You guys, I want need to share this tip with you. I learned this little trick from Cooks Illustrated and it is BRILLIANT. I will always and forever brown meat this way.
You know how when you brown meat, it gives off all those juices? And so you end up with the cooked ground meat separated from the liquid fat it gives off. And then you have to figure out how to drain off the fat (which is actually draining off flavor) or risk an oil slick sitting on the top of your finished dish. Not ideal.
Juiciest. Beef. Ever.
Those super smart chefs or food scientists or food chemists or whatever they are over at Cooks Illustrated suggested adding baking soda to your meat for a bit before browning it to literally change the PH and structure of the meat to help the proteins attract more water and retain moisture better.
I was skeptical, but I suppose it’s a similar logic as brining a turkey or chicken before cooking it to keep it moist.
Anyway, it’s so smart and I was amazed at how the little amount of liquid it gave off was stirred so quickly back into the meat. Amazing!
That’s the most I think I’ve ever written about beef. Back to the chili at hand. The meat is so flavorful and moist, the stout beer gives it a crazy depth of flavor. It’s packed with spices, slightly sweet and spicy. So. Good.
Instant Pot, slow cooker or stove top.
Plus, you can make it three different ways depending on your timeline for how quickly you need food in your belly and your needs for hands-off cooking:
- Instant Pot (the way I did it): brown the beef and saute the onion and jalapeños right in the Instant Pot insert, add the rest of the ingredients and then cook either on manual pressure or on slow cooker setting. One pot. No need to stir or check in while it’s cooking. Amazing.
- Slow cooker: brown the beef and saute the onion and jalapeños in a skillet and transfer to a slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients and then allow to cook.
- Stove top: brown the beef and saute the onion and jalapeños in a large pot on the stove, add the rest of the ingredients and then simmer on the stove.
[cooked-recipe id=”4072″]
