Chile con carne. Chili con carne. Chili! CARNE CON CHILE . It can get a bit confusing, but in the end, they are all delicious. I grew up with carne con chile rojo. No beans. I can’t really remember the first time I enjoyed a bowl of American style chili with beans. For mom it was stepping out of her comfort zone to prepare chili, beef stew and chop suey. Recipes that typically came with seasoning packets with instructions on the packaging. Once in a while spaghetti with meat sauce and it was special just because mom prepared them. My siblings and I saw those non-Mexican meals as an occasional treat.
I became obsessed with preparing the perfect chili with an i!!
After I was married and moved far away from home, I decided to ditch those packets of pre-mixed seasonings and learn to cook from scratch. American style chili was a favorite of my better half, so I made it my goal to try and perfect it. In the beginning, I relied on store bought chili powder because that’s all there was. Finding Mexican dried chiles was impossible in small town U.S.A. Since I was not that familiar with enjoying it all the time, I based my recipe on the chili from Wendy’s fast-food restaurant, lol! We loved it!
Then one day, my friend Sue, convinced me to enter a chili cook-off contest!
By that time, I had cooked many recipes for chili and Mexican dried chiles became more readily available. Recipe #1, minus the dried chiles, is very much the way I would prepare a basic chili. The competition chili didn’t place because it was considered a little too spicy, lol! And here I thought it was a sure thing, but I guess that jalapeño powder was too spicy! Without much thought, I entered the salsa contest that day too. First place is what I earned, ha, ha! The kicker is that it was a salsa prepared with canned whole tomatoes! What? It’s pretty good for canned tomatoes, I have to say. Get that recipe HERE. Check out my competition chili recipe too!!
There we are in upstate New York at our first chili cook-off! We had a blast!
Find a happy medium!
Because I love both chili and chile con carne (carne con chile) I combine the two. Somedays there may be canned tomato products. Other days I may be using all fresh ingredients and ditch the chili powders all together. There are probably one thousand or more ways to prepare this dish. That is the beauty of cooking. As in Mexican cooking, every family, every state, every region in Mexico has their own cherished recipes for the same dishes.
It doesn’t always have to be ground beef
My first choice for this type of recipe is sirloin or chuck roast, but I am not going to be sad if I have to use ground beef, lol! The seven years I lived in Texas I fell in love with the Frito pie! Definitely have enjoyed my share of the walking taco. Now imagine that Frito pie with this beef sirloin version and all of the garnishes! Lime, salsa macha, cilantro, melted cheese and sour cream? I am hungry now!
I enjoy the almost black chile pasilla because it adds some heat
For a milder version, you can opt for chile guajillo or chile ancho. The chile guajillo will yield a brighter red color. The ancho is in between the pasilla(negro) and guajillo. Now if you love the heat you could throw in some chile de arbol or the smoky chile morita.
Everyone has staples in their pantry
Although I don’t use them as much as I used to in my recipes, I always have canned tomato products in my pantry. They have a long shelf life and come in handy when you are out of fresh tomatoes. They work well in soups (caldos), stews (guisados) and sauces (salsas). If you are going to invest in an assortment of spices, use them. Just because we didn’t grow up using cinnamon, clove or cumin in our foods, does not mean we should exclude them from savory cooking. Many regions in Mexico, these must have spices are delicious for certain dishes.
I grew up strictly with pinto beans
I love pinto beans! But I also love black beans, Peruano beans, red beans, kidney beans and now I love Ayocote Morado Beans! Masienda introduced me to these Mexican beans, and they were delicious in recipe #2 chile con carne. The beans are available on their website.
Let’s Get To The Recipes!
Masienda organic corn tortillas are available at all Whole Foods Markets.
