My forever Chilli Con Carne recipe

 

This is my forever Chilli Con Carne recipe. I've dabbled with the ingredients over the last few years to get it just right, and it's been worth it. What's not to love about an earthy and wholesome beef recipe with a hint of chilli that has you coming back for more. Chilli con carne isn't season dependant, so my friends, start cooking. 

I know you might be thinking, so what's new about chilli con carne or chili as our American friends call it? Well people, once you have tasted a great chilli con carne recipe, there is no going back to an ordinary version. If you are used to making a delicious Bolognese sauce like I am, and gosh, I have been making different versions of Bolognese sauce ever since I started cooking, many, many moons ago, then you will know that this is cooked in much the same way, but with a whole heap of Mexican spices instead of the Italian flavours. However, shredded beef can also be used for chilli con carne which requires longer cooking. That is another post in the making.

A lot of people love their chilli spicy, and it is meant to be, however the amount of heat can be very easily controlled or even removed, depending on your tastes. I love a hint of chilli, however it is up to you. Sour cream is the magic topping to moderate the heat if you have taken it too far, and also throw in a teaspoon of sugar. It works wonders.

If you find yourself catering for  more than 6 people at a dinner party, just double this recipe, and it works perfectly. This is the perfect dish for feeding a crowd. I have cooked it for a dinner party of 12 people and they were full of praise and going back for second helpings. Thankfully I had doubled the recipe in my large cooking pot. Even if you are only cooking this for a few people, then there will be enough to freeze for later with this standard recipe.

I've decided that after a few recipe renovations, this is the recipe I will use forever now for the perfect Chilli to suit our tastes. It is a mix of Nagi's recipe from Recipe Tin Eats and mine. It uses Nagi's homemade chilli powder, which is a game changer for superior flavour, however I have used a combined Mexican Chilli Con Carne powder before and it worked ok, and is possibly more economical if you don't want to buy all of the spices. They are a standard in my pantry though.

Let's cook:

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 5-6 people

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 red capsicum or bell pepper, diced

3 large garlic cloves, crushed (optional)

1 level tsp of hot chilli powder, or use 1 tablespoon Mexican Chilli powder if you prefer (I didn't), or even less chilli powder if you don't like much heat

500 g / 1 lb minced beef

2 beef stock cubes, crumbled

800 g can tomatoes

3 tbsp homemade or commercially bought tomato sauce (no added sugar), tomato paste or puree

11/2 tsp sugar 

410 g/14 oz  can red kidney beans, drained

1/2 - 1 1/2 cups /125 ml - 375 ml water

Sour cream to serve

Long grain boiled white or brown rice to serve

Corn chips

Chopped coriander, optional

Chopped avocado, optional

Essential Chilli Spice Mix

1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (this is where you adjust the heat) Nagi says: "use 1 tsp cayenne pepper for a warm hum, 1.5 tsp for a nice tingle, or 2 tsp for medium spiciness. " I couldn't have said it better, however, if you are still a bit nervous about it for your dinner guests, and not as tolerant with chilli heat as you used to be, then start with 1/2 teaspoon. Better to be safe than sorry.

4 tsp paprika powder

5 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp garlic powder (optional)

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Method:

1. Chop the onion finely. Chop the capsicum into small pieces after removing the seeds and stalk. Peel and finely chop or mince the garlic cloves.
2. Heat your pan on the stove over a medium heat. Add the oil and heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions, and cook whilst stirring regularly for 5 minutes, or until the onions are slightly translucent.
3. Add the garlic and  red pepper and cook until onion and garlic is translucent.
4. Add the mince to the pan and brown it on a medium high heat so that it browns rather than just stewing in its juices. This should take about 10 minutes whilst you stir and break it up with a spoon.
5. Add the Chilli Spice Mix. Keep cooking until the beef is browned all over and the spices are releasing lots of extra flavour.
6. To make the sauce, add remaining ingredients, with 1/2 cup of water for Quick cook or 1 1/2 cups water for slow cook. Pour this into the mince mixture in the pan. Add sugar if needed and salt and pepper to season. All of the extra ingredients should now be added.
7. Slow cook for 1.5 hours to 2 hours covered, on a low heat so its simmering gently. (My preference for maximum flavour) OR if you are a bit time poor,  do a quick cook, 20 to 40 minutes, uncovered, on a medium low heat, so it's bubbling gently. Stir well,  and put the lid on the pan. Leave the mixture to gently simmer for 20-40 minutes. Either way, check on the pan regularly to ensure it doesn't dry out or stick to the pan. Simmer until the sauce is thick and a nice rich colour.
8. Bring the mixture to the boil again and cook gently without the lid for another 10 minutes. Have a taste and add more seasoning if you think it needs it. If it is too dry add a little more water but it should be fine.
9. Your chilli con carne is now cooked. Replace the lid, take the pan off the heat, and leave the chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavours to settle and improve.

