Shoutout to the person who told me to brown the meat first

I made chili for 5 years just dumping raw beef into the slow cooker and wondered why it always tasted kind of bland and greasy. One comment on this sub finally convinced me to try browning it in a pan first and now I can't believe I went that long doing it the lazy way. Has anyone else had a similar wake-up call with a staple recipe?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylanh811mo ago

Oh man, the "browning the meat first" tip is a total game changer. I did the exact same thing with my chili for way too long. It was always so watery and the texture was off. I finally got sick of it and tried it your way after a friend basically yelled at me about it. The difference is insane, that deep rich flavor you get from the fond on the bottom of the pan is everything. Now I brown ground beef for tacos and spaghetti sauce too, it adds so much more than I ever thought. What other recipes have you tried browning for that turned out way better?

nancy301mo ago

Right? That watery texture is the worst, so glad you figured it out.