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chili-con-carne-fast-slow
Instant Pot

Chili con Carne

By Diane Unger

6 Servings

FAST: 2 hours
Slow: 8-9 hours 40 minutes active

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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.

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6

Servings

Tip

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 pressure-cooking.

FAST: 2 hours
Slow: 8-9 hours

40 minutes active

Ingredients

Directions

  1. 01
    In a large bowl, stir together both chili powders, the sugar, cumin, oregano and 2 teaspoons salt. Add the beef and toss until evenly coated; set aside. On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil 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 1 cup water, scraping up any browned bits. Add the beef in an even layer.

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Reviews
Keith G.
January 28, 2023
Easy and delicious
I made this recipe with ground beef and it turned out perfectly. I used a traditional slow cooker and since I didn’t have any tortillas, I added two tablespoons of high quality grits. Nice heat and smokiness. I was afraid of the brown sugar but it added a nice complexity to it. I will make this again!
Adam W.
September 25, 2022
Good spicy and so delicious!
Added a touch more brown sugar to balance the spiciness. The whole family gave it a thumbs up!
Joseph R.

This is a great recipe. Is there a way to make this with ground beef, instead of cubed beef?

Janelle C.

This is a great question. Would you post it in our Q&A Forum for Milk Street Insiders and Digital subscribers? It's currently free for all to use and we're sure others would love to hear the answer to this one.

https://www.177milkstreet.com/discussion/

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Mary K.

I'm curious about how hot this is with all those chipotle's in adobo sauce. I will be adding one at a time I think. Love the flavor but know they add a lot of heat. I was surprised at no comment about that in the recipe.

Lynn C.

Hi Mary -

It definitely packs some heat - as most chili con carne does! If you're nervous about the spiciness, we always recommend adding less of the chilies and then adding more at the end if you feel like you want it spicier.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Catherine L.

This really packed some heat! It was delicious, though, so next time we’re cutting the chili’s to 1 instead of 4

Heidi S.

Can you make this with a slow cooker? What do you suggest for settings and timing?

Lynn C.

Hi Heidi -

The "Slow" instructions listed under the tab above are designed for the slow cooking option on the Instant Pot, but you can likely modify these to work in a traditional slow cooker.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

Mike T.

Hello,
Is there a method to make this without an instant pot? Thanks!

Lynn C.

Hi Mike -

Unfortunately, we only tested this in the Instant Pot using the Fast and Slow Cooking options. If you have a traditional slow cooker you can modify the Slow instructions under the "Slow" tab above for a slow cooker.

Best,
The Milk Street Team

John J C.

Would a masa/water paste work as well as ground chips?

Lynn C.

Hi John -

We are sure that would also work but, since we haven't tested it, we can't provide specific amounts.

Best,
The Milk Street Team