Chili Con Carne
Serves 8 to 10
Chili con Carne has been on the café’s menu since our first surviving printed menus of 1914, and proudly even before. Chili con carne was featured and sold at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where Great-grandfather Herman must surely have had a bowlful. The café’s contemporary version is a year-round favorite and we also use it in the nachos that we serve at the bar. We like the texture of coarsely ground beef, and you can ask the butcher to coarsely grind it for you. The chili powder we use is the mixed seasoning, not straight ground hot chiles.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups chopped yellow onion
3 pounds coarsely ground beef chuck
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 (12-ounce) bottle Berghoff Original Lager
2 tablespoons chili seasoning mix
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1 (28-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes and their juice
1 seeded, chopped fresh jalapeno
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Oyster crackers, for serving
Chopped onions, for serving
Sliced canned jalapenos, for serving
Grated Cheddar cheese, for serving
Directions
Heat oil in a 8- to 10-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent but not brown. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking into small pieces, until the meat browns. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the beer, chili seasoning, and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, kidney beans, tomatoes, and jalapeno and heat through. When the chili comes to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve in individual bowls, and add your favorite topping.
Variations
Substitute ground pork or turkey – or a combination of ground meats – for the beef.
To increase the spiciness, increase the hot red pepper sauce to taste, or offer bottled hot sauce so everyone can add it to individual servings as desired.