I've been swimming in Chili con Carne lately, have you tried it yet?
Using dried chiles will give you a massive upgrade in flavor and will most likely put this classic Tex-Mex dish on regular rotation for you.
Please give it a go when you're craving comfort food as it fits the bill perfectly 🙂
How To Make Chili con Carne
I used a mix of Anchos and Guajillos for this batch:
But there's leeway on the chiles, so don't worry about matching the exact combo I used. For example, I've used New Mexican chiles in place of Guajillos before and still got a great result.
I also added a chipotle in adobo for additional heat and smokiness, but you can consider this optional. Working with chipotles in adobo.
I usually start by de-stemming and de-seeding the dried chiles, but it's not crucial to get rid of every last seed so don't sweat it too much.
Then I typically give these chile pieces a quick roast in the oven (400F) for 1-2 minutes to wake them up.
Cover the roasted chile pieces with hot tap water and let them reconstitute for 20-30 minutes, or until you need them. You can use a small bowl or plate to keep them submerged if they float to the top.
I'm also in the habit of roasting tomatoes for this recipe, so I usually put 3-4 Romas in the oven before working on the meat.
There's an extended simmer coming up so it's not crucial to fully roast the tomatoes -- I usually just throw them in the oven and grab 'em when I need 'em.
For the meat I'm using 2 lbs. of chuck roast. Best beef cuts for stewing.
Chop it into 1-1.5" chunks and give it a good salting.
Preheat a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a glug of oil.
Then give the beef a good sear on all sides.
I'm using this Lodge 5 quart Dutch oven and the recipe as written will only fill it up halfway. That's plenty of food for 4-5 people, but you can double the recipe for larger groups and it will still fit into a pot this size.
Once the beef is browned you can set the pieces aside.
In the same pan, we'll add another glug of oil and cook a finely chopped onion over medium heat until it's softened and starting to brown.
Then we'll add 4 minced garlic cloves and briefly saute.
Scoop half of the onion-garlic mixture into a blender where it will become part of the chile puree.
We'll also add one of the roasted tomatoes to the blender, along with the drained chile pieces and a single chipotle in adobo (optional).
If it's your first time reconstituting dried chiles, be sure to take a taste of the soaking liquid!
If you like its flavor then you can use a single cup of it to blend the chile puree. If it tastes bitter to you then just use stock to combine the chiles.
It usually tastes bitter to me so I added a single cup of stock to the blender and gave it a whirl.
Then we'll add this chile puree to the main pot along with:
4 cups stock
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano?
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper
Combine well and then add the meat pieces (and their juices) and the remaining roasted tomatoes.
I usually just plop the tomatoes in and roughly chop 'em up. I think it's a real treat to get bites of these tomatoes in the final product, but of course you can consider them optional.
Bring this up to temp and then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the beef is tender -- my stove needs somewhere between low and medium-low to maintain a simmer when covered.
The beef will be tender in around 1.5-2 hours. I let this batch cook for 2 hours or so.
And now the big decision of the day...
Do you like beans in your Chili?! I do but some people are vehemently opposed to it, most likely because that's what they grew up with 🙂
So I usually add in 1-2 cans of cooked black beans towards the end of the simmer, but you can consider this optional. You could also use pinto or kidney beans and get an equally good result.
Looking good!
Now is a good time to take a final taste for seasoning.
I added more salt, but keep in mind the salt level will depend on which stock you're using. I used homemade chicken stock that doesn't have much salt in it.
You can also adjust the consistency of the Chili con Carne at this point. So far I've used 5 cups stock total (4 cups were added to the pot, a single cup was added to the chile puree) and I was happy with the consistency.
If your Chili is too thick for your liking after the simmer, simply add 1-2 additional cups of stock to thin it out.
If your Chili seems too thin you can always use cornstarch to thicken it up. In a small bowl whisk together a few tablespoons of cornstarch and equal parts cold water. Once combined add it to the Chili to thicken it up. More on using cornstarch to thicken soups and sauces.
