Who doesn’t love chili?? I’d say pretty much, no-one! Your game day pub grub is going to go from great to spectacular with this Instant Pot Campfire Chili recipe!!
Why Do You Call It Campfire Chili?
I call this instant pot campfire chili because this chili dish has all the flavors of a big pot of chili that’s been sitting over a fire, smoky, hearty and sooo satisfying! But the secret is, it’s made in an Instant Pot, so you don’t have to wait all day! 🙂
Directions For How To Assemble This As An Instant Pot Campfire Chili Freezer Meal:
1. In a large freezer bag, add all the veggies that are going into the chili. Be sure to rinse the beans so there is no sludgy stuff going into the chili. Try to remove as much air as possible out of the bags and seal tightly.
2. Using another bag, add the cooked beef, the paprika, garlic, green chilies, diced tomatoes, liquid smoke, chili powder, garlic, spices, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Seal the bag and squish to mix. (Do not add cooking liquid).
3. Group together all the smaller freezer bag ingredients into one large gallon size freezer bag. Add the printed recipe into the bag as well for reference.
4. Freeze for up to 3 months.
For easy reminders, you can also print out the recipe and include that in the big container bag when assembling the beef stew soup. This will make it so that the printed recipe can be re-used again. That will save you time when you make the freezer meal, and the cooking instructions are right there, super handy!
Directions for Cooking this Hearty & Smoky Beef Chili From Fresh
Add all ingredients to the pressure cooker and add the beef broth.
Move the toggle switch to the “sealing” position.
Cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes. Do a Natural Release for 5 minutes. Release any steam.
Thicken with cornstarch slurry if you prefer a thicker homemade chili.
Directions for Cooking Instant Pot Campfire Chili from Frozen
Add all frozen ingredients to the pressure cooker and add the beef broth.
Move the toggle switch to the “sealing” position.
Cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes. Do a Natural Release for 10 minutes. Release any steam.
Thicken with cornstarch slurry if you prefer a thicker homemade chili. I found the campfire chili was a perfect consistency!
**Note: Expect the pot to take a longer time to come to full pressure before the cooking time begins.
Directions for Cooking This Chili Dish In The Slow Cooker
Add all ingredients to the slow cooker bowl. Add approx 2 cups of broth or water.
Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7- 8. Stir occasionally during cooking time.
Thicken with a cornstarch slurry if you prefer the stew to be thicker at the end of the cooking time. Be sure the slow cooker is on High when you add the slurry. Add and then let cook another 15 minutes or until the chili is thickened.
How Long Will The Chili Be Good For In The Freezer Meal Bags?
If you buy freezer-safe containers, the chili should stay good up to three months in the freezer.
What Else Can I Use For The Pressure Liquid For This Instant Pot Stew?
A Beef broth would be the very best, but you could use a veggie broth, chicken broth in a pinch, canned beef consomme, or even just water.
Tips and Tricks For Making Instant Pot Chili Excellent
If you prefer a spicy chili, feel free to add your favorite hot chili seasoning!
A great idea to save future work and time is to double the recipe ingredients and then you will end up making TWO freezer meals at one time. How awesome is that? Then you can freeze one meal and make the other for a quick and easy dinner that night!
The liquid smoke is optional but really adds a nice flavor to the chili. If you choose not to use it, at least try and add the smoked paprika to help add that ‘campfire’ type taste.
The cooking liquid is an excellent opportunity to add more flavor, so even if you only use water, try seasoning the water if you can with different spices.
What Side Dishes Can I Serve With The Chili?
A nice crusty fresh bun with butter would be amazing. You could also serve a fresh green salad on the side. Usually, chili is served with no sides (vegetable) but, if you wanted to extend the portions of the chili, I’ve seen it served on rice.
How Can I Make This Recipe Low Carb?
Simply omit the beans and corn from the recipe, and for any thickening slurries, use xanthan gum mixed with water.
Can I Refreeze The Cooked Leftovers?
Absolutely! You never have to waste any food with this instant pot campfire stew because you can safely freeze cooked portions up to a month in the proper freezer bags/containers.
This hearty chili is one of a small collection of Instant Pot dishes that I made with time-saving, freezer meal uses in mind! Check out a few others that I have in this collection:
One example of those kinds of meals besides this one is my Instant Pot BBQ Pork with onions! Take a look at the photo below, so you can see how scrumptious it looks. It’s even easier than this recipe and just as delicious!!