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Garnishes were shredded jack cheese, cilantro, onion, tortilla strips, lime, salsa macha
Beef Chili a Mi Estilo Recipe #1
Ingredients
- 7 chile pasilla, softened, 52 gr
- 2 lbs. chuck roast
- Salt n Pepper
- 3-4 tbsps Avocado oil
- 3/4 c fresh ground chile cascabel or your favorite store bought chile powder
- 1 med white or red onion 200 gr
- 2 large jalapeños previously roasted, 92 gr
- 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tsps garlic powder
- 2 tsps onion powder
- 2 tsps cumin
- 2 tsps oregano
- 3 tbsps maggi sauce or Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsps apple cider vinegar
- 2 c water or beef broth
- 4 c of previously cooked beans of your choice. I cooked kidney beans on this day. Include 2 cups of the bean broth as well
Instructions
- Remove the stems and seeds from the chile pasilla. Transfer them to a pot of simmering water. cook for 10 minutes. Let them sit while you prep.
- In a large pot, drizzle in 3 tbsps. of avocado oil and preheat to medium heat for 4-5 minutes. When ready, add the cubed beef. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sear and brown the beef, stirring as needed for 7-8 minutes.
- Mix in the onion, jalapeño and garlic. Sauté for 4 more minutes.
- Transfer the softened chile pasilla to the blender jar. Also, to the blender jar, add in all of the remaining ingredients, minus the beans. Blend on high until smooth. Pour into the pot with beef. Stir well to combine. When it comes up to a simmer, taste it for salt.
- Mix in the beans with the bean broth. Stir well to combine. Continue cooking at a light simmer partially covered for 40-50 minutes or until beef is tender. Garnish with your favorite toppings. My favorite garnishes are onion, cilantro, shredded cheddar, fried tortilla strips, sour cream and sometimes salsa macha! Oh, for brunch it was a sunny side up egg!
Chile con Carne Recipe #2
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs sirloin steak sliced into small cubes
- 4 tbsps. Avocado oil
- 6 chile guajillo 32 gr
- 1 large white onion 300 gr, dice half and roughly chop the other half
- 4 Cloves of garlic. 28 gr peeled
- 2 Roma tomatoes 222 gr, quartered
- 1 jalapeño 20 gr, sliced
- 1 ½ tsps. garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsps. onion powder
- 1 ½ tsps. oregano
- 1 ½ tsps. cumin seeds
- 3 cups of water
- Beef bouillon follow instructions on package for tsp to water ratio
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups beans previously cooked Pinto, black beans, red beans or those delicious
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- The day before, slice the corn tortillas into strips and let them dry out overnight. This will yield a faster frying tortilla that will absorbs less oil. The next day, fry in preheated avocado or vegetable oil until crispy. Drain onto paper towels. Salt lightly.
- Slice the beef into ½ inch cubes. Set aside.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the chile guajillo. If they are dusty, rinse them under cool water. Preheat 3 tbsps. of avocado oil at medium heat. When it’s warm, add the chile guajillo. Sauté and flip the chiles every few minutes so they don’t burn.
- When the chiles become aromatic and toast a little, remove from the skillet and transfer to a plate. In that same pot, drizzle in a little more oil. Add the onion, jalapeño and garlic. Sauté for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sauté for 4 more minutes.
- Move the ingredients to one side of the pot. Add the cumin seeds and saute for 30 seconds. Pour in 3 cups of water. Mix in 4 tsps. of beef bouillon. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- When ready, transfer all the salsa ingredients from the pot to the blender jar. Add the remaining spices. Blend on high until smooth. Taste for salt. Set it aside.
- In another pot or skillet, preheat 2 tablespoons of oil at medium heat. When the oil is hot add the cubed beef. Season with half of the garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, oregano and salt. Sauté and cook for 6-7 minutes. Stir in the remaining diced onion. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the beans and the sauce from the blender. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat slightly. Cover and continue cooking for 40-50 minutes or until beef is tender. Garnish with your favorite toppings.
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How do you feel about Cincinnati chilli. I thought I had tried every chilli but I found it to be different from Texas style
I have never tried Cincinnati chili before. I will look it up. Is that the one they serve over spaghetti?
yes! my husband is from ohio and he makes it from time to time. i tell him it’s like someone had mole then came back to the midwest and decided to try and make it but the only thing they knew how to cook is chili