This ground beef chili con carne turned out incredibly good—fresh, rich and properly spicy. We originally served it over rice with sour cream and fresh pico de gallo. Mollie wasn’t convinced the pico was necessary, but it added a bright, cool contrast that really pulled everything together. Somehow, the chili was even better the next day, when we reheated it and served it over noodles. This is definitely one of those recipes that improves after a night in the refrigerator.
Ground Beef Chili con Carne
Ingredients
Blended chile base
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 2 dried guajillo chiles
- 1 –2 dried árbol chiles optional
- Hot water for soaking
Chili
- 2 lb ground beef preferably 80/20 or 85/15
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 poblano pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 whole Thai chile
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 –6 whole fresh sage leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 12 oz Mexican or amber lager
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ –1 cup beef stock
- 2 cans 15 oz each red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ –1 oz dark chocolate preferably 70% or darker
- 1 –2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Neutral oil only if needed
For serving
- Cooked white rice
- Heinen’s fresh pico de gallo
- Sour cream
- Lime wedges
- Fresh cilantro optional
Instructions
Prepare the chiles
- Remove the stems and most of the seeds from the dried chiles.
- Heat a dry Dutch oven or skillet over medium-low. Toast the chiles for about 30–45 seconds per side, until fragrant and pliable. Don’t let them blacken.
- Transfer the toasted chiles to a heatproof bowl and cover them with very hot water. Weigh them down with a small plate and soak for 20–25 minutes.
- Drain the chiles, reserving a little of the soaking water. Use an immersion blender to blend only the softened chiles with enough soaking water to make a smooth, concentrated purée. Set aside.
Brown the beef
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with approximately 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
- Press the beef into an even layer and let it cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes. Break it into coarse pieces and continue cooking until deeply browned.
- Transfer the beef to a bowl. Leave approximately 2 tablespoons of beef fat in the pot and drain any excess.
Sauté the aromatics
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, poblano, red bell pepper, whole Thai chile, cinnamon stick, sage leaves, and bay leaves.
- Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for 6–8 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and coriander. Cook for 30–45 seconds, stirring constantly.
Cook the tomato and chile pastes
- Add the tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of the blended chile purée.
- Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste darkens slightly and starts sticking to the bottom of the pot. Reserve the remaining chile purée for finishing the chili.
- Deglaze with beer
- Pour in the beer and scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer for 4–5 minutes, until the beer has reduced by approximately half.
Add the tomatoes, beef, and stock
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes.
- Return the cooked ground beef and its accumulated juices to the pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce and ½ cup beef stock.
- Bring to a gentle simmer. Add more stock only if the chili is thicker than you want.
Simmer
- Partially cover and simmer over low heat for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, Thai chile, and sage leaves.
Add the beans and finishers
- Stir in the drained kidney beans.
- Taste, then add more blended chile purée 1 tablespoon at a time until the flavor and heat are right. Simmer uncovered for another 15–20 minutes.
- Stir in ½ ounce of dark chocolate and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste before adding more—the chocolate should deepen the flavor without making the chili noticeably chocolaty.
- Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice. Adjust with more lime juice, chile purée, or salt as needed.
Serve
- Spoon the chili over white rice. Top with Heinen’s fresh pico de gallo and sour cream. Add cilantro and a lime wedge if desired.
Video
@jefsmk Chili con carne—my way 🌶️🔥 Ground beef, toasted dried chiles, fresh peppers, sage, cinnamon, bay leaves, tomato paste, beer, crushed tomatoes, beef stock and kidney beans. Finished with dark chocolate, fresh lime juice and another hit of chile purée. Served over rice with pico de gallo and sour cream. This one has some serious depth. #ChiliConCarne #HomemadeChili #CookingFromScratch #RecipeVideo #ComfortFood
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