Ditch The Slow Cooker: There's A Much Better Way To Make Chili - Tasting Table

"In a Dutch oven, every aspect of your chili gets elevated, from the initial browing to the final intensity of the flavor. While a slow cooker is one of the most popular appliances for making chili, it will produce a batch that tastes flatter and less flavorful than a Dutch oven. The secret lies in the brilliant heat distribution and browning power that only a Dutch oven can provide."

"A slow cooker simmers your meat rather than browns it, keeping everything submerged in liquid at a steady 170 to 280 degrees Fahrenheit. A Dutch oven, by contrast, can reach 300 degrees or more - hot enough to trigger the Maillard reaction and caramelize beef into something deeply savory. That's a flavor slow cookers can't deliver, no matter how long you let them run."

A Dutch oven enhances chili by enabling high heat browning and superior heat distribution, producing richer, more complex flavors. Browning triggers the Maillard reaction and caramelizes beef, creating savory depth that slow cookers cannot achieve. Dutch ovens allow controlled evaporation, concentrating flavors and improving texture and appearance. Slow cookers maintain steady low temperatures and trap condensation that drips back into the food, which dilutes flavor and prevents proper browning. Simmering chili in a Dutch oven at around 300°F for a couple of hours intensifies seasoning and yields a noticeably bolder result.

Read at Tasting Table