r/chili • u/Apprehensive-Brief70 • Jun 15 '25
Anyone ever put leftover steak in chili?
So my Dad and I had a barbecue grilling two tomahawk steaks. Surprise, we weren’t able to finish them, so my Dad floated the idea of giving me the leftovers. Thing is, I can’t stand steak if it’s been refrigerated and needs to be reheated in the microwave.
So my question is, has anyone else ever put their leftover steak in a chili recipe? Perhaps more specifically, tomahawk steak?
Edit: Man, some of y’all really don’t realize we don’t all have inter-dimensional voids in our stomachs, even for something as delicious as steak. It’s okay, just sit down and take some deep breaths. Everything’s gonna be fine.
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u/msb2ncsu Jun 15 '25
I’ve used some leftover Costco “sous vide sirloin steak” for a quick chili. Since it is pre sliced pretty thin it is easy to again into nice tiny diced pieces. Seared them hard for some browning and they still had a nice texture in the finished chili.
Only thing I’d say about the tomahawk meat is that I personally don’t fatty chunks of meat in chili. I’d remove the fat, chop it up, and use it as an initial browning/render step. Depending on size, I’d also probably throw the bone in the pot.
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u/Apprehensive-Brief70 Jun 15 '25
Oh sure, trimming off the fat is a must. But I hadn’t thought to render it in the pot, that’s a great idea. Same with throwing the bone in the pot.
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u/CSamCovey Jun 15 '25
I usually put leftover steak bits into scrambled egg tacos or a burrito. Chili would definitely benefit from some leftover steak. Turn it tinier bits though: chunky may be weird.
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u/Mr_Flibbles_ESQ Jun 15 '25
I use left over Barbecue in Chilli, save everything, mince it and then make a chilli as I would normally.
Works well 👍🏻
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u/PM5K23 Jun 15 '25
I’ve never in 40 something years of life had “leftover steak”.
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u/Apprehensive-Brief70 Jun 15 '25
Sometimes it happens! We don’t all have stomachs with inter-dimensional voids, even for something as tasty as tomahawk steak. That being said, my step-Mom would often heat them up in a pan the next morning and put them in arepas, a Venezuelan dish that would also go decently with chili now that I think about it.
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u/Ckn-bns-jns Jun 15 '25
Maybe not the steak I put on my plate but there’s been plenty of times where I have leftover steak after cooking for a larger group. I’d rather have leftovers than run out when we have guests, also had people who couldn’t make it so we had extras I didn’t want to freeze after prepping.
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u/PsychologicalFood780 Three Alarm 🚨🚨🚨 Jun 15 '25
Maybe not if you're cooking a smaller cut, but I just cooked 1.6 pounds of skirt steak last night for steak sandwiches. I still have 2/3 left.
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u/ea88_alwaysdiscin Jun 15 '25
If there's ever any left in my house, it goes into the following morning's breakfast burrito
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u/nosidrah Jun 16 '25
Every pot of chili that I make has a variety of leftover meat. I save every bit of leftover chicken, pork, steak and ground turkey or beef in a bag or two in the freezer for the express purpose of using it in chili. I always add a large amount of fresh beef also so the overall profile is beef but there’s always some surprise meat.
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u/Ronw1993 Jun 16 '25
Absolutely. Just be aware that, depending on how much the steak was smoked/grilled/carmelized - that flavor can leech into the chili fairly strongly. If I have leftover steak, I’d choose cast iron seared steak versus open flame to add in. With that said, I’m sure there’s folks who would prefer the extra smoky flavor.
As a side note and pet peeve - I hate how food/steak subreddits love to say LeFtOvEr StEaK, WhAtS tHaT. JFC, sometimes people cook too much steak to finish, or you had an amazing appetizer that you ate a lot of. It’s not a big deal.
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u/Apprehensive-Brief70 Jun 16 '25
THANK YOU. FINALLY SOMEONE WITH SENSE. I forget how snobby food subreddits can be. I love steak, but there are times when I just can’t finish the whole damn thing. What kind of nutcase forces themselves to gorge on a particular piece of food even when they’re full? Especially in this economy?
Personally I’m a huge sucker for smoky notes in my chili. But I see what you mean. Definitely need to watch for any seasonings used on the steak, just in case.
