Chili con Carne (Texas Chili)
The best chili ever! I serve with rice, Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, grated cheddar cheese and avocado chunks to add as desired. Original recipe calls for one tablespoon sugar. I substitute with sweet corn to carry on my grandmother's tradition and to add my Midwestern touch.
The best chili ever! I serve with rice, Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, grated cheddar cheese and avocado chunks to add as desired. Original recipe calls for one tablespoon sugar. I substitute with sweet corn to carry on my grandmother's tradition and to add my Midwestern touch.
- 2 cups chicken broth
- kosher salt
- 2 medium onions chopped
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 pounds beef chuck cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 1 pound pork shoulder cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 6 cloves garlic cloves minced
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 2 dried red new mexico chiles
- 2 dried pasilla chiles
- 1 dried chipotle chile
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon mexican oregano
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 ounce
- 1 package sweet corn frozen
- 1 jalapeã±o pepper
- Carbohydrate 7.07605583489391 g
- Cholesterol 120.7689685125 mg
- Fat 34.7039174011258 g
- Fiber 1.51753124306708 g
- Protein 32.1775641179246 g
- Saturated Fat 12.9161062585849 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (554g)
- Sodium 1473.87347110348 mg
- Sugar 5.55852459182683 g
- Trans Fat 4.71619766918059 g
- Calories 472 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Season meat with salt and pepper.
- Put oil in Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed stew pot over medium-high heat.
- Dredge half the beef in flour, shaking off any excess.
- Brown well in the hot oil, then remove to a platter with a slotted spoon.
- Repeat with the remaining beef, then the pork.
- Add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft.
- Add the broth and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.
- Return the meat to the pot and simmer gently, covered for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the chiles in the oven, until puffed and fragrant.
- Using rubber gloves, remove stems and seeds.
- Break up the chiles into coarse pieces.
- Put them in a bowl, pour boiling water over them and let them soak for 15 minutes.
- Purée them in a blender with about a 1/4 cup of the soaking water, enough to form a smooth paste.
- Add chile paste, cumin, oregano, tomato sauce and sugar to the meat mixture and simmer gently fo an additional 1 1/4 hours, partially covered.
- Stir periodically.
- Add the jalapeño, if desired.
- Add salt as needed.
- Cook for another 1/2 hour, partially covered.
A list of measurements cannot convey how dried whole chiles behave when introduced to dry heat. Toasting dried ancho, New Mexico, pasilla, and chipotle pods at 350 degrees transforms dull leather skins into aromatic layers that canned powders simply cannot replicate. Rehydrating those toasted pods and pureeing them builds the thick, earthy foundation of the stew without adding excessive liquid.
Controlling Texture and Simmer
Cutting the beef chuck and pork shoulder into uniform three-quarter-inch cubes ensures that lean muscle fibers break down at an even rate during the two-hour simmer. Dredging the meat lightly in flour before browning creates starches that thicken the cooking liquid as the beef broth and chicken broth reduce. Maintain a gentle simmer with the Dutch oven partially covered so steam escapes while collagen melts into gelatin. Stir the pot periodically to prevent sediment from scorching on the heavy bottom.
- If the sauce becomes too thick before the meat is tender, stir in warm chicken broth a quarter cup at a time.
- Should the surface accumulate excess fat, skim it off with a large spoon during the final thirty minutes of cooking.
- Cool leftovers completely before transferring them to airtight containers for refrigerator storage up to four days.
