This Instant Pot Texas beef brisket chili skips the beans entirely and leans into deep, dried-chile flavor — tender chunks of brisket, a blended ancho and guajillo pepper paste, smoky bacon, and a bottle of Mexican beer all coming together into a chili that tastes like it took all day. The pressure cooker gets you there in under two hours instead. If you like your chili without beans, also try Instant Pot No-Bean Chili for a faster, weeknight version made with ground beef.
Texas style chili featuring tender moist chunks of delicious beef brisket served in a soup of infused flavors will put a fabulous hearty meal on the table. We really love our chili and we love trying new recipes. This bean-less recipe features authentic southwestern flavors that still makes my mouth water just thinking about how succulent the brisket turns out. With this recipe you can vary the heat of the pepper. If you prefer to capture more subtle flavors you may want to use the mild pepper that is recommended in the instructions. I prefer a bit of heat and this recipe also provides just that. The soup is fairly light compared to a traditional bean chili. I would suggest serving with crackers, toast or enjoy as my husband does, with fresh scratch made cornbread.
If you love chili and love to try new and different styles, then I recommend watching the video and following the instructions below. This recipe is good on any occasion and will be a hit with your friends and family alike. This chili also keeps well when refrigerated and is perfect for reheating later as the flavor becomes more enhanced through the natural magic of marination. The cool weather outdoors just seems warmer when you heat your soul with a comforting foodlicious bowl of Texas Beef Brisket Chili.
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Ingredients
Seasonings
Deseed the dried peppers.
In a medium size pan: add 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add the dried peppers and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat source. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the infused water.
Cut the meat into 1½” x 1½” cubes.
Season the meat with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and mix well.
Place the boiled peppers, 1 cup of infused water, and the rest of the mixture ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth.
Add diced bacons to the cooker and saute for 5-8 minutes or until crispy. Remove the cooked bacon bites and set aside. Discard most of the bacon grease but leave at least 3 tbsp for cooking purposes.
Add the seasoned meat to the cooker. Mix and cook for 8-10 minutes or until all sides of the meat have browned.
Add pepper mixture, Mexican beer and mix.
Add fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies, bacon bites and bay leaves. Submerge the leaves into the liquid and do not stir the tomatoes.
Place the lid on. Pressure cook on high for 50 minutes with a natural release (approx. 45-50 min). Remove the lid.
Discard the bay leaves. Stir the chili and season with salt to taste.
Optional: add shredded cheese, sliced red onions, chopped cilantro, avocado, fresh sliced jalapeño, sour cream and squeeze lime on top of the chili.
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Instant Pot Texas Beef Brisket Chili
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot (6 or 8 qt)
Ingredients
- 4 lbs flat cut beef brisket
- 6 bacon strips diced
- 1 large onion (or 2 medium) chopped
- 20 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies 2 cans
- 12 oz Mexican beer
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Mixture
- 5 dried ancho (mild heat) or guajillo (medium heat) chiles
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp spanish paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
Toppings
- purple onion finely chopped
- cilantro finely chopped
- lime juice sliced
- jalapeño sliced
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
Instructions
Pepper Mixture
- Deseed the dried ancho or guajillo peppers and discard the seeds.
- Boil 2 cups water, add the peppers, cook 1 minute, and remove from heat.
- Let cool at least 10 minutes; reserve 1 cup of the infused water.
- Blend the cooled peppers, reserved water, and remaining pepper mixture ingredients until smooth.
Prepare
- Clean, pat dry, and trim fat from the meat (leave some fat).
- Cut the meat into 1½" x 1½" cubes.
- Season with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper; set aside.
- Dice the bacon strips.
Pressure Cook
- Set the cooker to sauté-high; add bacon and cook 5–8 minutes until crispy.
- Remove the bacon; discard most of the grease, keeping about 3 tbsp.
- Add the seasoned meat; cook 4–5 minutes until browned on all sides (may need two batches).
- Add chopped onions and minced garlic; cook 1 minute.
- Add the pepper mixture and Mexican beer; mix well.
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies, bacon, and bay leaves; submerge the leaves without stirring.
- Cover and pressure cook on high for 50 minutes, with a natural release of 45–50 minutes.
- Remove the lid, discard the bay leaves, optionally skim excess grease, stir, and season with salt to taste.
- Serving: Top with shredded cheese, onions, cilantro, jalapeño, avocado, sour cream, and lime juice as desired. Serve with cornbread, crackers, corn tortillas, or toast.
Video
Storage & Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4–5 days. To freeze, cool completely and transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or water if it’s thickened up too much in storage.
Recipe FAQs
How is this different from your other no-bean chili recipe? This one uses whole cubes of brisket, a blended dried chile pepper paste, bacon, and beer for a deeper, more Texas-style flavor and a longer cook. The other no-bean chili uses ground beef and a shorter pressure-cook time for a quicker weeknight version.
Can I use a different cut of beef instead of brisket? Chuck roast is the closest substitute — cut it into similarly sized cubes. It’s also a well-marbled cut, so the cook time should stay about the same.
Where do I find dried ancho or guajillo chiles? Most grocery stores carry them in the Mexican or international foods aisle, or you can find them at a Latin market. In a pinch, a couple extra tablespoons of chili powder can stand in, though the flavor will be less complex.
Do I have to use beer? No — it adds depth, but you can substitute additional beef broth if you’d rather skip the alcohol.
Can I make this without a pressure cooker? Yes — after browning the ingredients in a Dutch oven, cover and simmer on the stovetop or in a 325°F oven for about 2½–3 hours, until the brisket is fork-tender.
Why deseed the dried chiles? Removing the seeds cuts down on bitterness and excess heat, which lets the chile’s fruitier flavor come through more clearly in the finished chili.
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