"Texas Red" Chili con Carne
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 30, 2011
Yield
Serves 10 to 12 without beans, and 12 or more with beans
Ingredients
6 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice5 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar 2 boneless beef chuck-eye roasts (3 ½- to 4-pound each), trimmed and cut as shown in photo5 tablespoons vegetable oil ¼ cup water plus 2 additional tablespoons3 medium onions, chopped medium4 medium jalapeño chiles, stemmed and minced6 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons ground cumin 8 medium cloves garlic, minced3 (16-ounce) cans pinto or kidney beans drained and rinsed (optional)1 teaspoon dried oregano
Before You Begin
Chuck-eye roasts are fatty, so don't be surprised if you trim off a pound or more from each one. You should have 5 to 6 pounds of trimmed meat when you start the recipe. Chipotle chiles are smoked jalapeños canned in a red sauce called adobo. They are available near the Mexican ingredients in the supermarket. If you cannot find them, use eight jalapeños. This dish is spicy; for milder chili, reduce the chipotles and jalapeños by half.
Instructions
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tortillas, overlapping them as necessary, and cook until blistered on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining tortillas. Tear tortillas into 2-inch pieces and combine with 2 cups chicken broth in microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high until tortillas are saturated, 2 to 3 minutes. Puree mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, then transfer to slow-cooker insert. Add tomatoes and chipotles to blender or processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to slow-cooker insert along with remaining 1 cup chicken broth and brown sugar.
- Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown one-third of beef thoroughly on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer browned beef to slow cooker, return skillet to medium-high heat, and repeat with 2 more teaspoons oil and second batch of beef. Transfer to slow-cooker insert and repeat with 2 more teaspoons oil and remaining beef. Transfer to slow-cooker insert. Add 1/4 cup water to skillet, scraping up any browned bits, and return skillet to medium-high heat. Cook until almost all water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer skillet contents to slow-cooker insert, and wipe skillet dry with paper towels.
- Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, jalapeños, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are deeply fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer vegetables to slow-cooker insert. Add 2 tablespoons water to skillet, scrape up any spices, and transfer contents to slow-cooker insert. Stir ingredients to combine thoroughly.
- Set slow cooker to high, cover, and cook until tender, 6 to 7 hours. (Alternatively, cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.) Stir in beans (if using) and cook 15 minutes. Stir in oregano and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months.
- Make Ahead
- To bring out their full flavor, we found that you must brown the meat and sauté the vegetables and spices before they go into the slow cooker. If you’d rather not do this in the morning (say, on a busy weekday), you can complete this step the night before. Prepare the recipe through step
- Instead of transferring the meat, vegetables, and other chili ingredients to the slow cooker, refrigerate them in airtight containers. The browned meat should go into its own container; the tortilla mixture, tomato mixture, and sautéed vegetables and spices can be refrigerated together. In the morning, just transfer everything to the slow cooker. The cooking time will run to the high end of the ranges given in the recipe.
Yield
Serves 10 to 12 without beans, and 12 or more with beansIngredients
6 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
5 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 boneless beef chuck-eye roasts (3 ½- to 4-pound each), trimmed and cut as shown in photo
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup water plus 2 additional tablespoons
3 medium onions, chopped medium
4 medium jalapeño chiles, stemmed and minced
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
8 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 (16-ounce) cans pinto or kidney beans drained and rinsed (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
6 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
5 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 boneless beef chuck-eye roasts (3 ½- to 4-pound each), trimmed and cut as shown in photo
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup water plus 2 additional tablespoons
3 medium onions, chopped medium
4 medium jalapeño chiles, stemmed and minced
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
8 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 (16-ounce) cans pinto or kidney beans drained and rinsed (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
6 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
5 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 boneless beef chuck-eye roasts (3 ½- to 4-pound each), trimmed and cut as shown in photo
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup water plus 2 additional tablespoons
3 medium onions, chopped medium
4 medium jalapeño chiles, stemmed and minced
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
8 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 (16-ounce) cans pinto or kidney beans drained and rinsed (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We developed our "Texas Red" Chili con Carne recipe specifically for the slow cooker, but it’s every bit as good as a traditional stovetop recipe. Most slow cooker recipes don’t bother browning the meat, but this extra step was well worth every minute. We also found it important to the overall flavor of the chili to brown the onions and chiles and toast the spices. Spices need hot, dry heat to activate their flavors. We purchased two chuck-eye roasts, cutting one into small cubes and the other into large chunks. The smaller cubes broke down to help thicken the chili, and the larger chunks provided chewiness for the chili. We added pureed toasted corn tortillas to thicken the chili—they might be easier to find than masa harina, which is the traditional thickener. Adding spicy, smoky chipotle chiles gave our "Texas Red" Chili con Carne a deep southwestern flavor.
Before You Begin
Chuck-eye roasts are fatty, so don't be surprised if you trim off a pound or more from each one. You should have 5 to 6 pounds of trimmed meat when you start the recipe. Chipotle chiles are smoked jalapeños canned in a red sauce called adobo. They are available near the Mexican ingredients in the supermarket. If you cannot find them, use eight jalapeños. This dish is spicy; for milder chili, reduce the chipotles and jalapeños by half.
Instructions
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tortillas, overlapping them as necessary, and cook until blistered on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining tortillas. Tear tortillas into 2-inch pieces and combine with 2 cups chicken broth in microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high until tortillas are saturated, 2 to 3 minutes. Puree mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, then transfer to slow-cooker insert. Add tomatoes and chipotles to blender or processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to slow-cooker insert along with remaining 1 cup chicken broth and brown sugar.
- Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown one-third of beef thoroughly on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer browned beef to slow cooker, return skillet to medium-high heat, and repeat with 2 more teaspoons oil and second batch of beef. Transfer to slow-cooker insert and repeat with 2 more teaspoons oil and remaining beef. Transfer to slow-cooker insert. Add 1/4 cup water to skillet, scraping up any browned bits, and return skillet to medium-high heat. Cook until almost all water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer skillet contents to slow-cooker insert, and wipe skillet dry with paper towels.
- Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, jalapeños, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are deeply fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer vegetables to slow-cooker insert. Add 2 tablespoons water to skillet, scrape up any spices, and transfer contents to slow-cooker insert. Stir ingredients to combine thoroughly.
- Set slow cooker to high, cover, and cook until tender, 6 to 7 hours. (Alternatively, cook on low for 9 to 10 hours.) Stir in beans (if using) and cook 15 minutes. Stir in oregano and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months.
- Make Ahead
- To bring out their full flavor, we found that you must brown the meat and sauté the vegetables and spices before they go into the slow cooker. If you’d rather not do this in the morning (say, on a busy weekday), you can complete this step the night before. Prepare the recipe through step
- Instead of transferring the meat, vegetables, and other chili ingredients to the slow cooker, refrigerate them in airtight containers. The browned meat should go into its own container; the tortilla mixture, tomato mixture, and sautéed vegetables and spices can be refrigerated together. In the morning, just transfer everything to the slow cooker. The cooking time will run to the high end of the ranges given in the recipe.
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