Chilli con Carne Recipe

Chili Con Carne recipe. Copyright © 2018 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

5 from 2 votes

This chilli con carne recipe makes a good old bowl of chilli for those who like their chilli hot and smoky. This recipe is not one of those quick chilli recipes. It’s a hearty slow-cooked chilli con carne that takes a few hours to make – but it definitely doesn't take a lot of work to make. It's also a chilli con carne that will leave you with lots of leftovers if you make a big batch. Leftover chilli con carne can be eaten as a dip and is fantastic in quesadillas or spooned onto nachos.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Total Time3 15

Course: Main

Cuisine: Texan

Servings: Servings

Calories: 449kcal

Author: Terence Carter

Ingredients

2 guajillo chillies
4 dried bird’s eye chillies or de arbol chillis
2 chipotles in adobo in tin
4 bacon rashers
500 g pork mince around 20% fat
250 g beef mince
1 large yellow onion diced
6 cloves garlic crushed
33 ml dark beer
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp cumin powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp clove powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
400 g red kidney beans, canned optional
salt to taste

Garnish

Fresh tomatoes diced into small cubes
Iceberg lettuce finely shredded
Red onions finely sliced
Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Spring onions finely sliced
Red salsa store-bought or homemade; see link to our recipe above
Sour cream to serve

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Snip the dried chillies (guajillos and bird’s eye) into small pieces with scissors over a small bowl. For a hotter final result, keep the seeds in the bowl, otherwise discard the seeds.
In a pan over medium heat, toast the dried chilli pieces for a couple of minutes. Place them back in the bowl and cover with hot water. Let the chillies soak for 20 minutes.
In a heavy pot, fry up the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and reserve the fat from the bacon in the pot.
In the same pot, cook the minced meats over medium heat until browned, if you have a smallish pot you may have to do this in batches. Remove the minced meat from the pot.
Cook the onions in the pot over medium heat until slightly browned, then add the garlic. After one minute add the minced meat back in and pour over 3/4 of the beer. Add the bacon back into the pot as well.
Reduce until almost all the beer is evaporated and add the stock.
In a small skillet, roast the dried spices (cumin, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and cayenne) over medium heat for a minute until almost smoky. Add the remaining beer and combine. Add this to the pot. Turn the heat up to medium high.
Remove the soaking chilli pieces from the bowl and add them to a food processor. Add the chipotles in adobo and a tablespoon of the adobo sauce. Add half a cup of water and blend to a liquid paste. This may take a couple of minutes.
Add this paste to the chilli con carne and combine well. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Check, occasionally stirring as necessary for one and a half hours.
Remove the lid and again cook for one and a half hours, checking and stirring occasionally. If the chilli is getting too dry add a little stock or water to the mix. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your palate if needed.
When the chilli is close to ready, prepare your garnishes and serve. You could ladle the chilli into individual bowls and garnish, or, if you're eating family style, set the pot of chilli con carne at the centre of the table and the garnishes in small bowls with spoons, so guests can help themselves.

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