I have done it this way, although not exactly for chili con carne. It's easier to use pork than beef. You get a big solid chunk of raw pork and slow simmer it for a hour in a herby broth. Let it all cool down and take the pork out, keeping the broth to one side. You then cut the pork into chunks - it should be tender enough that this can be done by hand.

In the meantime you have been soaking and cooking the beans, and preparing the usual spicy mix with onions, garlic, chilli, cumin or whatever your favourites are. Add the meat chunks into this mix, stir and fry for a few minutes to thoroughly coat for flavour. Then add the beans and as much of the herb broth as you want, and slow simmer again.

Yes I have

Thanks for that, I might give it a try tonight. I have gone off mince lately, so this will make a nice change.

Can't believe I've forgotten to give you the best tip of all. Some supermarkets (Waitrose for one) and delis sell small cans of stuff called chipotle or chipotle paste. This is a mexican spice made out of pureed or whole chilis, which are roasted and then marinaded. It is absolutely the best basis for making c-con-c. It's quite hot, but not so overwhelming that you can't pick up other flavours.

It's a matter of taste how much you use, it normally comes in small cans or bottles, and I usually use about half a bottle of the paste on the link for quite a hot chilli

http://www.discoveryfoods.co.uk/prod...tle-paste.html

Agreed, fantastic chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Gives a great smoky depth to a chilli!!

Do any of you use Guinness in your Chilli con carne? I had some nachos with Guinness chilli con carne at an American place at center parcs and its was delicious! Would be interested to see if anyone has a recipe for this?

Here's mine. Been making it for years with no complaints so far!

Soften 1 onion in olive oil, add chopped green pepper, sliced fresh red chilli's inc seeds (watch your hands they're lethal! I usually use 3), brown 500g lean mince.

When browned add some cumin powder (I use alot because I like the flavour, 3 teaspoons but do to taste), a teaspoon of ground coriander, 2 tsps dried coriander leaf (if not using fresh) and a red oxo cube.

Then add a tin of chopped tomatoes with garlic (I like Sainsburys). I add another oxo which has been dissolved in about half pint water and add to pan. If I'm putting mushrooms in I do it now before it simmers.

Simmer on low heat for about 1 and a half hours. About 20 mins from the end I add a tin kidney beans (it stops them getting really mushy) also if I'm putting fresh coriander in and not dried I do it now. Have a taste and if it's not hot enough add some chilli powder - we like ours HOT When you're happy - serve up! We usually have rice but sometimes have potato wedges for a change and cheese.

(I've sometimes replaced the water with Guinness and it was very rich and my hubby liked it but I prefer water. I've also put plain chocolate in but couldn't taste it so it seemed a waste of time!)

I put both in..I like it beany

And i'm putting slow cooker on later for a chiili.I leave to cook overnight then its done by morning..Good for when im working, i just do the rice fresh then..It will smell nice when i get it for work..

No but I'd like to. I think Jamie Oliver has a recepie for this. I don't know where using mince for Chilli con Carne came from? Anyone know?

If you are using dried kidney beans (soaked overnight), make sure you cook them thoroughly before putting them in the slow cooker...

oh dear, is this from experience, did you have a disaster? I've heard it can actually be fatal to not soak kidney beans properly, is that just a cooking myth and all it is is a bad tummy ache?

The kidney beans i use come in a tin with the juice..I drain in a collunder and rince under tap..Then put into all the rest of the meal, then cook everything in slowcooker,,I always do it that way, and im OK..

It isn't just the soaking you need to do. It's about 10 minutes of vigorous boiling, to break down the toxin Phytohaemagglutinin:

The onset time from consumption of raw or undercooked kidney beans to symptoms varies from between 1 to 3 hours. Onset is usually marked by extreme nausea, followed by vomiting, which may be very severe. Diarrhea develops somewhat later (from one to a few hours), and some persons report abdominal pain. Some persons have been hospitalized, but recovery is usually rapid (3 - 4 h after onset of symptoms) and spontaneous

Putting soaked beans straight into a slow cooker can actually potentiate the toxin. That's a Bad Thing:

The syndrome is usually caused by the ingestion of raw, soaked kidney beans, either alone or in salads or casseroles. As few as four or five raw beans can trigger symptoms. Several outbreaks have been associated with "slow cookers" or crock pots, or in casseroles which had not reached a high enough internal temperature to destroy the glycoprotein lectin. It has been shown that heating to 80°C may potentiate the toxicity five-fold, so that these beans are more toxic than if eaten raw. In studies of casseroles cooked in slow cookers, internal temperatures often did not exceed 75°C

No personal experience. I've been careful, and I have cooked Chilli in a slow cooker using dried beans, having prepared them properly first. Using a pressure cooker to cook the beans first is probably the safest and quickest thing to do. That way you also ensure they are tender.

