Beef Chilli

Being a big fan of Mexican food, I love a big bowl of chilli on a cold night. This can be vegetarian or meat but nothing beats a good beef chilli.

I have tried many recipes over the years but this is the one that is my favourite. It is inspired by recipes from Thomasina Miers and Allegra McEvedy. Some recipes recommend using braising steak cut into large chunks instead of mince but I prefer mince. I was very sceptical of putting chorizo into the recipe and I thought about fishing it out before serving but decided to go with it. It is delicious! With the slow cooking of the chilli the chorizo really softens nicely.

Useful tips & links:

I like to mix a dry rub of spices through the meat and leave it in the fridge overnight to really get the flavours into the meat. If you don’t have time to do this then allow the meat and spice mixture to stand for 30 minutes at room temperature before cooking it.
Again with all recipes the amount of chilli you use is up to you, the quantities listed below produce a medium heat. Also, try a variety of chillies if you can get them. I used dried chipotle chilli flakes which I get from Marks and Spencer, which give this a smoky flavour. You could try dried ancho chillies which are widely available now.
Chilli is a great freezer standby to have for a very quick tasty meal. It can be served in so many ways; with baked potatoes, rice, with nachos or in burritos and tacos.
As with all slow cooked stews this is tastes better the day after you make it.
My Chunky Guacamole would be great with this.
Have a look at this Man Sized Beef Chilli from Conor Bofin, if you’re looking for more heat.
I now have a recipe for Veggie Chilli for a meat free version.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1 heaped teaspoon dried red chilli flakes or dried chipotle chilli flakes
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
2½-3 teaspoons of ground cumin
5 sprigs of thyme
1 stick of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground allspice
500g lean minced beef
3 cloves of garlic crushed or finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
100g spicy of chorizo chopped into ½cm slices
2 bay leaves
1 medium red chilli finely chopped
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of soft dark brown sugar
400g tin of kidney beans drained
100ml water
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of smoked paprika to taste (optional)

Method:

Start by preparing a marinade for the beef. Put half of the onion and 1 of the crushed garlic cloves into a bowl along with the dried chilli flakes, oregano, cumin, allspice, thyme and cinnamon. Tie the thyme and the cinnamon together with string so that they can be easily taken out before serving.
Add the beef mince, mix well and place in the fridge to marinate for a couple of hours, preferably overnight if possible.
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and add the chopped chorizo. Brown until it softens slightly and releases some of it’s colourful oil.
Add the remainder of the onions and cook until they are soft. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
Increase the heat slightly, add the beef and break it up as it browns.
Add the bay leaves, chopped chilli, tinned tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. Bring it to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer.
After simmering uncovered for 10 minutes add the drained kidney beans and water.
Cover and simmer for at least an hour.
Taste and season with salt, pepper and paprika if you are using it. If you have used a strong chorizo you may not need to add any paprika.
Before serving, remove the bay leaves, thyme and cinnamon stick.