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Chilli made in thirty minutes tastes like spicy mince. Chilli made in two hours tastes like chilli. Nothing else in the recipe matters as much as that, and the two hours are almost entirely unattended.
Serves 6, and it’s better the next day.
The bean question, answered honestly
You will find people extremely certain about this, so here’s the actual position.
Authentic Texas chilli contains no beans. Chili con carne means “chilli with meat”, the dish originated in San Antonio in the 1800s, and the International Chili Society still disqualifies beans from its main competition. Texans are not being difficult; they’re being accurate about their own dish.
Almost everyone else puts beans in, and that’s fine. The bean version is what most New Zealanders grew up with, it stretches the meat, and it’s a perfectly good dish that simply isn’t the Texan one.
This recipe includes beans, because that’s what people here are looking for. Leave them out and add another 250 g of beef if you want the Texan version.
Whole chillies beat chilli powder
Supermarket “chilli powder” is usually a blend — mostly paprika and cumin with a little cayenne — and it’s what makes home chilli taste one-dimensional.
Dried whole chillies, soaked and blitzed, are transformative. Ancho gives raisin sweetness, chipotle gives smoke, guajillo gives a bright fruitiness. Two of each, soaked in boiling water for twenty minutes and blended into a paste, is a different dish. They’re in the Mexican section of most supermarkets now and they keep for a year.
If you’re using powder, use a mix of smoked paprika, ground cumin and cayenne rather than a pre-made “chilli powder”, and you’ll be most of the way there.
Cocoa and coffee
A tablespoon of cocoa and a shot of strong coffee are in a lot of good chilli recipes and neither is a gimmick.
Cocoa adds bitterness and body — it’s the same reasoning behind a Mexican mole. Coffee adds roasted depth that reinforces the browned beef. Neither is detectable as itself in the finished dish. If you taste chocolate, you’ve used too much.
Bloom the spices
Ground spices are fat-soluble, like the curry paste in the green curry. Tip them into liquid and you get a dusty, slightly raw taste that never quite goes.
Fry them in the pan with the browned meat for a full minute before any liquid goes in. They’ll smell strongly toasty. That minute is worth more than any extra ingredient.
Two hours, uncovered, and don’t stir much
The long simmer does three things: it breaks down the connective tissue in the mince, it reduces and concentrates the sauce, and it lets the flavours actually combine rather than sit alongside each other.
Uncovered, so it reduces. Low, so it doesn’t catch. And leave it mostly alone — stirring every few minutes breaks the mince down into paste.
It should end up thick enough that a spoon leaves a track.
Frequently asked questions
Does chilli con carne have beans in it?
Authentic Texan chilli doesn’t — “chili con carne” means chilli with meat, and competition rules exclude beans. Most of the rest of the world includes them, and that’s the version most New Zealanders grew up with. Both are fine; they’re just different dishes.
How long should chilli con carne simmer?
Two hours, uncovered. Thirty minutes gives you spicy mince. The long simmer is what breaks down the meat, reduces the sauce and lets the flavours combine.
Why does my chilli taste flat?
The spices weren’t bloomed, or it wasn’t simmered long enough. Fry the ground spices with the browned meat for a full minute before any liquid goes in — they’re fat-soluble and won’t release properly into liquid.
Why put cocoa in chilli?
For bitterness and body, the same reasoning as a Mexican mole. It doesn’t taste of chocolate at a tablespoon per kilo of meat. Coffee does a similar job with roasted depth.
What’s the difference between chilli powder and chilli flakes?
Supermarket “chilli powder” is usually a blend of paprika, cumin and a little cayenne, not pure chilli. Better to use smoked paprika, cumin and cayenne separately so you control the mix, or soak whole dried chillies.
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
Yes, but brown the meat and bloom the spices in a pan first — a slow cooker can’t do either. Then low for 6 hours. Because nothing evaporates, you may need to reduce it on the stove at the end.
Is it better the next day?
Yes, noticeably. Make it a day ahead if you can and reheat gently.
Can I freeze chilli con carne?
Yes, three months, and it freezes better than almost anything else. Cool completely first.
What cut of beef instead of mince?
Chuck or blade cut into 2 cm cubes makes a superior chilli. Brown it well and simmer for 3 hours rather than 2.
Variations
- Texan (no beans) — leave the beans out, add 250 g more beef, and use cubed chuck rather than mince.
- Whole dried chillies — 2 ancho, 2 chipotle and 2 guajillo, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes, then blended into a paste and added with the tomatoes. Best version of this recipe.
- Black bean — black beans instead of kidney beans, and a little lime zest.
- Vegetarian — replace the mince with 2 tins of black beans plus 200 g finely chopped mushrooms browned hard.
- Chilli beef nachos — spoon over corn chips with cheese and grill.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 2 hours |
| Servings |
servings
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- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 onions diced
- 1 red capsicum diced
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 kg beef mince
- 2 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes 400 g
- 1 cup beef stock 250 ml
- 1/4 cup strong black coffee optional
- 2 tins kidney beans 400 g, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- rice to serve
- sour cream to serve
- grated cheese to serve
- coriander to serve
- lime wedges to serve
Ingredients
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- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over a medium heat. Cook the onions and capsicum for 10 minutes until soft, then add the garlic for a minute.
- Add the mince and break it up. Cook for 10 minutes until properly browned — not just grey. This is where a large part of the flavour comes from, so give it the time.
- Add the cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne and cocoa and **fry for a full minute**, stirring, until fragrant and toasty. Then stir in the tomato paste and cook another minute.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, coffee if using, and the brown sugar. Bring to a simmer.
- Turn the heat right down and simmer **uncovered for 1 1/2 hours**, stirring only occasionally. It will reduce and darken considerably.
- Add the drained beans and simmer a further 30 minutes, until thick enough that a spoon dragged through leaves a track.
- Season well — it needs more salt than you expect after that long. Taste and adjust the cayenne.
- Serve over rice with sour cream, cheese, coriander and a wedge of lime.