Totally Elevate Your Chili With One Meat Swap

Hearty, flavorful, and warm, chili is definitely one of the most satisfying and comforting dishes to make at home as it gets colder outside. Even better, it's incredibly versatile — there's really no end to the combinations of meat, veggies, beans, and cheese to choose from. You may have dabbled in a white bean chicken chili, or perhaps you've tried using ground turkey as the base. All told, these stews are delectable, yet humble at heart. When it comes to chili we rarely, if ever, think to use a more elevated cut of meat, but using cut-up sirloin steak instead of ground beef will absolutely take your humble chili recipe to the next level.

The sirloin cut of steak comes from the area between the rib and hip bone of a cow, and is split into two sections. Ground beef is typically made from bottom sirloin because it's mostly muscle, while top sirloin is an extremely tender, marbled cut of meat. With more fat to render, top sirloin is the perfect addition to chili, boasting a richer flavor and juicier bite. Plus, it's a fairly affordable steak to boot. Simply cut your seasoned sirloin into chunks and sear them on high heat before adding the rest of your ingredients. You can get really fancy by adding in broth or water after sautéing your steak to deglaze the pan, a simple method to bring out the flavor from the caramelized trimmings leftover from the seared meat.

If sirloin isn't on the docket, there's definitely other cuts of meat that will get you that same juiciness and depth of flavor. Ribeye is a high-grade cut of meat with lots of marbling (fatty strips throughout the loin) that make it perfect for chili. Given that your mixture of ingredients will need to simmer on the stove for some time, it's helpful that a ribeye's high fat content keeps the meat tender even if it's a bit overcooked. Make sure to opt for boneless ribeye as you'll need to cut your steak into small chunks. The one drawback of this cut is the higher price point, but a rump steak will yield similar results and keep your dish affordable.

The strip steak, otherwise known as a New York strip, is another extremely versatile cut of meat that can easily be used in place of top sirloin. Although a slightly leaner option than the sirloin or ribeye, the strip still has a wonderfully bold, beefy flavor that will upgrade your basic chili. It isn't known for being the most tender, but it has a nice chew to it. The unfortunate drawback of a leaner steak is its ability to quickly dry out, so definitely be sure to not overcook it. In this case, it might be best to first sear your strip steak, get it to the right temperature, and remove from the pan. Then, once the rest of your chili is cooked, add the chunks of meat back in. No matter how you go about it or which cut you choose to use, steak should be your new chili staple.