Once you're happy with the salt level and consistency you can serve it up!
I think Chili con Carne is quite comfortable in a bowl all by its lonesome, and that's how this batch was served.
But feel free to garnish to your liking, with some good options being:
Mexican Crema
Freshly chopped cilantro
Squeeze of lime
Crispy tortilla strips
Okay, I hope this recipe gets Chili con Carne back on the regular rotation for you! It's the ultimate comfort food and building it with dried chiles will give you an instant upgrade in flavor. Feel free to use the comments section below if you have any questions about it.
Enjoy!
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Chili con Carne
Ingredients
- 2-2.5 lbs. chuck roast
- 3 Ancho dried chiles
- 3 Guajillo dried chiles
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3-4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 chipotle in adobo (optional)
- 1-2 cans beans (I used two 15oz. cans black beans)
- 5 cups stock
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Wipe off any dusty crevasses on the dried chiles. De-stem and de-seed the chiles, but don't worry about getting rid of every last seed. Roast them in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until warm and fragrant. Add the roasted chile pieces to a bowl and cover them with the hottest tap water you've got. Let them reconstitute for 20 minutes or so.
- Rinse and de-stem the tomatoes. Roast them in a 400F oven for 20-30 minutes or until you need them.
- Preheat your main pot over medium-high heat along with a glug of oil. Chop up the chuck roast into 1-1.5" chunks and give it a good salting. You can discard any fat pieces that you don't want in your Chili. Sear the beef chunks in the pot until they are browning on all sides (tongs work great for this step). Once browned you can set the beef pieces aside.
- In the same pot, add a finely chopped onion along with another glug of oil. Cook the onion over medium heat until softened. Then add 4 minced garlic cloves and briefly cook. Scoop half of the onion-garlic mixture into the blender where it will become part of the chile puree. Note: if you're concerned about the garlic burning then add the 4 cups of stock to the main pot now while you work on the chile puree.
- Before draining the reconstituted chiles take a taste of the soaking liquid. If it tastes bitter to you then use stock to combine the chiles. If you like the flavor you are welcome to use the soaking liquid in place of the stock.
- Add the drained chiles to the blender along with a single roasted tomato and a single chipotle in adobo (optional). I usually cut off the stem and scrape out the seeds of the chipotle. Half of the onion-garlic mixture should already be in the blender. Add a single cup of stock (or soaking liquid) and combine well. Feel free to add a bit more liquid if it won't combine readily.
- Add the chile puree to the main pot along with: 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and the 4 cups of the stock if you have not already added it. Combine well and then add the seared beef pieces (along with their juices) and the remaining roasted tomatoes. I usually just plop the tomatoes in the pot and give 'em a rough chop.
- Bring this up to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 1.5-2 hours or until the beef is tender. This batch cooked for 2 hours. Note: my stove needs somewhere between low and medium-low to maintain a simmer in a covered pot.
- Towards the end of the simmer you can add the beans (optional). I added two cans of drained and rinsed black beans, 15 oz. size.
- Take a final taste for seasoning. I added more salt and another pinch of Mexican oregano, but keep in mind the salt level will depend on which stock you're using. You can optionally shred the beef chunks into smaller pieces using two forks, or you can just leave them as the larger chunks.
- You can also adjust the consistency of the Chili at this point if you want. To thin it out, simply add 1-2 cups of stock. To thicken it up you can use a cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl whisk together a few tablespoons of cornstarch and equal parts cold water. Once combined add the mixture to the Chili and it will thicken up considerably. More on using cornstarch to thicken soups and sauces.
- Serve immediately. I served this batch plain Jane, but optional garnishes include Mexican Crema, freshly chopped cilantro, crispy tortilla strips, and a squeeze of lime.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge where it will keep for a few days.
Notes
Disclaimer: there are some affiliate links on this page which means I will get a small percentage of the sale if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. But I only recommend products that I use and trust — feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about this!
