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Chili recipeChili, chili con carne or chili sin carne, is a stew, usually using beef or other meat, cooked with spices, herbs and one or more types of chili pepper (in powder, fresh, dried, liquid or smoked form). There are many recipes for chili, all based on the same principle, but each one using different types of ingredients. No matter what the recipe is, one of the secrets in making chili is to refrigerate it for at least a day or two; this will allow the flavors to develop and mature.
Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 90 minutes, Serves: 4 - 6
Chili is considered by many a Mexican dish. It seems though that it originated in the United States, and more specifically in Texas, that is probably why one of the things Texas is famous for, is the chili. According to wikipedia, the definition for chili is the following:
"Chili con carne (often known simply as chili) is a spicy stew-like dish. The essential ingredients are chili peppers and meat. Variations, either geographic or by personal preference, often include tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin, beans, and other ingredients."
There are too many recipes for chili worldwide, probably more than any other dish. Chili also has different names and spellings, such as chili con carne, chili sin carne, chilli, etc. There are recipes for chili with beef, chili with chicken, chili with pork, chili with potatoes and other vegetables, even chili with roadkill! There are also many variations of chili recipes, that use the same base ingredients but different combinations of chili peppers and spices. The procedure for making chili is to start by sauteing the main ingredients and then add the herbs, spices and some kind of liquid, to help with the cooking of the meat, if used. The mositure needed to cook the beef is often provided by some type of liquid such as chicken stock, beef stock, red wine, beer, tomatoes, tomato juice, water or a combination.
The meat that is used in making chili is usually tough. For example for beef chili, shoulder or chuck cuts are used. There is no
reason to use tender meat, which is more expensive, since chili is cooked slowly, over a low heat (simmer). This type of cooking tenderizes the meat. Typical cooking times for chili are 2 to 4 hours, sometimes even more. In many recipes, the herbs and spices are added in different batches, during the cooking time. There are chili recipes that use as many as 12 different spices, or even more.
Ingredients4 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 lb chuck, shoulder or round steak (or other type of braising cut)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp hot chili powder or cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp cumin powder
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 lb ripe tomatoes, skinned, roughly chopped
1 pint (600 ml) beef or chicken stock
1 3/4 lb red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To serve
Sour cream and corn tortillas or Mexican fried rice
Roughly chopped fresh coriander DirectionsCut the steak into about 1/2 inch cubes or similar sized pieces, trimming off any excess fat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or cooking pot until very hot (the pan should be big enough to fit all the ingredients). Fry the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until well browned on all sides. Drain with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard any juices that result from frying the meat.
In the same pan or cooking pot, add 2 more tablespoons of vegetable oil, the onions, chili or cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin and brown sugar and fry gently, over medium to low heat, for 8 to 10 minutes until the onions turn to deep golden and become caramelised.
Return the meat to the pan and stir well. Add the garlic, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and beef or chicken stock, raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about an hour and a half. Add the red kidney beans and continue cooking for 30 minutes more. Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper and/or chili to taste. Finally, check the consistency of the sauce and if too thin, cook for a few minutes more on medium heat until you get the desired result.
Serve topped with fresh chopped coriander, sour cream and tortilla chips or fried rice.
Notes and tipsThe chili can be refrigerated overnight and heated in the microwave when needed. It will actually taste much better if refrigerated overnight as this will allow the flavours to develop. You can also freeze some or all of it and use it as desired.
Use the following amounts of chili powder with the listed ingredients for the corresponding results:
1/2 tsp of chili powder - Mild
3/4 tsp chili powder - Mild to medium
1 tsp chili powder - Medium
1 1/2 tsp chili powder - Medium to hot
2 or more - Hot
Be careful when using cayenne pepper as it is hotter than regular chili pepper.
