New Mexico Red Bean Chili

This is a Southwestern chili with a quiet sleight of hand. Pureed pimentos thicken the broth and add a sweet, smoky red-pepper layer that most ground-beef chilis miss entirely. Combined with a half cup of ground New Mexico chile, the pot ends up dark, rich, and unmistakably regional.

New Mexico chile powder is the soul of this dish. It’s milder and earthier than generic chili powder, with a faintly fruity sweetness that ties the allspice, cumin, and coriander together into something more than the sum of its parts. Use real New Mexico chile if you can find it; cheap chili powder will produce a different, flatter chili.

Browning the ground beef hard is non-skippable. Set the pan over high heat and let the meat develop dark crust before stirring. That fond at the bottom is where the depth comes from when the broth deglazes it later.

The last twenty minutes of uncovered simmering is what builds the body. Let the chili reduce until a spoon dragged through leaves a brief trail.

Pro Tips

• Use real ground New Mexico chile, not generic chili powder. The difference is the entire dish.
• Brown the beef hard before adding anything else. Pale-cooked meat tastes boiled.
• Reserve the second cup of beans whole and stir in at the end for textural contrast.

Variations

• Substitute pork shoulder for ground beef for a richer, more traditional version.
• Add a square of Mexican chocolate during the simmer for mole-style depth.
• Stir in a handful of masa harina during the last 10 minutes to thicken and add corn flavor.