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LWilliams
I have a batch of this cooking as I write this. It took me a while to prepare it, but it's simmering and the house smells divine. I enjoyed working with dried pepper pods. I've never done that. I also toasted whole cumin and coriander and ground on a molcajete.
I'll probably thicken this up with masa later.
Patrick
Hey thanks for your note L, I hope this batch turned out well for you! Cheers.
LWilliams
I turned out great and I had a lot of leftovers. The first night we had it as straight-up chili. The second night I shredded the beef chunks and had it as burritos. Third and last night I turned the beef into a kind of "shepherd's" pie. Each incarnation was delicious.
Patrick
Ahh awesome, that's the beauty of making a big batch! Cheers.
Doug
Don't mean to get all Cliff Claven on you but, "Shepherd's pie" made with beef, vs. lamb, is called "Cottage Pie". 🙂
PSP
Made this twice now (first time got a Best. Chili. Ever! comment from my guest). Great as-written, and a fine foundation for riffing. Second time, I thickened it up just a bit with masa harina, suggested by one of the earlier comments. Chili + masa are always play well together, plus I amped up the cumin just a tad cuz cumin and I are old buds. This is now my go-to chili!
Patrick
Hey I'll take Best Chili Ever! Thanks much for mentioning your Masa Harina adjustment as that is a great one to keep in mind. Cheers.
Christina
Hi there,
We don’t really eat red meat much and I was wondering how you might change the recipe to use chicken thigh meat? Do you think that would work? It would certainly need less cooking time...
Love your recipes! Thanks
Patrick
Hey Christina! Yeah I think it would work with chicken thigh meat. You could keep everything pretty much the same, just skip the searing of the meat and simmer the thighs for 30-40 minutes in the Chili broth or until fully cooked. You could also cook the chicken separately and add it in at the end if you want an even more streamlined version. For that option I would probably simmer the Chili broth for 20 minutes or so. Cheers.
Charles Michael Waddington
Hi Patrick,
Have you ever tried using ground beef in this chili? Other than a shorter simmering time what other adjustments would you make? Or would you not recommend?
Thank you for your time!
Cheers Chaz
Patrick
Hey Chaz! Yeah I've been getting questions about this so I will try to put up a ground beef version soon. You could brown the ground beef right after the onion/garlic and keep the rest of the process mostly the same -- then just simmering until you're happy with the consistency. Cheers.
Diane
Hi, Patrick --
I've been wanting to ask for some time now. Would it be possible for your emails to have the recipe name in the subject line instead of every one being titled "New post from Mexican Please." Every email being identical makes it difficult to go back and find recipes that interest me but I don't have time to do more than read and think, "Yum, that sounds delicious." That would be so appreciated. Thanks, and I hope you can do it.
Patrick
Hey Diane thanks for your suggestion! I've looked into this and my current newsletter software doesn't have this capability, but I'm hoping to upgrade at some point so I can offer up a more accurate subject line. Cheers.
Robin Rosdi
This sounds fabulous! I love chili and all kinds of preps. I can't wait to try this one and it's so easy!
I've been making the same black bean, shredded meat chili every Super Bowl for almost 40 years that i got out of a column in Bon Appetit. And i things but i love me some good chili and I'm already making the shopping list!
Patrick
Thanks Robin, I think this one will treat you well 🙂
Geoff McClure
For thickener, instead of corn starch I use masa, the same stuff used to make corn tortillas. Adds an additional element.
Patrick
Hey thanks much for mentioning this tip Geoff. Cheers.
Gillie
Sounds delicious! Is the cumin in this recipe, ground or whole?
Patrick
Thanks Gillie! I used ground cumin in this recipe. Cheers.
Horacio Saenz
Thank you for your recipe, I like it very much. Gracias.
Patrick
Cheers Horacio 🙂
DC
This recipe looks fantastic! So happy to see you're not using kidney beans, which are overrated. I've used pintos with very tasty results. Thanks!
Patrick
Ahh good to know, thanks for mentioning the pintos Skyye. Cheers.