Cooking notes and backstory:

• Did you think that Chili originated in Texas or Mexico? When researching it's history, I found very early references to it being cooked in Spain, and other parts of the globe like India. It was inevitable that wherever the spices and chillies reached, a dish similar to this would evolve. Amazing. There has been an evolutionary process throughout history with this dish, and like most universally popular dishes, it is well and truly on the food lover's repertoire at anytime.
• Some people call it Chili, we call it Chilli Con Carne. 
• Slow cooking is the key to an extra delicious, earthy and spectacular sauce. Your slow cooker can also be used to make the perfect chilli. I know because I have used this method. Proceed to Step 6 in the recipe, just use 1/4 cup of water, and tip everything into your slow cooker bowl. Cook it long and slow for 6 hours on low or even for 8 hours, it will be fine, and you don't have to worry about that pot cooking on the stove. However, if I am home, I rather like to have it cooking on the stove, so I can keep an eye on it, but that is just me.
• One of the main reasons why people are disappointed with slow cooker meals is that they have added too much liquid.
• If possible it shouldn't be eaten fresh from the pot. Refrigerating it overnight, seals in the flavour. It really makes a big difference.
• Instead of just adding water, mix the beef cubes with 2 cups of water to fully dissolve them. I always do this, however allow enough cooking time to reduce the sauce sufficiently. 2 cups of readymade beef broth can also be used. Just allow a little extra cooking time.
• The homemade chilli powder in this recipe is much safer to use than a store bought mix. You can control the heat and consistency. This is why. According to Nagi, who has travelled through America and Canada researching this very thing, Chili powder (one "L") as it is known in Canada and the United States is the one used in Chili recipes shared  by American chefs and bloggers, and is not readily available outside the States. Our Chilli Powder (two "L's") in Australia and many other parts of the world, is pure ground chilli, therefore it's super spicy. Better to stay safe.

There are some aspects of this dish still up for debate:

Canned beans or no canned beans (the Texans say no I believe)?

Make it with Ground beef (mince) or slow cooking steak chunks?

Canned tomatoes or fresh or not at all?

Whole dried chillis or fresh or powdered?

The debate is over for me, I think my recipe tells you where I stand on these questions.

To serve:

For an amazing chili experience, serve over corn chips or boiled rice, definitely with grated cheese, coriander, sour cream or even tortillas or flat bread. I love simply serving it with boiled rice, corn chips on the side, chopped coriander, and sour cream. Tortillas will stretch it even further. Or you could go more TexMex, I think that is the term, please forgive me my American friends,  and serve it with Cornbread and yummy Cornbread Muffins. If you have ready to eat avocadoes on hand, please include them chopped as well. We are heading for a real fiesta here, aren't we? All of the extra ingredients make this a real feast. 

How do you like to eat your chilli/chili?

I am expecting some interesting comments following this post, but I love them and am eager to learn something new and locally relevant to you. How rewarding it is to cook this for friends who are full of compliments for the unique flavours of this dish, and these are friends that I was worried about because of their chilli intolerance. However, there are friends and family who because of medical conditions and medical histories, cannot tolerate any form of chilli at all, and that needs to be respected. This recipe isn't for them.

My Chilli Con Carne recipe has been an evolutionary process:

I originally published a Vegetarian Chilli version in 2022, it was a smoky chilli with a secret ingredient. It has been very popular.

My Rainy Day Chilli in 2019 included bacon, and was also good to eat.

The first one ever published by moi on HRK was this Chilli Con Carne recipe in 2015 which used store bought spices and was quite simple to make, but delicious.

As I said my recipe has evolved, and is definitely my forever recipe now.

Anyway, Dinner is sorted my friends and will be delicious. 

Enjoy!

Warm wishes

Pauline