Jeanne's Chili Con Carne
Submitted by jewels1966
Jeanne’s chili con carne with cubed beef round, green olives, caraway seeds, and ground chile simmered for two hours. A unique, deeply flavored chili that skips the ground beef.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
2 hrsThis chili con carne is not your standard weeknight ground beef bowl. Cubed round steak browned in olive oil, simmered for two hours with ground dried chiles, and finished with green olives and kidney beans. The result is a rich, beefy stew with unexpected layers of flavor from some seriously unconventional additions.
Caraway seeds and sesame seeds in a chili recipe might raise eyebrows, but they work. The caraway adds an earthy, slightly anise-like warmth that deepens the chile powder, while sesame seeds bring a subtle nuttiness that rounds out the broth. These are old-school Southwestern touches that most modern recipes have forgotten.
Browning the beef cubes in batches is a step you can’t skip. Crowding the pan steams the meat instead of searing it, and you lose all that caramelized crust that builds the flavor base. Take your time here. Brown them in small batches, set them aside, and use the same pan for the onions to pick up every bit of fond.
Green olives added during the second hour of simmering give the chili a briny, salty punch that plays against the heat of the ground chile. It’s unusual and it’s fantastic.
The recipe lets you control the heat by adding the ground chile gradually and tasting as you go.
Pro Tips
- Use Mexican oregano if you can find it. It has a different flavor profile than Mediterranean oregano, more citrusy and earthy, which matches the chiles better
- Add the ground chile a tablespoon at a time. You can always add more heat, but you can’t take it away
- The beans go in at the very end, just to heat through. Simmering canned beans for hours turns them to mush
- This chili is even better the next day. The spices meld and the broth thickens as it sits overnight in the fridge
Variations
- Swap round steak for chuck roast, which has more marbling and falls apart into shreds after two hours
- Add a can of diced tomatoes with the boiling water for a more traditional red chili base
- Stir in a square of dark chocolate at the end for a subtle, smoky richness (a Mexican mole-inspired trick)
Ingredients
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or 6-quart braising pan over medium heat.
Add the beef cubes a few at a time, stirring to brown evenly.
As they are browned, remove cubes to a plate and set aside, add more cubes to the pan.
Continue the process, adding more oil if necessary, until all the meat is browned.
- Add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, then add the garlic.
Cook until the onions are translucent.
- Return the beef cubes to the pan, season with salt to taste, then add the boiling water, caraway and sesame seeds, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
- Gradually stir in the ground chile, tasting until you achieve the degree of hotness and flavor that suits you palate.
- Add the olives and simmer, covered, 1 hour longer.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, the mix in the kidney beans and heat through.
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