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Easy Beer and Chunk Pumpkin Beer Chili Recipe

Pumpkin-ey but not too pumpkin-ey. Real Pumpkin Chunks brined and flavored with a seasonal pumpkin beer. An easy-to-create family-pleaser.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chili Seasoning Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder - (Makes a milder chili - add more or less to taste)
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
  • 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
  • 2 Tablespoons Dark Coco Powder - (Not Sweet)
The Chili Ingredients
  • 2 Pound Pie Pumpkin - (1 ½ Pound Prepared Pumpkin)
  • 2 Cans Pumpkin Beer - (3-4 Cans / Bottles Pumpkin Beer - 1-2 for the brine and 2 for the chili)
  • 1 Large Onion Diced or Chopped
  • 4-8 Cloves of Garlic Minced
  • 3 Anaheim Peppers Diced or Chopped (1-2 Green Bell Peppers are good substitutes).
  • 2 Cans of Black Beans Drained and Rinsed
  • 1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Optional
  • ¼ Cup White Flour - (to thicken the chili if needed)
  • Salt to Taste
The Brine
  • 1-2 12-Ounce Cans or Bottles of Pumpkin Beer - 1 Tablespoon of Salt per 12-ounces of beer
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Salt

Equipment

  • 1 5-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven (or 7-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven)
  • 1 Wooden Sauté Spoon
  • 1 Knife
  • 1 Cutting Board
  • 1 Can Opener
  • 1 Vegetable / Fruit Peeler - (Heavy duty if possible)
  • 1-2 Strainers / Drainer - (To let the brown meat drain and to drain and rinse the black beans)

Method
 

Brine For 4-24 Hours (OPTIONAL)
  1. Peel and chop your pumpkin.
  2. Brine the pumpkin chunks for 4-24 hours. (Brine: 24 ounces Beer to 2 tablespoons Salt - This Step is Optional)
Prepare the Ingredients for the Chili
  1. Cut and prepare your onions, garlic, and peppers. Keep the onions and garlic together and the peppers separate from the onions and garlic.
  2. Open both cans of black beans. Drain and rinse. Keep them at the ready.
  3. Open the can of fire roasted tomatoes. Do not drain.
  4. Prepare your seasonings. Have them measured and mixed.
  5. Open both your beef and sausage packages
Cook the Pumpkin Chili
  1. Heat your 7-quart or 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven over a medium high to a high heat.
  2. Sear and brown the pork sausage. Set it aside to drain. Leave some of the pork fat / grease to brown our ground beef.
  3. Add the pound of ground beef to the hot pot and cook it in the residual pork fat / grease. Once the beef is seared and cooked, set it aside to drain.
  4. There should be some grease / fat left in that pot. If not, add just a enough to sauté the onions and the garlic. Add the onions and the garlic to the pot and sear until translucent(ish) and the pot is deglazed.
  5. Add the peppers and sauté a bit; maybe a couple or three minutes.
  6. Turn the heat to low or remove the pot from the heat.
  7. Return the beef and pork to the pot.
  8. Add the can of tomatoes.
  9. Add all of the seasonings to the pot and mix together.
  10. Add the Prepared Pumpkin Chunks and mix again (don’t add the brine to the chili; the brine should have been discarded).
  11. Level off all the ingredients in the pot.
  12. Add just enough pumpkin beer and just enough to bring the liquid level up to the top of the leveled ingredients. Turn the heat to low and let the chili start to simmer.
  13. After the chili starts to simmer and bubble, check for thickness and saltiness. If you feel the chili is too thin, add the ¼ cup of flour. If you feel it needs salt, salt to taste.
  14. Let the chili simmer until the pumpkin chunks are soft and ready to eat. The longer the chili simmers, the softer the pumpkin chunks will get and eventually to the point of mixing into the chili (the chunks will essentially dissolve).

Notes

This recipe will create a very mild chili. And, I know good and well how most folks “follow” a chili recipe: as a guide. Yep, I do too. You will likely “dress” this chili up good and fine and just like you like it. Ain’t no worries there.
You can substitute chicken/beef stock or broth for some or all the beer.
Chef Tip: Leave two 12-ounce cans/bottles of pumpkin beer out and let the beers reach room temperature. This is optional, but suggested. I don’t like to pour refrigerated liquids into my hot pot. We’ll be adding about 2 pumpkin beers to this recipe later.
When you start cooking this recipe, have one of the beers open and nearby. We’ll use this beer when we add the seasoning.
Chef Tip: While you are preparing the ingredients, my suggestion is to take your cast iron Dutch oven and place it in a hot (400°F / 200°C or hotter) oven. Let that pot heat up and get fry-ready.