Tinned beans are safe to eat straight from the can, of course.

Mine's quite simple

I always start by browning the mince, I find enough fat comes off to cook the onions and garlic, even with lean meat (you can even drain some fat off if necessary).

So, brown the mince, lower the heat, add chopped onions and garlic and cook till they start to soften. If using fresh chillies, add these at the same time, chopped. (I might add some chopped red pepper too, if there's one knocking about.)

When the veg are softened a bit, add a tin of chopped tomatoes or passata. If using dried chilli flakes, add some now. Let it simmer a bit and taste, season with salt, pepper, maybe a little sugar (the tomatoes can be acidic), taste again. If it tastes a bit "flat", as others have said a dash of Worcester sauce or a bit of crumbled Oxo cube will lift it - a chopped-up anchovy works wonders too. But it may not need it.

Next, add the beans.

I usually use a tin of mixed beans rather than kidney beans, as it gives a bit more variety of taste and texture. (Am never organised enough to do the soaking thing in advance!)

So then it gets left to simmer slowly for as long as we can resist it. Taste from time to time and adjust seasoning if necessary. (Usually I keep adding a bit more chilli, as we like it hot)

Optional extra touches - bit of dark choc stirred in to melt at the end is good. Chopped coriander on top if I have any. Dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche or plain yoghurt, if available, all good.

I always use Dutch brown beans.
Sometimes I add a generous dollop of smooth peanut butter. It makes the chili really creamy and rich.
Instead of crackers or tortilla chips I eat it with Indonesian Krupuk (prawn crackers).
On top really old grated Gouda cheese.

I've eaten chilli made with baked or haricot beans twice in my life; each time it's been like eating a handgrenade with the pin pulled...

Back during the BSE scare we expermented with everything under the sun; I' ahven't tried MODERN "imitation" mince, but tried oldstyle "health food shop" TVP and it was hopeless.

Also tried minced turkey...it was ok but very "light" in taste...

But best of all was mince LAMB...as long as you cooked and drained off all the (lots of) fat. Seemed to give it a depth of meat taste that was missing when we went back to minced steak.

I've also found that "lean" minced steak or ground beef can be very gritty in texture; sometimes the best of all is just cheap economy mince, and fry off all the fat...it takes so long to get it all out, the meat cooks AND remains tender.

My go. This is a recipe I adpated from one published in the Daily Mirror yonks ago. It was a 'celebrity recipe', from that well known Tex-Mex comedian Lenny Henry!

2 green peppers, diced.
2 medium onions, chopped.
500g beef mince.
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes.
1 tbsp tomato puree.
4 or 5 mushrooms, chopped.
1 tin red kidney beans in water (NOT chilli sauce), drained.
2 beef stock cubes (e.g. Oxo)
Tabasco.
1 glass red wine (drink another glass or two whilst making this. Well, the bottle will be open and you cannot waste it!).

Spice/herb mixture -

2 tbsp chilli powder.
1 tsp cumin.
1 tsp cocoa powder.
1-2 tsp oregano.
plus if your chilli powder is mild, pep it up a bit with 1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper.




Medium heat some olive oil in a big pan.
Add peppers and onions, cook until the onions are translucent (don't brown them like hot dog onions).
Add the mince, cook till brown.
Add the can of tomatoes, stir and let bubble for a couple of minutes.
Add the tomato puree, stir until thickened a bit.
Add the spice/herb mixture, stir in, cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes.
Tip in the drained kidney beans, stir to mix in.
Crumble in the 2 stock cubes. Stir to mix in.
Add a few dashes of Tabasco.
Add the glass of red wine.
Stir it all up to get it mixed.

Simmer on a very low heat for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, the beans will be perfect and the chilli will have a deep, dark colour.