Slow Cooked Hatch Pepper Chili ~ this lush chili is perfect for the summer months when fresh Hatch chiles from New Mexico are available ~ but use canned or frozen chiles the rest of the year so you don’t miss this amazing slow cooked meal.
I think chilis are one of the best types of recipes for crock pot cooking, they just get richer as they cook down, and, while some dishes suffer in the looks department after a day in the crock pot, chili seems to thrive.
To make this chili special I loaded up on Hatch chile peppers.
Hatch chiles are New Mexican chiles with a super short season, from mid August through September. They range from mild to medium hot, and they have a cult following among chiliheads everywhere because of their meaty flesh and great flavor. Fire roasting, or in this case, broiler roasting, brings out that flavor and adds a special character to this meal.
There are a few ways to roast a pepper, all of them easy.
- I lay mine out on a lined cookie sheet and put them under the broiler at the at the closest setting to the flame. It took just a few minutes per side to get nice and charred.
- You could also do this on an outdoor grill, with a kitchen torch, or just by holding them with a pair of tongs over the gas flame on your stove top. The aim to get the skin scorched. You can either chop them up and use as is, or put them in a plastic baggie to steam for a few minutes. That loosens the skin and you can peel it right off. Scrape out the seeds with a small knife and chop them up.
Even though Hatch peppers got top billing, this is a meaty chili, with both ground beef and chunks of stew meat in the recipe.
I do like to brown the meats before adding them to the crock pot, it only takes a few minutes and is so worth it. After that it’s a chop and drop affair, and, of course, the long leisurely hands-off cooking time that crock pots are famous for.
You don’t need to add much liquid to the pot because the slow cooking retains all the moisture. I use beer and tomato sauce as my base. Drain and rinse your pinto beans well before adding them to get rid of the canned flavor.
Fresh garnishes are key to making a slow cooked chili look appetizing.
- I added a pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese,
- some thinly sliced green onions,
- and lots of fresh cilantro
Add them just before serving for best effect.
If you’re a Hatch chile fan, you need to try my other hatch recipes ~ I’ve got a killer SWEET CORN, HATCH CHILE, AND BACON SALSA, a to-die-for HATCH GREEN CHILE CORNBREAD, and the recipe that got me started on these amazing peppers, my CHEESY HATCH GREEN CHILE DIP.
Slow Cooker Hatch Pepper Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb stew meat
- 1 lb ground beef 15%fat
- vegetable oil for browning
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 large yellow onion diced
- 3/4 lb Hatch chiles about 6-8
- 1 cup beer
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp chili powder'
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 15 oz can of pinto beans drained and rinsed well
- 1 Tbsp cornmeal for thickening
garnish
- thinly sliced green onions
- fresh cilantro
- grated cheese
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large heavy skillet or pot with oil and heat until hot. Brown the stew beef on all sides. Do this in two batches. Put the browned beef in the crock pot.
- Add another bit of oil to the pan and brown the ground beef. Add it to the crock pot.
- Add the beer and the tomato sauce, along with the onions. Stir in the spices, salt and pepper.
- Put the lid on a turn to low.
- In the meantime, set your broiler on high and put the rack in the highest position. Arrange the chiles on a lined baking pan. Broil until the chilies are blackened, then flip them and char the other side.
- Remove from the oven and immediately put them on a platter or plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap. You can also put them in a zip lock baggie. Leave them to steam for 15 minutes, then remove them. Slice off the stem ends, and slip off the outer skins, which will come off easily. Slice the peppers open lengthwise and scrape our the seeds. Chop the flesh.
- Add the peppers and the pinto beans to the crock pot and let the chili cook for 6 hours on low.
- If you like your chili thicker, stir in the cornmeal towards the end of the cooking time.
- Taste the chili to adjust any of the spices, and then serve topped with cheese, green onions, and cilantro.
Don’t forget to pin this Slow Cooked Hatch Pepper Chili!
22 Comments
Ashley Matsko
July 28, 2016 at 3:22 pmThank you for mentioning Hatch Green Chile. We would love to send you a free box of our Hatch Green Chile to say thank you. If you’re interested, please send me an email.
Teresa
November 6, 2018 at 5:31 amI use hatch green chile, almost every day, I bought 30 lbs, at Harmons in Aug, I’m almost out, where can I get some? I live in UT.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
August 17, 2015 at 10:46 pmAs the weather cools down, I love a good chili. This is a must try!
Trisha (Stew or a Story)
August 17, 2015 at 6:06 amI just saw hatch chilis on sale at my local supermarket! I thought about buying them, but I wasn’t sure what to make with them. I’ll be going back tomorrow to buy some so I can make this chili!!!!
Shari Kelley
August 16, 2015 at 1:53 pmThis really looks wonderful, Sue! I love the Hatch green chilies in it. It must be so flavorful!
Sue
August 17, 2015 at 4:59 pmEveryone agreed that the Hatch peppers really added great depth to the chili, Shari, and I was surprised at how mild they were, I was expecting them to be hot!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
August 16, 2015 at 9:14 amI always hear so much about Hatch chilis – it all sounds wonderful and yes I am ready for chili too! Pinned, shared, stumbled and yum’d!!!!!
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August 16, 2015 at 1:47 amSue, you bake and cool so well! I need to add this to my slow cooker recipes. So delicious and packed with flavours.
Chris Scheuer
August 15, 2015 at 11:55 amI didn’t realize how much I missed chili till now. This is a wonderful combination that would be sure to please a hungry crowd!
judith
August 15, 2015 at 10:32 amMmmmmm! I’ve used Hatch enchilada sauce (green and red) since my college days. Somehow never tried the chiles. I shall rectify this.
Miranda Price
August 15, 2015 at 10:23 amThis looks amazing, and will for sure be the next crock pot meal I make, thank you for posting! I just found your blog, and wanted to tell you its beautiful and I am really enjoying reading! I too am figuring out the new life that is LA, its different, new and a far cry of the farm in Kentucky I grew up on! Thanks for all the yummy recipes I can dig through, and if you have any tips for places to eat that you have found, I’d love to hear about them!
Sue
August 15, 2015 at 11:16 amSo glad to have you here, Miranda! What part of LA are you living in?
Emily
August 15, 2015 at 9:27 amDo you have a suggestion for a pepper substitute when Hatch chiles aren’t available?
Sue
August 15, 2015 at 9:42 amMy market has several mild green chiles right next to the jalapenos and Serranos, Emily. I’m thinking maybe poblano or pasilla peppers would be good.
Emily
September 1, 2015 at 5:30 amMy grocery store just put out a lovely display of Hatch peppers. Making this ASAP!