Slow-Cooker Chili Con Carne

Erin and I had a real quiet weekend. We went bowling with some friends on Friday to celebrate my 40th birthday which was last Wednesday. Saturday was spent around the house recovering from Friday, for me at least. My brother in law Owen came over so we could layout a plan for the babies room. We start painting next weekend, wains coating and trim the weekend after that and we end it all up with carpet on the final weekend. Should be quite a project. Can not wait to use me new Mitre Saw!!!

My sister has been sick so we decided to bring her family dinner on Sunday night. We have been buying Cooks Illustrated at our local Costco whenever we see a new one. This is our favorite cooking magazine. The recipes are great. They going into detail about why they chose what they did for the recipe. They also always put a side dish with the recipe. The one we just picked up was titled "Soups and Stews". They chili made it on the cover!

We went to the store Sunday morning to pick up ingredients. We did not need much, we has almost everything in house! I did make a call to Bishers (butcher) to see if he had boneless beef chuck eye roasts he could trim for me. Randy confirmed he had them. So after the market we went to see Randy and explain what we needed. He sliced one into 1-1/4" cubes, and took the other sliced it in half lengthwise then made 3/4" cubes. We then headed back home to start cooking!


Here is the recipe and detailed instructions:

6 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
5 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 (3-1/2 to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck eye roast, fat trimmed, 1 roast cur into 1-1/4" cubes, the other cut into 3/4" cubes.
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 medium onions, chopped medium
3 medium jalapeno chiles. stemmed and minced
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
8 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press(about 8 teaspoons)
3 (16oz) cans pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Chuck eye roasts are fatty, so don't be surprised if you trim off a pound or more from each one. You should have 5-6 pounds of meat when you start the recipe. Chipotle chiles are dried, smoked jalapenos canned in red sauce called adobo. They are available in the Mexican food section of most supermarkets. This chili is authentically spicy; for milder chili, reduce the chipotles and jalapenos by half.

Browning the meat and sauteing the vegetables and spices before they go in the slow cooker brings out their flavors. If you would rather not do this in the morning, you can complete this step the night before. Prepare the recipe through step 3. Instead transferring the meat, vegetables, and other chili ingredients to the slow cooker, refrigerate in separate air tight containers. In the morning transfer everything to the slow cooker, The cooking time will run to the high end of the range given in the recipe.

1.) Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tortillas, overlapping them as necessary, and cook until blistered on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining tortillas. Tear tortillas into 2-inch pieces and combine with 2 cups chicken broth in microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high until tortillas are saturated, 2-3 minutes. Puree mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, then transfer to slow cooker insert. Add tomatoes and chipotles to blender or processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to slow-cooker insert along with remaining cup chicken broth and brown sugar.

2. Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown 1/3 of the meat thoroughly on all sides 8-10 minutes. Transfer browned beef to slow cooker, return skillet to medium-high heat and repeat with 2 teaspoons more oil and second batch of beef. Transfer to slow cooker insert and repeat with 2 teaspoons oil and remaining beef (NOTE: it took us 4-5 batches in our LeCruset). Transfer to slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup water to skillet, scraping up any browned bits and return skillet to medium high heat. Cook until almost all water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer skillet contents to slow-cooker insert and wipe skillet dry with paper towel.

3. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, jalapenos and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder ans cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are deeply fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer vegetables to slow cooker insert. Add remaining 2 tablespoons water to skillet, scrape up any spices, and transfer contents to slow cooker insert. Stir ingredients to combine thoroughly.

4. Set slow cooker to high, cover, and cook until tender 6 to 7 hours. (Alternatively, cook on low for 9-10 hours) Stir in beans (if using) and cook 15 minutes. Stir in oregano and add salt and pepper to taste; serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for several months.

ENJOY!