Beef Chilli

This is such a great dish and be used for many different meals including Chilli Con Carne, Nachos, Tacos, Chilli Beef Pie, Mexican Lasagna, Baked Potatoes Topping, Enchiladas and many more.

You can make this recipe with mince but my favourite cut of meat to use is Beef Brisket.  The Brisket comes from the lower part of the chest and needs to be cooked on a lower heat and for a longer period of time and has a wonderful flavour and texture.

If you get a whole brisket from your butcher you can ask them to trim it for you or you can take it home and trim off any silver skin which will become tough when cooked.  You Also need to slice across the grain of the meat or you will end up with stringy bits of beef.

This recipe also uses Dried Chillis which you can get from international food stores or online and it is worth the effort.  For this recipe I would suggest Ancho, Poblano or Chipotle Chillies as these have a great flavour without being too hot.  If you can't get hold of these you can add some extra smoky paprika, some cayenne pepper or leave it out altogether.  I would not suggest using dried Asian chillies as these tend to be quite hot.

Beef Chilli

2kg Beef Brisket sliced into 2.5 cm  pieces (or use beef mince)
500ml hot coffee (or beef stock if you are sensitive to caffeine)
3 Large Dried Chillies
2 Heaped Teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 Heaped Teaspoons Smoked Paprika
1 Heaped Teaspoon Dried Oregano
2 Fresh Bay Leaves (or 4 Dried)
2 Red Onions
3-4 Fresh Long Chillies
2 Cinnamon Sticks
10 Cloves of Garlic
2 x 400 gm Tins of Diced Tomatoes or fresh equivalent
3 Tablespoons of Molasses or Dark Brown Sugar
3 Red, Yellow or Orange Capsicums
2 x 400 Gm Tins of Kidney Beans or or equivalent

Make the coffee and soak the dried chillies in it to let them re hydrate.  Meanwhile put a large casserole pan on a low heat on the stove top and add some oil (I used beef tallow) the cumin,paprika, oregano, bay leaves and diced onion and fry for 10 minutes stirring often or until the onion is soft.
De-seed and chop the fresh chillies, chop the re hydrated diced chillies and add them to the pan along with the cinnamon sticks, garlic, and a splash of the coffee.  Then add the rest of the coffee, some salt and pepper, the tomatoes, molasses and the beef.
Cover and simmer for 3 hours stirring occasionally.  After a few hours use a couple of forks to break up the meat and pull it apart.  Then add the diced capsicum and beans and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as required.

Serve with rice, salad, tortillas or as part of one of the suggestions above.

This makes a big serve but it freezes well and is great to have on hand for a quick and easy meal.