Chili Con Carne

I usually cook 99% of the meals that my family eats. Don’t get me wrong, my husband is a great helper, but the kitchen is my sanctuary. So besides occasionally grilling, there was only ever one meal that my husband, Todd, would make— CHILI! He makes a pretty good chili too. It’s your typical ground beef, bean, tomato-based chili. 

I remember the first time that I made this chili for him. He took a bite, put his spoon down and laughed. Then he said “Well, I guess I won’t be making chili anymore.” He was saying (without saying), “holy smokes, this chili is fricking incredible!” And he was right. This Chili Con Carne is phenomenal. I don’t say that lightly. 

Start by mixing all of the chili paste ingredients together in a small bowl. Then cook then your bacon. Get it nice and crispy and save about 3 Tbsp of the bacon grease. Then in a Dutch Oven, cook your stew meat in two batches in 2 Tbsp of the reserved bacon grease (1 Tbsp per batch) over medium-high heat until browned. Season with salt and pepper. Cook them until they have some color on them. Then remove to a bowl and set aside.

Note:  If you bought your stew meat already cut from the butcher or grocery, you may need to cut it into smaller pieces. My stew meat pieces were way too big and I ended up halving almost all of them.

Add the last tablespoon of bacon grease along with the diced onion and cook the onion until soft, about 2 minutes. 

Scrape up some of those brown bits 👆🏻while you’re cooking the onions.

Add the garlic and jalapeños. Cook for one minute and then add the chili paste. Stir together and cook for 1-2 minutes. 

Add the stew meat back to the pot along with the beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, lime juice, sugar, diced bacon and some salt (about 1 tsp). Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cover. Cook for one hour, stirring occasionally. 

After an hour, the chili will have thickened up a bit. Remove the lid and add the cornstarch slurry (the cornstarch + water) and the red kidney beans. 

Cook, uncovered, for about another 30 minutes until the chili has thickened a little more. Taste for seasoning, add salt if needed. Optional: Add another 1 tsp of chili powder and 1 tsp of sugar.

Now ladle it into a bowl and top it with some shredded cheddar and some diced red onion. Enjoy!

**This recipe was adapted from Elise at Simply Recipes. 

Print Recipe

Chili Con Carne

Recipe was adapted from Simply Recipes

Prep Time

10 Minutes

Cook Time

1.5-2 Hours

Servings

Servings

Ingredients

For the Chili Spice Paste-

• 2 Tbsp Chili Powder

• 1 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
• 2 Tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 Tsp Dried Thyme
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Coriander
• 4 Tbsp Water

For the Chili-

• 6 Pieces of Bacon
• 3 Tbsp Reserved Bacon Grease
• 1 1/2 Lbs Stew Meat Cut into small cubes
• 1 White Onion, diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 Jalapenos, de-seeded and diced
• 8 Oz Tomato Sauce
• 14.5 Oz Canned Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes
• 2 1/2 Cups Beef Broth
• 1 Lime, juiced
• 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
• 14.5 Oz Canned Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tsp Cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional Garnishes: shredded cheddar cheese, diced red onion, sour cream

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 1.5-2 Hours Servings Servings Ingredients For the Chili Spice Paste- 2 Tbsp Chili Powder 1 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin 2 Tsp Dried Oregano 1 Tsp Dried Thyme 1/2 Tsp Ground Coriander 4 Tbsp Water For the Chili- 6 Pieces of Bacon 3 Tbsp Reserved Bacon Grease 1 1/2 Lbs Stew Meat Cut into small cubes 1 White Onion, diced 4 Garlic Cloves, minced 2 Jalapenos, de-seeded and diced 8 Oz Tomato Sauce 14.5 Oz Canned Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes 2 1/2 Cups Beef Broth 1 Lime, juiced 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar 14.5 Oz Canned Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed 2 Tsp Cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water Salt and Pepper Optional Garnishes: shredded cheddar cheese, diced red onion, sour cream

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the chili paste ingredients and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and dice when cool. Reserve 3 tbsp of bacon grease.
3. In a Dutch Oven, add 1 Tbsp of bacon grease and half of the beef stew meat. Cook until browned, add salt and pepper and remove to a bowl. Add another 1 tbsp of bacon grease and the other half of the stew meat and salt and pepper. Cook until browned and remove to the bowl.
4. Add the final tablespoon of bacon grease along with the diced onion and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook another minute.
5. Add the chili paste, stir well and cook 1-2 minutes.
6. Now add the beef back to the pot, as well as the beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, lime juice, sugar, diced bacon and about 1 tsp of salt.
7. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cover. Cook for one hour at a low simmer, stirring occasionally.
8. After an hour, remove the lid and add the cornstarch slurry and the red kidney beans. Cook, uncovered, for another thirty minutes until the chili has thickened. Taste for seasoning. OPTIONAL: add 1 tsp each of chili powder and sugar to brighten the chili.
9. Serve topped with shredded cheddar and diced red onion.

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