Six Bean Chili Con Carne

Six Bean Chili Con Carne
Recipe by Dragon

Serves: 8-10

My friends have been asking me to post my Chili Con Carne recipe for a while now. I could never deny my friends anything. This chili involves some work but it is so worth it. Please don't skip the toasting of the spices - it really makes this chili special. There isn't a burning heat from this chili; the heat is more subtle. The heat builds bite after bite until your mouth is pleasantly warm. Feel free to add more heat if you'd like. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 strips of bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 lb. lean ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1/4 cup dark beer
2 - 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup beef stock
Juice of one lemon
3 - 15 oz cans of 5 or 6 bean mix, drained
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. In a large soup pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add the ground beef and pork to the bacon fat and cook until browned. Season with the salt and pepper. Break up the meat into small pieces. When the meat is browned, remove from the pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.

2. In a dry frying pan over medium - low heat, toast chili powder, paprika, cayenne, ancho chili powder until you begin to smell the spices. Set aside.

3. Add olive oil to the soup pan with reserved bacon fat. Heat over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic and jalapenos. Sauté for 2 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the beer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, toasted spices, oregano, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, sugar, cocoa powder, beef stock and lemon juice. Mix well. Add the reserved cooked meat and bacon. Stay at medium heat until the chili is bubbling then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. After an hour, remove the cinnamon stick and check the seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.

5. Add the mixed beans and simmer for another hour. Remove the bay leaves. Check the seasoning again and add salt and pepper as needed. Just before serving, add the chopped parsley.

22 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Oh, that looks really good! I'd eat anything with beans... Tasty and healthy!

Cheers,

Rosa

veggievixen said...

i love chili. since i'm a vegetarian i can't eat this version of it, but it looks delicious!

Finla said...

I have never had chillie, i wold love to give it a try to make them.
Looks really yummy delicius for cold days.

Núria said...

I'm new to this too... but wouldn't dare to try your recipe, Dragon! It looks so comforting and yummy... and it's so cold here these days! Toasting the spices sounds great :D

pigpigscorner said...

WOw, what a long list of ingredients! Looks really delicious and flavourful. Adding beer and cocoa powder to this recipe is interesting. I love adding chocolate to Jap curry but my fiance thinks it's weird.

Debbie said...

Looks so good! I have to try this sometime this winter yet!

vanillasugarblog said...

Oh yeah baby! Lots of good stuff in there. I have yet to use cocoa powder in chili; I heard so many great things about it.
You should enter this into a few chili cookoff contests! Ya never know!

Donna-FFW said...

What a fantastic idea to toast the spices. I bet the dark beer adds lots of flavor. My husband uses that in his corned beef actually. Your chili looks wonderful, must star this too!

Spryte said...

That looks soooo good!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

6 beans??? wow... must be super healthy ;)

Sherry Trifle - Lovely Cats said...

This recipe looks fabulous! I love your recipes - made the Spaghetti Carbonara from your November selection the other day - delicious.

Anonymous said...

I bought a bean mix and I've yet to use it. I bet each bean offers its own unique flavor to this one-of-a-kind version of chili con carne!

Maria said...

I love beans, the more the merrier!

Bunny said...

Look at all those wonderful ingredients, this is packed full of great stuff! I love that there's carrots in it. I love to eat carrots in tomato based dishes!

test it comm said...

That chili looks good! I like all of the beans in it.

Garrett said...

Ooooh, yum! This chile con carne looks ridiculously good. I think I just found a new meal to make for next week.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

I like all of the beans in the chili. Sounds good for you. too. I like the addition of cocoa and lemon juice.
I was a judge at a local Chili Contest this summer and there is no doubt yours would have won hands down.
Sam

Peter M said...

This is damn good...I head down the 401 just for a bowl of this. I'll bring the cornbread.

Jeanne said...

Now why didn't I have this recipe (and all the ingredients!) when London was snowed in last week?? I'm intrigued by the list of spices and the depth of flavour that they must give. Definitely going to try this one!

Dazy said...

I have some good mania for pork curry. But my kids don't like this. And also pork is not suitable in this blistering summer( pork and beef together ). I plan to make it for my family and give them a surprise in the winter.

RJ Flamingo said...

I never would have thought of cocoa & cinnamon in chili, but now that you mention it, they would add a really awesome dimension of flavor.

 
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