Instant Pot Chili

I usually make chili with my slow cooker, which takes 8 hours to make. I was able to make chili within the hour using the instant pot! It does have some unusual ingredients that I don’t typically put in chili, like fish sauce, soy sauce and unsweetened cocoa powder, but it works well together.

Here’s what I did:

1)     Season ground beef with salt, and pepper and make the Unami chicken stock mixture.

2)     Browned meat in slow cooker.

3)     Removed cooked meat and saved liquid from meat in separate bowl

4)     Sautee the onions, garlic, and pepper with spices. Then add meat back in.

5)     Add in 2 cans of beans (drained), 1 can crushed tomatoes, and the unami chicken stock mixture and do not stir after putting contents in instant pot.

6)     Cook for 10 min, and then complete natural release

7)     Heat instant pot to sautee to thicken chili

8)     Season with 5 tablespoons of brown sugar

Instant Pot Chili (~from Amy + Jacky)

·        1 pound – 1 ½ pound ground beef

·        1 medium onion, diced

·        4 garlic cloves, minced

·        1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes

·        2 cans (540ml/19oz) red kidney beans, drained & rinsed (used 1 can red kidney beans, and 1 can black beans)

·        1 – 2 tablespoons (8g – 16g) chili powder (depends on your chili powder’s spiciness & preference) (used 2 tablespoons)

·        1 tablespoon (6g) cumin seed, ground

·        1 teaspoon (1g) dried oregano

·        1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil

·        Optional: 1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar (did not use)

·        Brown sugar (used 5 tablespoons, after chili done cooking), kosher salt, black pepper to taste

Umami Chicken Stock Mixture

·        1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock

·        2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce

·        1 tablespoon (15ml) light soy sauce (not low sodium soy sauce)

·        3 tablespoons (49g) tomato paste

·        1 teaspoon (2.5g) unsweetened cocoa powder

Optional Garnish

·        Lime

·        Sour cream

·        Jalapeno pepper, diced and seeded

·        Green onions

·        Cheddar cheese

Instructions

1)     Prepare the Pressure Cooker: Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté button and Adjust once to Sauté More function) over medium high heat. Ensure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT).

2)     Brown the Ground Beef: Season ground beef generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in pressure cooker. Ensure to coat the oil over whole bottom of the pot.

Add ground beef in pressure cooker. The ground beef will start to release moisture. At the 5-minute mark, remove the ground beef juice and reserve it in a small mixing bowl.

Allow the ground beef to brown. Stir occasionally until they are slightly crisped and browned (~5 – 7 minutes). Taste and adjust the seasoning with more kosher salt and ground black pepper.

3)     Mix the Chicken Stock Mixture: While the ground beef is browning, mix 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, 2 tbsp (30ml) fish sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) light soy sauce, 3 tbsp (49g) tomato paste, and 1 tsp (2.5g) unsweetened cocoa powder in a 500ml measuring cup.

4)     Sauté Onion, Garlic and Spices: Add diced onions, minced garlic, 1 tbsp ground cumin seed, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp dried oregano. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the spices start to release their fragrance. Stir frequently.

5)     Deglaze: Pour in ½ cup (125ml) of the Umami Chicken Stock Mixture, fully deglaze the bottom of the pot by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon. Mix the brown bits with the stock mixture.

6)     Pressure Cook the Chili: Add in the reserved beef juice (from Step 2). Pour in the remaining Umami Chicken Stock Mixture. Add 2 cans of drained red kidney beans. Mix well. Pour in 1 can of crushed tomatoes with all the juice on top. Do not mix. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure using "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" button for 10 minutes + Natural Release. Open the lid carefully.

7)     Reduce and Season: If the chili is too runny, give it a quick stir and cook for another few minutes over medium heat (Instant Pot: Press Sauté button). Taste and season with brown sugar (we used 1 tbsp), kosher salt and black pepper.

Optional: Add 1 tbsp of Apple cider vinegar. Note that the vinegar will significantly change the flavor profile.

8)     Serve: Garnish chili with optional ingredients. Serve over your favorite side dishes. Enjoy~