Chilli Con Carne Meats

Most recipes for Chilli Con Carne call for Beef Mince as the "carne" or meat and this is probably what most of us usually use. However Chilli can be made with chunks of beef (Texas style) and Beef mince can come in a number of styles and cuts and each needs adjustment for cooking.

Texas style chunks are usually bite sized pieces cut from stewing or braising steak. Trim off the silver skin, excess fat and cut into bite size chunks. Brown them for extra flavour all over before stewing for 2-3 hours until they are tender.

Beef mince tends to come either as a coarse mince or finer ground beef mince. What you prefer is up to you but personally I prefer the finer ground beef mince as it gives the chilli con carne a preferable texture. Whichever you choose the next question is what type of beef has been minced and how much fat content does it have. A higher fat content is preferable for flavour unless you are on a diet or cutting fat down, it pays to read the label. If the mince is expensive it may not need a long cooking time if it has come from the sirloin or rump. This is unusual and probably overkill for use in a Chilli con carne. Most mince will come from the cheaper cuts and will need to simmer for a good couple of hours to ensure it is not chewy. The longer cooking will melt all the fat and collagen ensuring a nice soft texture. Mince should also be browned in a hot pan in small batches before stewing.

Why brown the meat? Good question. When you brown the meat you are caramelising the surface which produces a nice appealing brown colour and adds sweetness to the meat. If you don't have time don't worry too much but if you have it is worth the effort.

Hand minced steak As well as chunks and shop bought mince it is possible to hand mince the steak yourself. Cut the steak into as small a dice as you can achieve. Now with a heavy bladed butchers knife start cutting back and forth through the meat until it is very finely minced. Making mince in this way creates a different texture and retains a stronger meat flavour in the final stew. If I have the time this is my absolute favourite way of making Chilli Con Carne and I strongly suggest you give it a go!

Other Meats. Chilli can be made with other meats. Venison is a great alternative to beef with a similar flavour but a little extra gamey taste. It is also very lean so you may want to add some beef fat.

Pork and lamb can also be used to make Chilli Con Carne, each producing a slightly different result. Indeed some chefs swear by a combination of Beef and Pork for their ultimate chilli con carne, usually about 70/30. Why not give it a try?