Slow Cooker Chili Colorado Recipe
Experience the rich, authentic flavors of traditional Slow Cooker Chili Colorado, featuring tender beef stew meat simmered in a vibrant, smooth red chile sauce made from dried guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles. This hearty Mexican-inspired dish is perfect for cozy meals, slow-cooked to perfection for deep, complex taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-8 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes to 8 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chile Sauce
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 6 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 dried arbol chiles
For the Beef
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil like canola)
- 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 3 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Hydrate the Chiles: Bring the beef broth to a boil in a pot. Add all the dried chilies—guajillo, ancho, and arbol—and remove from heat. Let the chilies steep for 10-15 minutes until softened and infused with broth flavors, essential for extracting the deep, complex taste of traditional chili colorado.
- Make the Chile Sauce: Remove the softened chiles with a slotted spoon, discard stems and seeds. In a blender, combine the chiles, soaked broth, roughly chopped onion, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing gently to extract as much liquid as possible while leaving the pulp behind, ensuring a silky texture.
- Prepare the Beef: In a large bowl, toss the beef stew meat chunks with gluten-free flour, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper until evenly coated. Heat avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. In batches, sear the beef for 2-3 minutes per side to develop a deep brown crust. Transfer seared meat to a plate.
- Slow Cook: Place the seared beef into your slow cooker. Pour the strained chile sauce over the beef and stir to combine. Add the bay leaves. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for 8 hours, allowing the meat to become tender and flavors to meld beautifully. Low setting is preferred for enhanced tenderness and developed spices.
Notes
- When soaking dried chiles, ensure they soften thoroughly for the best flavor extraction.
- Straining the chile sauce gives a smoother, more authentic texture.
- Searing beef in batches prevents overcrowding and ensures proper browning.
- Use the Low slow cooker setting if time allows for more tender meat and deeper flavor.
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free when using gluten-free flour and beef broth.
Keywords: Slow Cooker Chili Colorado, Mexican chili, beef chili, gluten-free chili, red chile sauce, slow cooker recipes, authentic chili colorado
Find it online: https://familyfavplates.com/slow-cooker-chili-colorado-recipe/
