Chili Con Carne

To get the rich, earthy ﬂavor of dried chilies without having to toast, soak and puree whole dried chilies, we use ancho chili powder, which is pure ancho chilies pulverized to a ﬁne consistency. If you can’t ﬁnd ancho chili powder, increase the regular chili powder (which is a blend of ground chilies and other spices and herbs) to ⅓ cup. We thicken our chili with crushed tortilla chips. The easiest way to crush them is to place them in a zip-close bag, seal the bag and roll with a rolling pin until the chips are ﬁnely crushed. Serve the chili with shredded cheddar cheese, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, chopped cilantro and hot sauce, if desired.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Difficulty

Medium

Duration

more than 2 hours

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook, Sauté

Keywords

6 servings, ancho chili powder, boneless beef chuck roast, brown sugar, canned diced ﬁre-roasted tomatoes, chili con carne, chili powder, chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, Chistopher Kimball, contributed, cook 120 min, dinner, dried oregano, dried organo, grape seed oil, ground cumin, instant pot chili con carne, instant pot recipes, kosher salt, large yellow onion, lunch, main course, medium, medium garlic cloves, modern, more than 2 hours, prep 15 min, pressure cook, sauté, tortilla chips

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

120 min

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp Ancho chili powder
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cumin
a tbsp dried organo
2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt
4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
3 tbsp grape seed oil
1 large yellow onion
6 medium garlic cloves
14 1/2 oz canned diced ﬁre-roasted tomatoes
4 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
2 cups tortilla chips

Instructions

START: In a large bowl, stir together both chili powders, the sugar, cumin, oregano and 2 tsp salt. Add the beef and toss until evenly coated; set aside. On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste is well browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, the chipotle chilies and adobo sauce and 1 cup water, scraping up any browned bits. Add the beef; stir to combine, then distribute in an even layer.
Fast: Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 50 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, let the pressure reduce naturally for 15 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then care- fully open the pot.

-OR-

Slow: With the pot still on More/High Sauté, bring the mixture to a boil. Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Venting. Select Slow Cook and set the temperature to More/High. Set the cooking time for 8 to 9 hours; the chili is done when a skewer inserted into a piece of beef meets no resistance. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
FINISH: Using a large spoon, skim off and discard the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Stir the crushed tortilla chips into the chili. Select More/High Sauté and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chili is lightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Press Cancel to turn off the pot. Let stand for 10 minutes, then taste and season with salt.

Notes

Don’t be shy about trimming the beef. Chuck is a fat-rich cut, so removing as much fat as possible before cooking helps prevent the chili from becoming greasy. Also, don’t drain the tomatoes before use; their liquid is needed for proper cooking.

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