Real Texas chilli con carne is all about the beef and the chillies but where's the veg? In this version, we start with toasted whole dried chillies and puree them with broth and spices then adding beef and stealth veg before cooking the whole thing down in a pressure cooker. 30 minutes later, you've got spoon-tender chunks of beef in a rich, complex chilli-based stew.Using a blend of whole dried chillies delivers maximum flavour to the stew.We sear whole slabs of beef before cutting them into chunks. This ensures that the beef sears instead of steaming, delivering better browning and more flavour in a minimal amount of time.Once the pressure cooker comes to pressure, it takes just 30 minutes for the beef to tenderise.
Servings 7
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Hand blender
Ingredients
Chilli Stock
- 400 ml chicken/vegetable stock
- 2 whole sweet fresh dried chilies like Costeño, New Mexico, or Choricero stems and seeds removed
- 2 whole rich fruity dried chilies like Ancho, Mulatto, Negro, or Pasilla stems and seeds removed
- 2 whole Chipotle dried chilies canned in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon of sauce stems removed
- 5 g small hot dried chilies like Arbol or Cascabel stems and seeds removed, 2-7g depending on required heat
Meat
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Kg whole beef shoulder trimmed of excess gristle and fat, cut into 2 to 3 large steaks. Braising steak, skirt, shin almost any cut works, cheaper is almost better as the fat renders down
Veg
- 2 cans of kidney beans
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium white onion finely diced
- 2 medium/large carrots
- 2 medium/large courgettes
- 2 parsnips (for some reason they make the dish)
Spices
- 1/4 tsp powdered cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced
Once Cooked
- 1 tbsp Asian fish sauce plus more to taste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Cornflour
- Coriander for serving as desired
Instructions
- Shred dried chillies and add to pressure cooker and sear over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until slightly darkened with intense, roasted aroma, 2 to 5 minutes. Do not allow to smoke. Transfer to a large microwave-safe liquid measuring cup or bowl. Add stock, one tin of kidney beans and chipotle chilli, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high power until gently simmering. Remove from microwave and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Season steak generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in the base of pressure cooker over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef shoulder in a single layer and cook without moving until deeply browned, about 6 minutes. Flip steaks and brown second side, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer steaks to a cutting board.
- Add onions to pressure cooker and cook, stirring frequently until translucent and softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, and oregano, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chilli stock rinsing stock container with 200ml of water and add to the pressure cooker and simmer.
- Finely grate the carrots, courgette and parsnips, add to broth and blend till smooth. Add remaining kidney beans.
- Cut the seared and raw shoulder steaks into 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks with scissors and transfer to the pressure cooker. Bring to a simmer, seal pressure cooker, and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, slow release.
- Remove lid. Stir in fish sauce and vinegar. Add cornflour mixed in a little water, reduce until thickened to desired consistency. For best results, allow chilli to cool and store in the refrigerator at least overnight and up to five days. Reheat the next day to serve. (or portion and freeze for future use)
- Serve, garnished with Coriander