Chilli Con Carne - any good recipes?

[TeeDee]

I think I must be an odd one out but I've never felt the need to add sugar if quality tomatoes are used. If anything, if decent onions are also used things might get a bit too sweet.

I also don't like using things like Worcestershire sauce as dishes tend to just taste of it.

I do like smoked paprika though.

If beans are added then use ones with flavour, some are very bland.

Do you mean the ones with salt and sugar added?

 

[Broch]

Do you mean the ones with salt and sugar added?

Tinned tomatoes? heathen!

 

[slowworm]

Do you mean the ones with salt and sugar added?

No, I would have said home grown beans as the most flavoursome cooked dried beans I've tasted are the seeds from our runner beans. We don't use sugar or salt in them.

I know most people wouldn't grow their own or even cook dried beans themselves but some tinned or packet beans have far more flavour than others. I've just checked our tins and none have salt or sugar in either. I'd recommend the Merchant Gourmet beans and they do have salt along with herbs etc, as a one off it could be worth trying to see if they help.

 

[Herman30]

Tinned tomatoes? heathen!

Mutti brand is high quality. I use nothing but.

 

[TeeDee]

Mutti brand is high quality. I use nothing but.

Ignore him Herman , Broch is just flexing as he as some serfs working his walled garden of his estate.

Gentry , don't you know.
Has a 'orse and everything.

 

[Chris]

Particularly fond of the Mutti organic tinned tomatoes, they're great.

 

[Tengu]

Everyone has different ideas.

 

[Chris]

 

[Broch]

'twas a joke folks; I have been known to use the odd tinned convenience

 

[TeeDee]

'twas a joke folks; I have been known to use the odd tinned convenience

i know. I know you are one of 'us'

Boy done good is all and living the high life. As he should.

Fresh Toms and Ferrero Roche..
Decadance.

 

[Bazzworx]

It's not a chilli recipe but there's some great tips in this ragu video that might help with depth of flavour. The Fallow channel is worth watching for various cooking hints and tips I've found. I'm looking forward to visiting their restaurant next month.

 

[HillBill]

Brown sauce ( HP ) is also worth a shout for spicy addition.

Not something a purist chef would add , but who are we fooling here?

We use brown sauce in things like Shepards/cottage pie all the time. Wouldn't make it without it.

 

[HillBill]

I´m not. I´m talking about adding depth to the flavour in form of kechup. Ketchup is not only tomatoes and sugar, there is also spices, depending of the brand there can be a lot of spices. Even hellishly hot ketchup excist. And adding sugar does not take away the acidity of tomatoes, the acidity is still there but sugar balances the taste.

Fair point. That's what i was kind of getting at... Sugar balances acidity, Acidity balances salt, Salt and acidity balance sweetness... Umami balances everything to an extent.

 

[Chris]

We use brown sauce in things like Shepards/cottage pie all the time. Wouldn't make it without it.

Tablespoon of Branston Pickle stirred through it is quite nice as well.

 

[HillBill]

Tablespoon of Branston Pickle stirred through it is quite nice as well.

I'll give it a go. Seems like a tangy addition works well.

 

[TeeDee]

Similar but slightly different.

 

[Keith_Beef]

My Ingredient list -

Skirt Steak
Onion
Garlic
Passata
Ancho chilli
Chipotle chilli
Smoked Paprika
Onion flakes
Garlic granules
Beef stock
Pinto beans
sweetcorn

Chilli, like a good stew should be made the day before eating, it allows all the flavours to blend imo.

Do not use minced beef, instead opt for a chunkier chilli and use cubed beef instead, I tend to use skirt as it always gives me the consistency and flavour I require.

Try not to use ground or flaked chilli in the mix, wherever possible use whole dried chillis, I use a combination of Ancho and Chipotle, for me a good chilli is all about the depth of flavour rather than pure heat and this combination of chillis gives me that as well as moderate heat.

I tend to use Passata rather than tinned tomatoes - but if you do use tinned get the whole plum tomatoes and drain the excess liquid off, this generally isn't tomato juice but added water. You can then crush the tomatoes into your chilli.

Beef stock, I make my own but there are some good stock pots out there.

As has been said previously a good chilli should be built up, Brown the beef and remove, caramelise the onion and garlic, add the smoked paprika, onion flakes and garlic granules, add the passata, add the whole Ancho and Chipotle chillis, add the browned beef, top off with the beef stock and bring to a simmer, then finally add the Pinto beans and tinned sweetcorn. Put the lid on and cook until the beef is tender.

Once cooked remove from heat and let stand overnight, serve the following day. If the heat level isn't to your liking then by all means sprinkle some cayenne over the top or stir in some tabasco.


I've also used beef short ribs in chilli, cooked them whole in the liquid and then shredded the beef of the bone, works equally as well as the skirt but you end up with a shredded beef rather than a cubed one again much better than 'mince' imo.

I prefer carne con chilli, made with skirt, flank, hanger (onglet, bavette, flanchet) cut into small pieces, browned in small batches with chopped onion and chopped jalapeño, then adding any other ingredients like Mexican oregano if I have any (otherwise Greek oregano or Italian at a push), grated Mexican chocolate, Henderson's relish, tomatoes... Not exactly a recipe because it changes each time, depending on the season and availability of ingredients (i.e. what I have in the cupboards or pots by the kitchen door).

For even moah chilliness I use any leftovers of this, mixed with leftover rice and/or beans and a bit of cheese, as filling for baked "chiles rellenos".

 

[Chris]

Similar but slightly different.

This looks familiar…

(5 posts up )

 

[Broch]

I've not watched the vid yet, but my grandson tells me he's never had a restaurant Lasagne/Ragu as good as mine

 

[TeeDee]

This looks familiar…

(5 posts up )

My bad.