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u/thedudeintx82 Jun 16 '25
One of my favorite restaurants in Fort Worth is Lonesome Dove Bistro. They hand cut each steak to order. Anything that's trimmed off goes in the chili. It's absolutely amazing. You end up with chili that has bison tenderloin, ribeye, NY Strip, etc. You can't go wrong.
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u/c9belayer Jun 17 '25
Nope but I’ve made some of the best hash on the planet with leftover smoked prime rib. Probably added 2 mm of plaque to my arteries but So Worth It!
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u/Mental_Basil_2398 Jun 17 '25
Yes 100%. I cook for a living. I put EVERYTHING in chili. Its a great way to clean out the freezer.
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u/Mozzy2022 Jun 17 '25
I’ve used leftover steak in chili. I’ve also made a hash by cutting it up in little bits and adding into some tiny chopped potatoes and onions
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u/sazerak_atlarge Jun 17 '25
All the time. Sometimes, I'll do extra fajita meat just for the express purpose of putting it into pinto beans, chili, etc.
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u/shootathought Jun 15 '25
I'm still sitting here wondering when people are going to learn how to properly use their microwave ovens. Seriously, reheating a medium rare steak in the micro can be done successfully. Use a lower power level, like 40 or 50%, and check it every minute to see where you're at.
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u/-DollFace Jun 16 '25
Yeah, your suggestion does make leftover microwaved meat better, but id still rather it cold out of ziploc bag like a gremlin
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u/N-Y-R-D Pepper Enthusiast 🌶️ Jun 15 '25
What is this “leftover steak” you speak of? Kidding. It would be awesome.
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u/flyingcowsandtacos Jun 15 '25
I have never experienced leftover steak, but I do it with leftover brisket all the time. Sorry. I can't do a 15 pounder in one sitting.
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u/rival_22 Jun 15 '25
I'll make a prime rib for Christmas, and usually buy a decently bigger one then we need, just to use the leftovers in chili for New Year's.
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u/tcarlson65 Jun 15 '25
I would make hash. Potatoes, peppers, onions, salt,pepper. Maybe some garlic. Soft fried egg on top and some toast.
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u/weedtrek Jun 15 '25
I've put steak in chili. It was sirloin. I never had a leftover steak before, what cut is that?
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u/OminousVictory Jun 15 '25
Meat grinder if possible, I bet it be great in chili if ground down beef is just beef. If you cube it, the cold muscle strands will be chewy. Grind it down so the fibers are broken down you won’t notice.
Never cooked a steak like I would pork loin into shredded pork before. My guess is hamburger meat grinding it down would be best, as that’s what I’m use too.
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u/Trekgiant8018 Jun 15 '25
I only use steak. Cubed tri tip but any cut will do if broken down to the right size.
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u/Cocktoasttoe Jun 15 '25
Yes, adds great texture. And here’s a weird one for you, the best chili I have ever had contained pepperoni, ground hamburger, steak bites, and a bag of mixed frozen fishes from Trader Joe’s. The white fish in the bag broke down and gave the chili an amazing texture while the clams added a chewy note. It was a delight to eat both flavor, wise and texturally lol.
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u/ray_ruex Jun 15 '25
I generally cook for just me, so if I put leftovers in something, it's just me and my own germs. I always put leftover meat or bones in my soups, and chili gotta get all that flavor
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u/Then-Yam-2266 Jun 15 '25
I put it in the fridge overnight and the next morning, while it’s still cold I slice it thin, warm it in a pan on low heat, then put it on toast with eggs and hot sauce.
I’ve used it in chili as well.
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u/hu_gnew Jun 15 '25
Reheating steak in an air fryer makes it just as delicious as when you pulled it off the grill. Or go ahead and put in in a batch of chili.
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u/AldenteAdmin Jun 15 '25
Leftover grilled and smoked meats are perfect for chili. Cubed steak is great in a chili, just add it towards the end to simmer a bit but not cook much and you’ll be good to go.
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u/King_Ralph1 Jun 15 '25 edited Jun 16 '25
Ditch the microwave for reheating - air fryer is the way to go.
Or - put it in chili. That’ll work.
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u/smotrs Jun 17 '25
Chili, tacos, nachos, pho, stews, game on for leftover steaks and meats in our house.
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u/DwarvenRedshirt Jun 17 '25
Yes. Dice up the meat and toss it in. I'd cut off excess fat though. Rubbery chunks in chili is not good eats.
