Grass-Fed Beef Chilli Con Carne: The One-Pot Wonder

  📦 Cut: Diced Beef (480g) — All Packs 

Rich, warming, endlessly useful — and better the next day

A proper chilli con carne is not a quick-stir pasta sauce with beans. It is a slow-cooked braise of diced beef with a complex sauce built from dried chillies, toasted spices, and time. Using diced beef instead of mince gives it a heartier texture — chunks of fall-apart beef that hold their own against the bold sauce.

The Dried Chilli Difference

If you've only ever made chilli with chilli powder from a jar, dried whole chillies are a revelation. Ancho chillies are mild, fruity, and chocolatey. Chipotle adds a smoky heat. Together, they build a complexity that no spice blend can replicate. Look for them at specialty grocers or good delis.

Ingredients:

•     480g Your Farmer diced beef

•     2 dried ancho chillies, stems and seeds removed

•     1–2 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, roughly chopped (or 1 tsp chipotle powder)

•     1 large onion, diced

•     4 cloves garlic, minced

•     1 red capsicum, diced

•     2 tsp ground cumin

•     2 tsp smoked paprika

•     1 tsp dried oregano

•     1 tin kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed

•     2 tins crushed tomatoes

•     1 cup beef stock

•     20g dark chocolate (70%+)

•     Salt and olive oil

•     Sour cream, fresh coriander, corn chips, rice or jacket potato to serve

Method:

1.   Toast the dried ancho chillies in a dry pan for 30 seconds per side. Soak in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and blend to a paste with a splash of the soaking liquid.

2.   Brown the diced beef in batches in a heavy pot over high heat. Remove.

3.   Sauté onion and capsicum for 8 minutes. Add garlic and dry spices, cook for 2 minutes.

4.   Add the ancho chilli paste and chipotle. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.

5.   Return the beef. Add the crushed tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer.

6.   Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 1.5–2 hours until the beef is tender.

7.   Add the beans and simmer uncovered for a further 20 minutes.

8.   Stir in the dark chocolate and season to taste.

9.   Serve over rice or with corn chips, topped with sour cream and fresh coriander.

Bold flavour from honest beef. Join the Your Farmer community. 🌶️