Ancho Beef Chili with Pinto Beans and Chipotle
By Joe
Source: America's Test Kitchen.
A deep, smoky chili built on toasted ancho chillies ground with cumin, coriander and a handful of tortilla chips that thicken the sauce. Beef mince is browned to a crust, then braised slowly in the oven with tomatoes, pinto beans and a little chipotle, and finished with cider vinegar for brightness.
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Method
- 1
Treat the beef. Heat the oven to 135 °C (115 °C fan) with a shelf in the lower-middle position. In a mixing bowl, toss the beef with the 2 tbsp water, the salt and the bicarbonate of soda until evenly combined, then leave for 20 minutes. The bicarbonate raises the meat's pH so it holds on to its juices and stays tender through the long braise.
- 2
Toast the anchos. Put the ancho pieces in the dry casserole over medium-high heat and stir often for 4-6 minutes until fragrant. Tip them into the food processor and let them cool. Toasting brings out their fruity, smoky flavour, but keep them moving, as blackened chillies turn bitter.
- 3
Grind the spice mix. Add the crushed tortilla chips, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, oregano, thyme and black pepper to the anchos and process for about 2 minutes until finely ground, then tip into the second bowl. Blend the tomatoes with their juice in the empty processor for about 30 seconds until smooth. The ground chips melt into the sauce and thicken it, with a gentle corn flavour.
- 4
Soften the onion. Heat the oil in the casserole over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the onion, stirring now and then, for 4-6 minutes until softened, then add the garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- 5
Brown the beef. Add the beef and cook for 12-14 minutes, breaking it into small pieces of about 5 mm with the wooden spoon, until browned and a brown crust starts to form on the bottom of the pot. That crust carries much of the chili's savoury depth.
- 6
Braise in the oven. Stir in the ancho mixture and the chipotle and cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the 480 ml water, the beans with their liquid, the sugar and the puréed tomatoes and bring to the boil, scraping up the crust from the base. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the chili has thickened slightly; a thermometer in the centre should read at least 71 °C.
- 7
Rest and finish. Take the chili out of the oven and leave it, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir back in any fat that has risen to the top, then add the cider vinegar and season with salt to taste. Serve with the lime wedges, coriander and red onion on the side.
Storage
Cool within 2 hours and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat until piping hot (74 °C).
Why this label?
27.1 g protein for 396 kcal = 6.8 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 27% of the energy. High protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the condition in the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
EU nutrition claims
- Low sugars: 3.5 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
- Source of fibre: 1.8 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 1.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 119 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
1 g per serving
2 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 4 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large ovenproof casserole (Dutch oven, 5-6 litres) with lid
- food processor
- 2 mixing bowls
- wooden spoon
- instant-read probe thermometer
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 396 kcal |
| Protein | 27.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 25.8 g |
| of which sugars | 4.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 21.2 g |
| of which saturates | 7.1 g |
| Fibre | 7.2 g |
| Salt | 2.2 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6.8 g meets High protein (≥ 5 g per 100 kcal = 20% of energy, and ≥ 10 g per serving)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