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u/ChasingBooty2024 Jun 17 '25
I would do slow simmered beef stew and would use the fat and and the bone.
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u/InsertRadnamehere Jun 17 '25
I would use it for tacos first. Or a sandwich. Or steak and eggs for breakfast.
Chili is for chewier cuts. But sure. In a pinch I’d do it.
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u/kaos5576 Jun 17 '25
I always save a half pound of brisket when I smoke one just for chili in the fall. And the beef tallow that I collect from the smoker. Makes a big difference.
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u/CookWithHeather Jun 18 '25
I have, yeah.
But I don't reheat steak in the microwave, on the occasions that I do reheat it. Sometimes I eat it cold in a salad or something, but other times I reheat it in butter on the stove.
I don't love most leftovers so I have gotten really good at finding the best ways to use up things I often have leftover and still make them palatable to me. Sometimes it's more work, but if it makes me want to eat it...
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u/OscarEverdark Jun 18 '25
Not exactly chili. But I get a London broil and chicken breasts to add to my Brunswick stew. Smoke em for the last 2 hours of finishing the pork. Refrigerator until I'm tired of the pulled pork, cube and toss into the stew.
Extra texture is a game changer.
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u/jamesgotfryd Jun 18 '25
Steaks and roasts are great for making chili. Using leftovers is even better, it's already cooked, you just put it in towards the end to heat it up.
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u/phillstaf Jun 18 '25
What is leftover steak? I've never had one last longer than 5 minutes once it hits the table 🤣, as long as it's only like 1 or 2 days old and stored properly i don't see an issue with it, but it may affect the life of the chili best to go based on the safe lifespan of the leftover steak to decide when it's no longer safe to consume
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u/wjglenn Jun 18 '25
Absolutely.
But, you know you don’t have to reheat in the microwave, right?
Slice it thin, heat it up in a skillet while cooking some eggs. Top notch breakfast right there.
Or, slice it thin and upscale your next ramen or fried rice!
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u/St0rmborn Jun 18 '25
For sure. I would just cut it up pretty thin or shred it though so that it blends better with the overall chili texture.
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u/Captn_Clutch Jun 19 '25
"needs to be reheated in the microwave" wash your mouth out! Anything but that.
Chili is fine. Sliced thin and used as cold cut sandwich meat is fine. Reheated on a low temp like 200F in a cast iron pan in the oven is alright if you still want to enjoy it as a steak. Throw the microwave out the window.
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u/Ok-Breadfruit-1359 Jun 19 '25
My husband has made chili with finely chopped left over steak.
Usually we'd put it in a quesadilla
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u/Fuppenhammer Jun 20 '25
Cube it up and throw it in. Add a thick cube of butter to really do yourself a favor
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u/TheLastPorkSword Jun 15 '25
"Tomohawk steak" is just a ribeye with a long bone. It's still just beef.
You do know there are other ways to heat up food than the microwave, don't you? Like, do you cook pasta by putting a bowl of water in the microwave? Slice it about 1/3 of an inch thick and quickly sear them up in a pan with some oil. You can even keep it medium rare or whatever you cooked it to initially by doing the same thing now that you did when you grilled them, take them off when they're the right temp.
That being said, yes, you can put ribeye in chili. Why couldn't you?
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u/Apprehensive-Brief70 Jun 15 '25
Thank you for your extremely smug and condescending reply! I forgot how people can be on this subreddit sometimes, always nice to be reminded. I’m aware that I can do all those things, I’m not a child. I just generally don’t have the time or energy. I work long hours, so it’s why I love making chili, as it’s a great long-term meal prep.
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u/realspongeworthy Jun 15 '25
Some have never experienced steak and egg. Kinda heartbreaking, really.
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u/Friendly_Employer_82 Jun 15 '25
Yes it's great in chili🌶️ add extra onions and bacon and baked beans 🫘😋
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u/TheLastPorkSword Jun 15 '25
I would throw an actual fit if I was wver served chili made with fuxking baked beans..... get that crap outta here and use kidney beans like a normal person.
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u/Friendly_Employer_82 Jun 15 '25
Your username doesn't check out 👎
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u/JackFromTexas74 Jun 15 '25
Speaking on behalf of Big Back Americans, what do you mean “leftover steak?”
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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '25
Any leftover meat is game on for the chili pot IMO