check in every once in a while to make sure the beans still have enough water to cook in as they can dry and burn if you don’t have enough water.
- Peel, slice and dice onions and fry in frying pan add some lard or butter (a tablespoon or two) to the pot and heat on low until slightly cooked.
- Slice celery and mince or finely chop garlic and add to the pan, stirring in.
- Quarter and scorch bell pepper on a burner. The scorching is not necessary but we like the flavour it imparts. Dice into smaller pieces and add to the frying pan. Cook with other veggies for several minutes.
- Once veggies are cooked a bit, add your meat to the pot. Be sure to break up any large chunks and cook with the veggies until mean is slightly “browned” (pork doesn’t brown like other meats) but still moist.
- Add your tomatoes, spices, and salt in at this point, stir thoroughly and top up with water if it is not wet enough. This might be only a cup or so. We didn’t have to add water as our stewed tomatoes had enough water in them
- Cook on low and stir every once in a while, checking in to make sure chili is getting moved around and not burnt.
- After 2-3 hours on low, chili flavours should be infused nicely and stewed to perfection. Make sure all along that the chili is moist and add water if necessary. Some like their chili with a lot of sauce, but we like ours wet but not too “watery.”
Notes
- If not wanting to cook your own beans, use 4 cans of whatever type you like, drained and rinsed.
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