Chili Con Carne
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Brown 1 1/2 lbs ground beef with onion and garlic, stir in chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika, then add 2 cans of beans, crushed tomatoes and beef broth and simmer 35 minutes until thick. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onion.
Chili con carne the way a proper bowl should be: thick, beefy and deeply spiced, with two kinds of beans and a smoky homemade chili blend that gets bloomed in the pot for real flavor. It simmers for 35 minutes into something hearty enough to stand alone, and it might be even better reheated the next day. This is cold weather food at its most comforting.
Why you’ll love it
- Thick and hearty, never soupy, thanks to the uncovered simmer that actually reduces the pot.
- One pot, simple pantry ingredients, and it feeds six for very little money.
- About 30 g of protein per serving, so it eats like a full meal.
- Even better on day two, which makes it perfect for meal prep.
- Freezes like a dream, so make the full batch even if you are cooking for two.
Ingredient notes
Ground beef: 80/20 is the right call here. The fat keeps the beef juicy through the long simmer, and you drain the excess anyway. Lean beef goes dry and sad in chili.
Chili powder: this is the backbone spice, so use a fresh jar. Old chili powder that has sat in the pantry for two years tastes like dust; fresh tastes like actual chiles.
Beans: kidney beans for the classic look and black beans for color and texture. Rinse both well so the chili does not pick up that tinny canned flavor.
Crushed tomatoes: one big 28 oz can gives the right body. Diced tomatoes stay too chunky and make the chili watery by comparison.
Beef broth: just one cup, enough to get the simmer going without turning it into soup. The pot reduces from there.
The bloom and simmer rule that makes or breaks it
Two steps separate great chili from mediocre chili, and this recipe does both. First, bloom the spices. Stirring the chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika into the hot beef fat for a full minute toasts them and unlocks flavors that never appear when spices just get dumped into liquid. Second, simmer uncovered for the full 35 minutes. The lid is the enemy of thick chili; it traps every drop of steam and you end up with beef soup. Uncovered, the liquid reduces, the flavors concentrate, and the chili turns into the thick, spoon standing bowl it should be.
Variations
- Texas style: skip the beans entirely and add an extra 1/2 lb of beef. Purists will approve.
- White chicken chili: swap the beef for 1 1/2 lbs of shredded chicken, the red spices for extra cumin and oregano, and the crushed tomatoes for white beans and chicken broth.
- Smoky chipotle: add 2 minced chipotles in adobo with the garlic for a smoky heat that builds slowly.
- Chili mac: stir 2 cups of cooked elbow macaroni into the finished chili and top with extra cheese for a kid approved mashup.
What we learned testing it
- 80/20 ground beef beat lean 90/10 clearly. The lean batch tasted dry and needed extra oil, while the 80/20 stayed juicy after the long simmer.
- The 35 minute uncovered simmer was the sweet spot. At 20 minutes it was still soupy, and past 45 the beans started breaking down too much.
- Resting 10 minutes off the heat thickened the chili noticeably. The batch served straight from the simmer was thinner than the rested one.
Read how we test recipes.
Chili Con Carne
Makes about 10 cups · 1 hr total · Easy
Ingredients
Equipment
Large Dutch oven or heavy pot · Wooden spoon
Instructions
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Brown the beef with the onion
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and diced onion, breaking the beef into crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until the beef is browned all over and the onion is soft. Drain off any excess fat so the chili does not turn greasy.
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Bloom the spice blend
Stir the garlic into the beef and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and salt, and stir for 1 full minute. Toasting the spices in the hot fat wakes them up and gives the chili a much deeper flavor than just dumping them into the liquid.
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Add everything and simmer thick
Pour in the kidney beans, black beans, crushed tomatoes and beef broth, and stir well. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 35 minutes, stirring now and then. The chili is done when it is thick enough that a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail.
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Rest and serve with toppings
Take the chili off the heat and let it rest 10 minutes; it thickens a little more as it stands. Taste and adjust the salt, then ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onion. Cornbread on the side is never wrong.
Notes
- Drain the fat after browning. A little fat carries flavor, but a pool of grease on top of the chili is nobody's idea of dinner.
- Bloom the spices for the full minute. Raw chili powder tastes dusty and flat, while toasted chili powder tastes deep and smoky.
- Simmer uncovered. The lid traps steam and keeps the chili thin, while an uncovered simmer lets it reduce to the right thickness.
- Chili is better on day two. Make it a day ahead if you can; the flavors meld overnight and the texture gets even better.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Ground beef
- Use ground turkey for a lighter chili. Brown it the same way and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, since turkey is leaner.
- Kidney and black beans
- Use any two cans of beans you like, pinto and white beans are both great. For a Texas style no bean chili, leave the beans out and add an extra 1/2 lb of beef.
- Beef broth
- Use chicken broth or water with an extra 1/2 teaspoon of salt. The beef broth adds richness, but the chili still works without it.
Storage and make-ahead
Cool the chili completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days; the flavor gets better overnight. Reheat on the stove over medium heat, stirring now and then, adding a splash of broth if it thickened too much. It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
Frequently asked questions
How thick should chili con carne be?
Thick enough that a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pot leaves a trail that holds for a second. If yours is thin, simmer it uncovered a little longer; if it is too thick, stir in a splash of beef broth.
Can I make chili con carne in a slow cooker?
Yes. Brown the beef and onion and bloom the spices on the stove first, then move everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. It will be a little thinner, so leave the lid ajar for the last hour.
Is chili con carne spicy?
This version is warmly spiced, not fiery. The heat comes mostly from the chili powder. For more kick, add a diced jalapeño with the onion or a pinch of cayenne with the spices.
What do you serve with chili con carne?
Cornbread is the classic partner. It is also great over baked potatoes, over rice, on hot dogs, or scooped up with tortilla chips. The topping bar matters too: cheese, sour cream, onion and pickled jalapeños.
Can I freeze chili con carne?
Absolutely, it is one of the best freezer meals. Cool it fully, pack in airtight containers leaving a little headspace, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove.