Variations to tryYou can experiment with your chili by adding ingredients you like, removing ingredients you don't etc. Here are a few ideas:
Spices and herbs (typically used in chile recipes)
Cinnamon
Mild chili powder
Hot chili powder
Cayenne pepper
Tabasco sauce
Ancho chiles, fresh of dried
Jalapeno chiles, fresh or pickled
Anaheim chiles, fresh or dried
Chipotle chiles
Paprica
Oregano
Cumin
Garlic
Garlic salt
Dried onion (minced onion)
Dried garlic
Thyme
Bay leaf
Liquid
Red wine
Beer
Beef stock
Chicken stock
Water
Vegetables and other chili related ingredients
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Garlic
Potatoes
Pinto beans
Red kidney beans
Beef cubed, beef ground or a combination
Chicken cubed, ground or a combination
Pork cubed, ground or a combination
You can also combine different types of meat in your chili. If you use chicken together with pork or meat tough, make sure you add the chicken at a later stage since it takes much less time to cook than pork or beef. Whatever you do, remember to taste the chili and adjust with more spices and / or seasoning to taste.
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Recipes similar to ChiliChili con carne with red kidney beans (one of the best versions) Here is another recipe of Chili con carne using red kidney beans. It is basically a variation of another version of chilli con carne listed on our website. This recipe uses lots of spices and instead of onion and garlic powders it uses fresh ones, minced. It also uses dried oregano, added at the last stage. The chili is cooked over medium heat for about 2 hours. During the cooking time, a series of ingredients are added in batches. Chili con carne (best version) This is the best chili con carne recipe we have tried so far. It is simple to do, like the rest of the beef chili recipes but it has an incredible taste, especially if refrigerated overnight. You can adjust how hot the dish is by adjusting the amount of chili or cayenne pepper used.
Chili corn carne, Texas style Another classic chili with meat recipe using a combination of minced meats (beef, pork and chorrizo sausage). The meat is cooked in beer, tomato sauce and several herbs and spices. This chili con carne dish is supposed to be quite hot, hence the use of chorrizo sausage (a hot Mexican sausage), jalapeno peppers and chili powder.
Beef steak burritos Burritos are another Mexican favorite recipe, very similar to enchiladas. In this recipe, flour tortillas are filled with a beef steak and bean mixture, folded like an envelope, topped with a tomato based chili sauce and cheese and baked until the cheese melts. Burritos can be served as a starter or main dish, together with Mexican condiments.
Beef steak fajitas (steak fahitas) using skirt steak The traditional beef steak fajitas recipe, using skirt steak. Skirt steak is quite a tough meat to eat, so to tenderize it, it is marinaded in tequila, oil, lime juice and spices for several hours (you can marinate the steak overnight for best results). The steak is cooked over coals and served with lightly fried bell peppers and onions.
Chipotle chili con carne (beef chili with Chipotle chiles) Chile con carne, or chili with meat, is one of the most popular Mexican or Tex-Mex recipes. It is basically a spicy meat stew with lots of spices. This recipe uses Chipotle chiles, a dried, smoked Jalapeno type of chile and has a great smokey flavor. The chile takes quite some time to cook, since the meat that is being used is not tender enough - a long cooking process is therefore required to tenderize the meat. Chili refrigerates well for 1 or 2 weeks and can be frozen for one or two months. Refrigerating chili for at least 24 hours actually improves its taste and the extra time allows for the flavors to enhance.
Authentic Texas chili con carne This is the authentic Texas chili recipe. Unlike many other chili recipes, this recipe does not use tomato sauce or red kidney beans. The use of bacon fat gives a distinct flavour to the dish.
Bob's chili con carne A beef chili recipe that is made using a variety of spices, added at different steps during the cooking process. This recipe uses a lot of ingredients but is fairly easy to execute. Notice that no beans are used here, just the beef and the spices.
Pork Chili Verde (Green pork chili) Chili verde, literally meaning green chili, is a chili made with pork and tomatillos. Tomatillos are green tomatoes widely used in the Mexican cuisine. The chilli is cooked for about 4 hours until tender and can be served with rice, baked potatoes or tortillas.
Chili tomato sauce (with Anaheim chiles) A tasty tomato and chile sauce, great for any Mexican dish.
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