Mom's Beef Chili Con Carne

Name: Mom's Beef Chili Con Carne
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 tbsp grapeseed oil; 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef; 2 chorizo sausages; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tbsp chil powder; salt and pepper (to taste); 1 medium onion; 2 ribs celery; 4 cloves Fresh garlic; 2 carrots; Hot chili pepper to taste; 150 grams hickory bacon; 4 cups of red kidney beans; 2 cans diced tomatoes; 3 tbsp chili powder; 1 tbsp paprika; 1/4 tsp cinnamon; hot chili sauce to taste; 2 tbsp basalmic vinegar; 2 tbsp brown sugar; 2 cups tomato sauce; 1 bunch fresh cilantro; salt and pepper to taste; chili powder to taste; 1/4 cup butter (optional)

4.8 out of 5 · 3 ratings

Active time: 60 min

Total time: 180–240 min

Serves: 8

A hearty cold weather dish to warm you up and put a smile on your face. Just like mom used to make...well not exactly.

Chef's notes

The base of this recipe was given to me by my mother but over time as my culinary skill has improved so has the flavor and method of this old time favorite. Even my mom liked it better my way. The problem I always have with chili is I never seem to make it the same way twice. My new favorite thing to add is hickory smoked bacon and I leave out the sausage meat. I intentionally don't make this chili super spicy so more people can enjoy it. My kids love chili but "please not to spicy Daddy". I personally love it hot so I'll add a bit of Tabasco sauce or more hot Chile paste to my own bowl at the table. We love to eat this with along with a big bag of good tortilla chips. This is the best tomato sauce ever and it's what I use in everything. http://rouxbe.com/recipes/1202/text

Steps

Starting the Chili

Ingredients

1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 chorizo sausages
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chil powder
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 medium onion
2 ribs celery
4 cloves Fresh garlic
2 carrots
Hot chili pepper to taste
150 grams hickory bacon

Heat a large pot over medium high heat and once hot add the oil, ground meat and sausage meat removed from the sausage skin or you can also use bacon which is my new favorite thing to do. Next, add the coriander, cumin and 1 table spoon of chili spice, as well as salt and pepper. While that cooks dice up the onion, brunoise the carrot and celery. When the meat is browned remove it from the pan and set aside. If there is a lot of rendered fat you may want to pour that off. Now you can add the diced up onion, carrot and celery. When the onion is translucent add the garlic and sauté for a minute. If you'd like to really turn up the heat finely dice up a chili pepper and add it in here.

Draining the Beans

Ingredients

4 cups of red kidney beans

Drain the beans and rinse. I find 4 large cans do the trick great. If you like you can also cook beans from dry. First soak them overnight, then cook for a few hours until softened.

Draining the Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 cans diced tomatoes

You'll want to do the same with the tomatoes. Drain them but this time reserve the juice, we won't need the juice for the chili but it's great to hold onto for making rice with.

Building the Sauce

Ingredients

3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
hot chili sauce to taste
2 tbsp basalmic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups tomato sauce

To the mirepoix add the cooked meat and brown sugar and mix through. Now add the tomato sauce and stir in and cook till it thickens a bit Introduce the, vinegar, cinnamon, paprika, hot chili sauce, and last of the chili powder. Bring to a simmer.

Folding in Beans and Tomatoes

When this starts to thicken then add drained kidney beans and diced tomatoes.

Cooking the Chili

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
chili powder to taste
1/4 cup butter (optional)

Let this simmer over a low heat for at least 1.5 to 2 hours. Remember to stir often and check the seasoning. (Conversely I now like to place the pot into a 200 degree oven for three to four hours which makes this a great meal to make early and come home to finished and waiting for dinner.) About ten minutes before you're ready to serve take the chili off the heat and stir in the cold butter (if using) and the chopped cilantro. Check the seasoning and add to your taste.

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8 Comments

Judi G • December 7, 2008 at 05:31PM

Yikes, I thought I had heard it all, but HOPE that you meant Tabasco sauce, as I have Googled tobacco sauce and am pretty sure this isn't something one would want in their chili. Other than that, this looks excellent and I will make it next group party, drop a lot of the stuff that I usually add and just go with this simple and delicious sounding recipe!!! Thanks.

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Steve E • December 7, 2008 at 09:46PM

Thanks Judi for your sharp eye. It's a bad habit I have of typing quick and not looking back. I have a hard enough time getting my girls to try hot Tabasco sauce so I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to get tobacco sauce into them. Of course if there was such a thing and I served it to minors someone would be calling family services on me so thanks for saving me from that call. I've really never made this the same way twice and I'm surprised when I look at the ingredients I added the day I took these photo's. I think that's the point really, start with a basic idea and make it your own. This is already so far removed from how my mom makes it but it's still a hit. I hope you enjoy it.

Reply
Dawn T • December 12, 2008 at 12:44AM

I recently made this and I was very happy with it. I did not follow it exactly but it was basically the same idea. The changes I made are only based on personal preference. I like my chili to be simple. That is why I omitted the following things: - I did not add carrots and celery - I did not add chorizo (though I am sure it would be good) - I also didn't add the tomato sauce, as I like really thick chili. Here are a few things that I added: - I added a few tablespoons of chipotle puree - I added a few tablespoons of cocoa powder (trust me, it's good) - I also topped mine with grated cheese and Mexican crema...yum! Thanks for the recipe Steve!

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Jason L • December 15, 2008 at 10:47PM

Thanks to the blog post on this topic, I made a pot of chili on the weekend and added a chipotle pepper (without the seeds) and cocoa powder. Amazing!

Reply
Steve E • January 12, 2009 at 12:57AM

I've made chili so many times and really never quite the same way twice. The great thing is you sometimes have happy accidents. While trying to exercise my new cooking skills and create an entirely different chili formula then this recipe I stumbled upon adding deli cut hickory smoked bacon. I brought that idea into this basic chili recipe and was shocked at the results. Bacon just makes everything taste better in my world and it's now my new not so secret ingredient.

Reply
Penny C • September 22, 2009 at 11:48PM

I love this dish and I usually add a shot of good expresso. And this dish is such a party pleaser :)

Reply
Mark M • June 27, 2012 at 03:50AM

Hey there, Just wondering what size can was used for the canned tomatoes. thanks Mark

Reply
Dawn T • June 27, 2012 at 05:18AM

While this is not my recipe, I am pretty sure Steve used 28 oz cans. Cheers!

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8 Comments

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