Instant Pot BBQ Pork Freezer Meal
How about an Instant Pot Beef Stew? Hearty and nourishing on those chilly nights!!
Instant Pot Honey Sriracha Pork is another dish that will warm you to your toes!! (and it’s hardly spicy at all!!)
If you like cashews, how about Instant Pot Sweet Chili Chicken With Cashews!
Something that the whole family will love is my Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs!
I sincerely hope you find this recipe for Instant Pot Campfire Chili as delicious as I did, and if you made any changes to the recipe or directions, I’d LOVE to hear about it! Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today and I hope you have a wonderful day!
**DON’T FORGET TO SAVE THIS INSTANT POT CAMPFIRE CHILI PIN TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD TO USE FOR LATER!!**
INSTANT POT CAMPFIRE CHILI RECIPE
Instant Pot Campfire Chili is so hearty, beefy and savory, it makes it seem like it's been cooking over a campfire for hours. The secret ingredient really helps to bring the flavor to a new level!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs prepared ground beef
- 2 cans kidney beans, rinsed
- 1 can niblet corn
- ¼ c tomato paste
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2-3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
- 2 cans green chilies
- 2 large can diced tomatoes (28oz) (not drained)
- 1 tablespoon liquid hickory smoke (optional)
- ¼ c chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 2 cups beef broth (cooking liquid)
Instructions
Directions For How To Assemble The Instant Pot Campfire Chili Freezer Meal:
1. In a large freezer bag, add all the veggies that are going into the chili. Be sure to rinse the beans so there is no sludgy stuff going into the chili. Try to remove as much air as possible out of the bags and seal tightly.
2. Using another bag, add the cooked beef, the paprika, garlic, green chilies, diced tomatoes, liquid smoke, chili powder, garlic, spices, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Seal the bag and squish to mix. (Do not add cooking liquid).
3. Group together all the smaller freezer bag ingredients into one large gallon size freezer bag. Add the printed recipe into the bag as well for reference.
4. Freeze for up to 3 months.
For easy reminders, you can also print out the recipe and include that in the big container bag when assembling the beef stew soup. This will make it so that the printed recipe can be re-used again. That will save you time when you make the freezer meal, and the cooking instructions are right there, super handy!
Directions for Cooking the Smoky Beef Chili From Fresh
Add all ingredients to the pressure cooker and add the beef broth. Move the toggle switch to the "sealing" position. Cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes. Do a Natural Release for 5 minutes. Release any steam. Thicken with cornstarch slurry if you prefer a thicker homemade chili.
Directions for Cooking Instant Pot Campfire Chili from Frozen
Add all frozen ingredients to the pressure cooker and add the beef broth. Move the toggle switch to the "sealing" position. Cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes. Do a Natural Release for 10 minutes. Release any steam. Thicken with cornstarch slurry if you prefer a thicker homemade chili. I found the campfire chili was a perfect consistency!
**Note: Expect the pot to take a longer time to come to full pressure before the cooking time begins.
Directions for Cooking This Chili Dish In The Slow Cooker
Add all ingredients to the slow cooker bowl. Add approx 2 cups of broth or water. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7- 8. Stir occasionally during cooking time. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry if you prefer the stew to be thicker at the end of the cooking time. Be sure the slow cooker is on High when you add the slurry. Add and then let cook another 15 minutes or until the chili is thickened.
Notes
** A cornstarch slurry is when you add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 2 - 3 tablespoon of water into a dish to help thicken the sauce. The sauce should be boiling or very hot in order to thicken.
If you prefer a spicy chili, feel free to add your favorite hot chili seasoning!
A great idea to save future work and time is to double the recipe ingredients and then you will end up making TWO freezer meals at one time. How awesome is that? Then you can freeze one meal and make the other for a quick and easy dinner that night!
The cooking liquid is an excellent opportunity to add more flavor, so even if you only use water, try seasoning the water if you can with different spices.
The liquid smoke is optional but really adds a nice flavor to the chili. If you choose not to use it, at least try and add the smoked paprika to help add that 'campfire' type taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1 ½ cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 242Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 162mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 21g
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