If you follow the blog much, you might remember a few weeks ago we made the Cranberry Chili Sauce Beer Brats because Jason spotted a sale at the grocery store and brought home several packages of beer brats…awesome. We’ve always wanted to make Beer Brat Chili so this one was easy to whip up and use up some of the brats. Now, to make recipes for the remaining packages filling my freezer!
What I really adore about chili is that you can pretty much do anything and it turns out amazing. It is just one of those dishes that whips up easily with no stress. This one took on a life of its own though. We took a spin-off of our regular homemade chili and added beer and brats to make it incredibly hearty and delicious. This is definitely a “stick to your bones” type of chili.
How to Make Beer Brat Chili
Set up the grill for indirect heat at 350 degrees and add two bottles of beer to a cast iron skillet. I recommend using an IPA, wheat or blonde ale. Bring the beer to a boil and add the brats. Let them boil until they are cooked through (about 20 minutes).
Remove them from the grill. Set up the grill for direct heating and remove the brats from the beer and set them directly on the grate for about threee minutes. This will be enough time for the brat to develop a nice sear and add a great flavor! Turn them over and sear the other side. Easy Peasy!
In a dutch oven inside or out on the grill, saute onions and peppers in a little bit of olive oil. Add in ground beef and cook until done. Add in the garlic and seasonings and cook an additional minute. Lastly, add in the beans and tomatoes and stir.
On indirect heat, reduce the temperature of the grill to about 200 degrees and slice the grilled beer brats and add to the chili. Simmer on low for 60-90 minutes.
Do I Have to Use Ground Beef
No, you don’t. You can use the beans and tomatoes and just add the beer brats for a great chili as well! So this is a time to either cut out the hamburger all together or you can substitute ground turkey or chicken. Think about using just ½ of the ground beef called for in the recipe if you want to cut down on this at all. This is a personal preference.
What else can I add to the Brat Chili
A couple of other changes you might consider for this chili are:
- Add a jar of salsa. We started using this tip when we came across it in a recipe about 7+ years ago on Allrecipes.com. It adds an incredible amount of flavor and all you have to do it dump it in!
- Add a can of green chilies.
- Add sliced up and seeded jalapenos to boost the heat up a bit.
- Substitute red onions for the yellow/sweet onions.
- Add more garlic. Who doesn’t love more garlic?
- Switch up the beer will change the taste of this chili quite a bit. We love an IPA but you could use a stout and you will get that richer/darker flavor.
How to Meal Prep Beer Brat Chili
Several things you can do to meal prep including:
- Grill the beer brats the night before and add them to the chili when you are ready to make it.
- Make all of the chili on a day that you aren’t able to grill but add the brats later.
- You can prep the chili by chopping the veggies and dividing up in containers so you can toss everything in and go. This will make it easy to whip up the recipe just in time for game day.
Can I Freeze the Chili?
Absolutely! This is a great one to freeze up, defrost and enjoy at a gathering or a busy weeknight. Portion it out and freeze in Rubbermaid containers. I don’t recommend freezing this in the cheaper/almost disposable containers that are flooding the market right now. You can freeze in these for maybe 1-2 weeks, but after that, the seal just isn’t strong enough and you get that freezer taste and freezer burn which leads to you just throwing it out.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion sweet, chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3/4 cup bell pepper chopped
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes crushed between fingers when adding
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 6 oz beer
- 30 oz black beans
- 16 oz bratwurst beer flavored
Instructions
Grilling Brats
- Set up the grill for indirect heat and add two bottles of beer to a cast iron skillet.
- Bring the temperature of the grill to 350 degrees. When the beer is hot, add the brats and let them boil until cooked through (about 20 minutes)
- Remove the brats and set up the grill for direct cooking. Place the brats directly on the grate and let them sear on each side for about three minutes.
Grilled Beer Brat Chili
- In a dutch oven, saute the onions and peppers over medium high heat. Add in hamburger (if you choose to use it) and saute until completely cooked. Add in garlic cloves and seasonings. Stir for one minute to combine.
- Add in tomatoes and beans and stir. Add in the beer and stir. Add in sliced, cooked/grilled beer brats and stir to combine. Simmer for 30-90 minutes in a disposable pan (doubled up) on the grill. I recommend setting up the grill for indirect heat so as not to burn the chili.
