Soups and Broths · Card SO09
Chili Con Carne with Corn and Sour Cream
A thick, brick-dark chili of browned ground beef, black beans and sweet corn, built on toasted chili powder, cumin and a spoonful of cocoa. Sour cream, scallions and a few slices of fresh red chile go on top. Football Sundays and big pots were made for each other.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 10 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Cuisine
- Tex-Mex
Method
Step 1: Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef in large pieces, season with salt, and leave it alone for 4 to 5 minutes, until a dark crust forms underneath. Break it up and cook until no pink remains.
Step 2: Push the beef to one side, add the onion and jalapeno, and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
Step 3: Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, oregano and cocoa and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spices coat the meat and smell toasty rather than dusty.
Step 4: Add the tomatoes and broth, scraping up the browned bits. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover partially, and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
Step 5: Stir in the beans and corn and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes more, until the chili is thick enough that a spoon stands up briefly. Season with salt.
Step 6: Ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream, a scatter of scallions and a few slices of red chile.
Kitchen note
Letting the beef brown in big undisturbed pieces before crumbling it builds real sear; stirring constantly from the start just steams the meat gray.
Easy swap
Use dark red kidney beans or pintos instead of black beans for a more classic Texas-diner look.
Filed nearby
See the whole volume
