Sear the Beef: Pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, brown the beef cubes on all sides. This creates a deep, rich flavor. Remove the browned beef and set it aside.

Sauté Aromatics: Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.

Build the Soup Base: Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika. Cook for one minute to toast the spices.

Simmer: Pour in the beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any remaining flavor. Return the seared beef to the pot. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, and corn.

Cook for Tenderness: Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for at least 3 to 4 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and falls apart easily.

Serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Top with your favorite garnishes and serve immediately.

Sear First (Optional but recommended): While you can skip this step, browning the beef in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker will significantly improve the depth of flavor. Follow Step 1 from the stovetop method.

Combine Ingredients: Place the seared beef cubes (or raw cubes if skipping the sear), chopped onion, minced garlic, all the spices, beef broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, green chiles, black beans, and corn into the slow cooker.

Cook: Stir to combine, then cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the beef is incredibly tender.

Serve: Ladle into bowls and top with desired garnishes.