Middle of the Road Chile Con Carne 2 Comments

Aug 22, 2008

I was at a dinner six months ago, when I met Tony. Tony is a very tall man from Texas, loves everything Texan, and told me he makes the best chile con carne recipe and that he was willing to share it with me (and all of us). When he sent me the recipe he had this to add:

Disclaimer: The “heat” from spice in this recipe is considered “average” in Texas, and may be considered “hot” or “mild” in other areas. Also, note that this recipe does not include beans. Cooked pinto beans may be served as side dishes for diners who don’t know any better and insist on eating “chili con carne con frijoles”.

When I first moved here about four years ago, Chile Con Carne was one of the first meals I wanted to try, as it was “so American” to us Sydney folks.

Middle of the Road Chile Con Carne (Image 2)

Ingredients

2	large “softball sized” “1015” or “Vidalia” variety onions, chopped
2½	lbs of coarsely ground lean ground beef (if desired, up to ⅔ of the ground beef may be replaced by ground turkey)
5	Tablespoons of dark chili powder (the darkness implies the peppers have been roasted, which enhances the flavor)
½	teaspoon of ground cumin
½	teaspoon of ground black pepper
¼	teaspoon of cayenne pepper
–	Salt to taste (depends on the saltiness of the meat)
6	drops of Tabasco sauce
6	drops of Hickory flavored “Liquid Smoke”
1	Tablespoon of sugar
¼	teaspoon of pure cocoa powder or a small square of 85% cocoa chocolate
1	finely chopped clove of garlic
1	can of Ro-Tel Tomatoes and Green Chillies (“Original”)
1	small can tomato sauce
4	cups of water (beer may be substituted for up to 2 cups of the water)
1	Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Serves

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Directions

In a 5 quart pot or a dutch oven, place meat in the dutch oven and season with salt and ground black pepper (a bit of a guess because you don’t want to taste raw beef to find out how salty it is). Begin by browning course grind beef (or beef/turkey mixture) just until the redness is gone. Drain fat, remove meat and set aside.

Place extra virgin olive oil in the dutch oven and slowly cook chopped onions, season with salt and pepper, constantly stirring for 20 to 30 minutes over low-medium heat until the onions begin to brown like the onions in French Onion soup. This brings out more of the sweetness from the onions.

Return the meat to the dutch oven with the onions, put all of the remaining ingredients into the dutch oven, and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a low boil, then cover, reduce heat to simmer, and then cook 90 minutes or so until meat is very tender.

Let the mixture cool, refrigerate, and serve Chili con Carne one or two days later with garnishes of avocado and shredded sharp cheddar and fritos chips.