Nothing soothes the soul on a cold and blustery day like a big hot bowl of chili con carne. As a testament to its mysterious and spicy powers of consolation, this classic dish has inspired countless variations and garnered a devoted fanbase around the world. Given its incredibly widespread appeal, perhaps it should be no surprise that chili con carne has also inspired a longstanding (and often heated) debate as to its proper composition. I've sampled my fair share of chili recipes over the years, but this easy rendition is still my favorite. Rustled up from my old family recipe archives, it is simple, flavorful, and deeply satisfying.
Chili con carne pairs beautifully with an icy cold bottle of beer. But when I'm in the mood for a cocktail alongside this dish, I like to shake up my favorite tequila based take on the classic cosmopolitan...the cosmex.
Ingredients for Chili Con Carne
- vegetable oil
- yellow onion
- fresh jalapeño pepper
- fresh serrano pepper
- garlic
- lean ground beef
- all purpose flour
- ancho chili powder
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- ground coriander
- dark muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- tomato juice
- chopped tomatoes (boxed or canned)
- pinto beans (canned)
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- toppings and accompaniments of your choice (i.e. cheddar cheese, sour cream, white onion, cilantro, tortilla chips, etc.)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Begin by measuring out the spices and preparing the onion, jalapeño pepper, serrano pepper, and garlic.
Then place a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, jalapeño, and serrano. Sauté for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes more.
Add the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces while mixing together with the sautéed vegetables, and lightly season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is mostly browned.
Then sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir it through. Cook, continuing to stir, for about a minute.
Next sprinkle in the chili powders, spices, and sugar. Then give the mixture a good stir. Cook, still stirring, for another minute or two.
Pour in the tomato juice and the chopped tomatoes, along with their juice. Give the mixture another good stir and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer the chili, uncovered, for about 1½ to 2 hours or until it has thickened and become noticeably darker in color.
Toward the end of the cooking time, add the beans and give them a long enough simmer to warm through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then serve with all of your favorite chili toppings and accompaniments.
Hint: For the richest flavor and most sumptuous texture, it is best to prepare this dish the day before you intend to serve it. Giving your chili con carne a little overnight rest in the refrigerator provides the opportunity for all those fabulous flavors to meld and to deepen...and it really makes a difference.
Variations
Chili con carne is an incredibly versatile dish. There are so many potential ways you can customize it to suit your individual taste that it would be impossible to list them all. But here are a few suggestions for possibilities when it comes to the aromatics...
- The Peppers - In terms of fresh peppers, try adding some chopped Anaheim, habanero, poblano, or shishito to the mix. And of course there are all kinds of dried peppers to experiment with here as well...such as cayenne, chili de árbol, chipotle, guajillo, New Mexico, or pasilla, to name just a few.
- The Spices - Feel free to adjust the amounts of coriander, cumin, and oregano or to try experimenting with additional spices like allspice, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, or smoked paprika.
Equipment
I prefer to use a 5.5 quart Dutch oven by Le Creuset when making chili con carne, but any large heavy pot will do the trick here.
Storage
Chili con carne can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Related
Looking for other cold weather comfort food recipes to simmer up in a big pot? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Chili Con Carne
Equipment
- 5.5 quart dutch oven (or other large heavy pot)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 fresh jalapeño pepper finely chopped
- 1 fresh serrano pepper finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ to 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons dark muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- 1 quart tomato juice
- 26 to 28 ounces chopped tomatoes (boxed or canned)
- 28 ounces pinto beans (canned) drained and rinsed
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- toppings and accompaniments of your choice (i.e. cheddar cheese, sour cream, white onion, cilantro, tortilla chips, etc.) for serving
Instructions
- Begin by measuring out all the spices and preparing the onion, jalapeño pepper, serrano pepper, and garlic.
- Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, jalapeño, and serrano. Sauté for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes more.
- Add the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces while mixing together with the sautéed vegetables, and lightly season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is mostly browned.
- Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir it through. Cook, continuing to stir, for about a minute. Then sprinkle in the chili powders, spices, and sugar, and give the mixture another stir. Cook, still stirring, for another minute or two.
- Pour in the tomato juice and the chopped tomatoes, along with their juice. Give the mixture another good stir and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer the chili, uncovered, for about 1½ to 2 hours or until it has thickened and become noticeably darker in color. Toward the end of the cooking time, add the beans and give them a long enough simmer to warm through.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then serve with all of your favorite chili toppings and accompaniments.
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