The best chilli con carne with two kinds of beans, minced beef, tinned tomatoes and judicious seasoning, to end all the chilli disputes. For me, at least.
Chilli, chili or chile?
Chilli con carne is a massively contentious dish. Before we even delve into the dish itself, what about the spelling? Is it a single ‘l’ or double, and what about ‘chile’?
That question is at least easy to answer. Brits go with chilli, Americans cut one ‘l’ out. ‘Chile’ is the spelling in Spanish-influenced English, i.e. in southern US or as referring to dried chilli (‘chile’) powder.
I stick with ‘chilli’, not least because it bulks out my content. A little bit.
Chilli-hot controversy
Spelling sorted, it turns out the name ‘chilli con carne’ is wrong: purists call it just chilli.
But then there’s the provenience of the dish. You’d think it was a no brainer: a flagship Mexican dish, right? Wrong, say the Texans: it’s a true Texan dish, not even Tex-Mex.
And then of course the battle of ingredients begins: beans or no beans? I know, I thought the same: no beans, no kidding? What is it, a fricking Bolognese sauce? But apparently there are recipes for chilli without beans and yet still called chilli, as long they contain some anchos or poblanos. In fact if you're from Texas, it means categorically no beans.
But if you're not a Texan, what beans should you add? White or red or kidney, pinto or punto (I’m kid-ney-ing).
Should the meat be ground or diced, like in Texas (a Texan anomaly again)? Are fresh tomatoes to be used, tomato purée or no tomatoes at all? Smoked paprika? Coriander, or should we say cilantro? The issues are positively endless.
It seems the simplest dishes, of the ‘dump and go’ kind attract the most controversies; viz. the Bolognese ragu and wine argument. I guess cassoulet and maybe even bigos also have the potential to cause enormous arguments.
I cook it my way
Well, you know what I say: if it’s tasty, it’s right. And this chilli recipe makes for a mighty tasty dish.
I use two kinds of beans: dried red kidney, soaked and cooked from scratch as well as tinned cannellini beans added by the end of the cooking process. Sometimes I reverse the bean arrangement and use dry white and tinned red.
I use beef even though I know pork is acceptable. I add tinned tomatoes because without them it doesn’t taste right to me.
And I add a little cocoa powder that some absolutely swear by and hey, it works for me too.
The main problem from my point of view is not what beans to use, and whether to add the chillies raw or pound them to a paste.
My biggest gripe with chilli con carne is that it is so hopelessly unattractive to photograph.
How to cook my best chilli
If you prefer, use only tinned ones and only one kind (in double the amount) though I think variety matters. Dry beans must be soaked overnight and added at the first stage of chilli cooking, and tinned, drained and rinsed - by the end.
I like to fry the minced beef before adding it in. There’s something not quite right about dumping raw mince into a pot without browning it. Frying also serves to separate it, so you don’t end up with a lump of a meatball in the middle of your chilli.
The sauce base is onions, garlic and chopped red pepper. Dried chipotle, topped and deseeded together with ancho chilli paste are my chillies of choice. Then tinned tomatoes are added, all the spices and seasonings, the dried-soaked beans and the meat.
And that’s active cooking practically finished: the chilli is left to its own, simmering devices for at least three hours.
After the first hour you can add the tinned beans, if using them. At that point also the chilliness of the chilli needs to be checked and adjusted, if necessary.
Monitor the liquid too, making sure the chilli isn’t catching at the bottom of the pot but it isn’t a soup either.
Salt should be added only when the beans are completely tender to your liking. And chopped coriander doesn’t want to simmer for hours either, so stir it in at the very end.
What to serve with chilli?
The classic way is to ladle chilli over rice and top with soured cream. I like it with warm tortillas as well but then I like warm tortillas with anything in the world.
Plus there are nachos, and baked potatoes that can be topped with chilli. And if you have never had it with a heel of fresh warm bread, you might be in for a nice surprise.
Finally, a tip. Double everything up and cook the chilli in a huge vat. Divided into portions, it will make the nicest freezer discovery dinners.
More chilli recipes
Pork mince and red kidney bean chilli is a wonderfully warming and easy budget dish. With dried chillies or even just chilli powder, beans cooked from scratch or tinned, the end result will always be comforting and rewarding.
Simple and basic vegetarian chilli recipe. It’s worth soaking and cooking beans for the best chilli but tins make an easy recipe. This vegetarian chilli is garnished with pickled red onions, ready in 20 minutes.
Chilli con corn – vegetarian sweetcorn chilli with beans goes well with tortillas, baked potatoes or nachos. Corn on the cob cooked with classic chilli flavours – the fresher ears of corn, the better!
More Mexican recipes
Spicy Mexican rice is cooked like pilaf, frying the rice in oil first to brown then cooking it in stock with a lid on. This recipe, restaurant-style Mexican rice, doesn’t use a rice cooker, just a pan with a well-fitting lid.
Corn tortilla chip nachos with easy homemade beef chilli, sweetcorn and cheese. Homemade nachos are the perfect recipe for a crowd-pleasing supper or snack.
Quick pickled jalapeno peppers, crunchy and sweet and hot. The best pickled jalapenos are homemade, and these are ready within about an hour. Make sure you wear gloves when preparing them!