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Wendy's-Style Fine-Texture Chili
Rachel Kim

Wendy's-Style Fine-Texture Chili

The texture is the whole chase: tiny beef crumbles, soft beans and a tomato broth thick enough to cling to a spoon. Brown the beef in batches, then break it finer while the liquid simmers. A long low cook rounds off the canned-tomato edge without turning the beans to paste.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs 85-percent lean ground beef
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 large yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 green bell pepper finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes 14.5 oz each
  • 1 can tomato sauce 15 oz
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 can kidney beans 15 oz, drained
  • 1 can pinto beans 15 oz, drained
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Method
 

  1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches until it reaches 160°F.
  2. Drain excess fat, return all the beef to the pot and mash it into very small even crumbles with a potato masher.
  3. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 6 minutes until soft, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
  4. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper and bring to a gentle simmer.
  5. Cook uncovered over low heat for 60 minutes, stirring and breaking up any larger beef pieces.
  6. Add the kidney and pinto beans and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the broth coats the spoon.