This Chilli Con Carne Recipe I’ve named, Ole Red. Why? Well it’s because I wanted it to reflect as close an approximation to the old Chill Recipes that came from Texas back when the whole Chilli thing began, it was known as a “Bowl of Red” back then.
I’ve tried to come up with an ‘Authentic’ recipe before but that slowly morphed in to the ‘Chilli With No Name‘ as I was developing it, it was nobodies fault, it just happened.
This time I was more strict with myself, I’ve gone back to the Texan basics of just pure Chill, Meat and a couple of spices. I’m going to stop short of saying this is an “Authentic Chilli” recipe, because I don’t want to start any arguments. It’s a very, controversial, statement to call any Chilli recipe “authentic” apparently, search the internet for recipes and it won’t be long before you come across them.
So – What I do, do here is avoid the major points of contention. No beans. No tomato. Nothing, fancy. Just right back to the basics.
While we’re on the basics. I do like this version of Chilli-Con-Carne or I wouldn’t be posting it. But, I have to acknowledge that no matter what I did I couldn’t get the ‘depth’ of flavour I normally enjoy in my food. I use actual stock when I make this and not OXO or anything like those which definitely helps but anything else I would normally use for ‘depth’ I determined wouldn’t be in keeping with the authenticity I was going for.
I do think it benefits from ‘smoke’ flavouring as well, either by actual smoking of some or all the ingredients, or by using smoke powder / liquid smoke. I’ll leave you to decide on that.
Two types of Chilli are used to make the sauce, Guajillo and Ancho. You can use different ones if you like, most recipes I’ve seen use Guajillo and some other kind of Chilli. I settled on Ancho because I’m a big fan of their flavour and I think they bring a lot to the table here. And, plus. in all honesty it’s what I have in the cupboard most of the time. Some people might balk at using chillies like this but don’t worry. neither Guajillo or Ancho are particularly hot.
Both Guajillo and Ancho are those kinds of chillies that when dried are given a different name. Guajillo is the name given to a Mirasol chilli that has been dried, and Ancho is the name given to a dried Poblano chilli.
A lot of the time you’ll see recipes that ask you to remove the seeds before you use them. This is something I never do, some people can find them bitter but I don’t have a problem with them and nobody has ever complained when I’ve give them a dish with them in.
Once again we’ll be using Diced Beef and so we’ll be slow cooking, I’ll be doing the instructions for a slow cooker but you can easily do this in the oven as well if you don’t have a slow cooker. You’ll also need a Blender as well to make the sauce with.
What you’ll need:
- 1.5kg Diced Beef Steak
- 50g Guajillo Chillies (Approx 8)
- 50g Ancho Chillies (Approx 4)
- Garlic
- 450ml Beef Stock
- 450ml Chicken Stock
- Cumin
- Onion Powder
- Mexican Oregano
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Sauce Prep:
To create the sauce we’ll need to do some ‘faffing’ as my wife calls it.
First of all, get yourself a bowl of bowling water. Then, get yourself a good frying pan and place the Guajillo and Ancho pods in them (remove the stems if there are any). Put the frying pan onto a medium heat and gently warm the pods. It won’t take long, you’ll know they are ready when you can smell them and they go floppy. Don’t hesitate to take them off, if they burn they will be bitter. Take them out of the frying pan and put them in the bowl of boiling water.
Leave them for around 15 minutes.
While they’re rehydrating get your Blender and add the Chicken Stock and some Cloves of Garlic. I’m going to leave the Garlic up to you. Personally I use about 6 good size cloves but I’ll use more if it’s only a small bulb. You know yourself how much Garlic you like so go ahead and cook with your heart.
Get your favourite most reliable teaspoon and add;
- 8 x Cumin
- 3 x Black Pepper
- 4 x Mexican Oregano
- 4 x Onion Powder
Finally, and when they’re ready add the Chillies in to the Blender. I normally fish them out of the water and give them a little shake to get rid of most of the water and then plonk them in.
Don’t discard the water when you’re done, keep it to one side – If your sauce ends up to thick then you can always use the water to loosen it a little. Again, some people can find this bitter but it’s never ruined it for me when I’ve used it.
Make sure the lid is on your Blender and then do whatever it is you do to make your Blender, blend. You should end up with a nice thick paste.
You can now set this to one side while you…
Meat Prep:
You’ll need your frying pan again now to seal your Beef Steak. I do this in the batches so as not to crowd the pan. You’ll be looking for a nice deep colour forming on the edges of your meat. If you put to much meat in the pan in one go you’ll disperse the heat and cause steam, this isn’t good for getting that nice dark colour.
Once you’re happy with the meat, transfer it your slow cooker.
Once all your meat is in the slow cooker then cover add in the Beef Stock to the pan. And, once that’s done add in your Chilli Sauce you made earlier and give it all a good mix together.
Finally, set your Slow Cooker to ‘Low’ and come back in 5 or so hours.
When you come back then give it a little old taste to make sure it’s to your liking. Add a little salt if you feel it needs something extra, a splash of vinegar and help lift it as well. If you feel you need to refresh the spices or herbs a little then do this as well. It’s your meal, have it how you like it.
Finally, serve it up in a bowl. I like a spoonful or two of Sour Cream on the side with some cheese personally. But, it’s Chilli – Have it how you have your Chilli.
Most importantly of all, enjoy!
And. as always I welcome comments and thoughts on my recipes. Did you make it? Did you get that smoky flavour in there? Let me know!