Eight people are coming over on Saturday, the grocery money for the week is already spoken for, and the plan is a big pot of chili. Chili con carne is made for that situation. A pound and a half of ground beef, stretched with two cans of beans and a can of tomatoes, feeds eight generously, and most of the flavor comes from spices that cost very little per pot.
Cheap does not have to taste cheap. The difference between a flat, watery chili and a deep, rich one comes from technique, not expensive ingredients: browning the meat properly, toasting the spices in fat before the liquid goes in, and giving the pot an hour to simmer. Every ingredient beyond those can be swapped for whatever the cupboard already holds.
Where the Money Goes in a Pot of Chili
Meat is the biggest single cost in most chili recipes, often more than everything else combined. Some recipes call for 2 or even 3 pounds of beef for eight servings. This one uses 1 1/2 pounds and makes up the difference with beans, which add protein, fiber and body for a fraction of the price.
Ground beef: fat is flavor, and it is cheaper
Ground beef with 20 percent fat, often labeled 80/20, usually costs less than leaner 90/10, and it gives chili more flavor and a richer texture. The extra fat renders out during browning, and you can spoon off as much as you like before adding the spices. Ground chuck is typically sold at this ratio.
Beans: canned or dried
Canned beans are convenient and inexpensive. Dried beans cost even less per serving, often about half as much once cooked. Soak a pound of dried kidney or pinto beans overnight in plenty of water, drain, then simmer them in fresh water for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender. One pound of dried beans makes about as much as four 15-ounce cans. Dried kidney beans must be boiled hard for at least 10 minutes during cooking, because raw or undercooked kidney beans contain a natural toxin that boiling destroys.
Spices: bulk beats jars
Chili powder, cumin and oregano are used in large amounts here. Bulk bins, international grocery aisles and larger containers usually cost much less per ounce than small supermarket jars. Ground spices lose aroma over time, so buy amounts you will use within about 6 months.
The Pantry Swap Table
Every ingredient in the recipe card has a job. If something is missing, check what it does and pick a substitute that does the same thing.
The one thing to keep fixed is the order: brown the meat, cook the onion and pepper, toast the spices and tomato paste, then add liquid. That order is where the depth of flavor comes from, whatever ingredients you use.
Building Flavor in Ground Beef Chili
Brown the meat, do not just cook it
Spread the beef across the bottom of a large pot over medium-high heat and leave it alone for 4 to 5 minutes before breaking it up, so the underside develops a dark brown crust. Then break it into small pieces and keep cooking until no pink remains. Ground beef should reach 160°F (71°C) to be safe; in a long-simmered chili it will go well beyond that. Gray, steamed beef makes a dull chili. If the pot is small, brown the meat in two batches.
Bloom the spices
Many of the flavor compounds in dried spices dissolve in fat more readily than in water. Stirring the chili powder, cumin and oregano into the hot fat in the pot for about 1 minute before any liquid goes in releases those compounds, and the spices smell noticeably stronger. Add the tomato paste at the same time and let it darken slightly, which deepens its flavor.
Simmer long enough
Chili tastes raw and spicy-sharp after 15 minutes and rounded after an hour. The spices soften, the beans absorb flavor and some of the liquid evaporates. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer, partly covered, and stir every 10 to 15 minutes so nothing catches on the bottom.
Thicken and finish
A tablespoon of masa harina, the corn flour used for tortillas, stirred into a little water and added for the last 10 minutes, thickens the chili and adds a subtle corn flavor. Fine cornmeal does a similar job. A tablespoon of cider vinegar at the end lifts the whole pot, the way a squeeze of lime finishes a taco.
Stretching One Pot Further
A pot of chili is a starting point for several more meals, which is where its value really shows.
- Chili over baked potatoes, with cheese and scallions, feeds more people with the same pot.
- Chili mac: stir leftover chili into cooked elbow macaroni with a handful of shredded cheese.
- Chili dogs or chili fries for a casual second dinner.
- Chili-stuffed peppers: fill halved bell peppers with chili, top with cheese and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes.
Adding a third can of beans or a diced sweet potato to the pot stretches it from eight servings to ten for very little extra cost. Diced zucchini or a bag of frozen corn, stirred in for the last 15 minutes, does the same while adding vegetables.
Setting the Heat Level for a Crowd
Feeding eight people usually means feeding a range of tastes, from children who avoid anything spicy to guests who want real heat. The safest approach is to make the pot mild to medium and let people add heat at the table.
The recipe as written is mild to medium, depending on the chili powder. Taste a pinch of the powder before using it; some brands are noticeably hotter than others. For a milder pot, use 2 tablespoons of chili powder and add an extra teaspoon of sweet paprika for color.
For those who want more heat, set out hot sauce, sliced pickled jalapeños and red pepper flakes. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sold in small cans, are an inexpensive way to add smoky heat: chop one pepper and stir it into individual bowls, or into the whole pot if everyone likes it hot. Leftover chipotles freeze well in an ice cube tray.
Toppings that cost little
Toppings make a pot of chili feel generous. The cheapest ones do the most work: sliced scallions or chopped raw onion for sharpness, a spoonful of plain yogurt in place of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips for crunch, and a wedge of lime. A small block of cheddar, shredded at home, goes further than a bag of pre-shredded cheese and melts better on hot chili.
How to Make Chili Con Carne
Makes about 10 cups, enough for eight. Use a heavy 5- to 6-quart pot or Dutch oven.
The recipe
Chili Con Carne
Ground beef browned hard, simmered for an hour with bloomed chili spices, tomatoes and two cans of beans, thickened with masa and finished with vinegar.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef. Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef in an even layer, season with 1 tsp salt and cook undisturbed 4 to 5 minutes, until browned underneath. Break it up and cook until no pink remains. Spoon off excess fat, leaving about 2 Tbsp.
- Soften. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Bloom the spices. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until fragrant and the paste darkens.
- Simmer. Add the tomatoes, beans, water and remaining 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer and cook, partly covered, for 1 hour, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.
- Thicken. Stir in the masa mixture and simmer 10 minutes more, until thickened.
- Finish. Stir in the vinegar, taste and adjust the salt. Serve with toppings.
Notes
- Dried beans: soak 1 lb overnight, boil hard 10 minutes, then simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender before adding.
- Keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated or 4 to 6 months frozen. Reheat to 165°F (74°C).
Oven temperatures are for conventional ovens; for convection, reduce by about 25°F (15°C).
Storing and Freezing
Chili keeps for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and freezes for 4 to 6 months, making it one of the most practical dishes for batch cooking. Cool it quickly by dividing it into shallow containers, and refrigerate within 2 hours. Freeze in portions that match how you will use them, such as 2-cup containers for two people, so you never thaw more than you need.
Thaw frozen chili overnight in the refrigerator, or reheat it from frozen in a covered pot over low heat, stirring as it loosens. Bring it to a full simmer, 165°F (74°C), before serving. Add a splash of water if it has thickened.