Matli's Winner Chili

I’ve been in the mood for chili for quite a while. I love a good chili – not too hot, but still with a warming bite. I’m firmly in the no-beans camp, by the way. Just meat, please! And, for goodness sake.. real meat. In chunks. This recipe uses ground meat too, but that's fine, as long as I get the real stuff as well. And obviously a chili needs to have a lot of.. chili.

When I saw that my old friend Matli had entered – and won! – a Swedish chili competition, I knew I had to try his recipe. And preferably as soon as possible!

I wussed it down a little – you can find his recipe here, at his and his wife Nikka’s charming blog about their hot eating experiences. I knew that I can’t take as much heat as he can – so I used a bit less chili than he did. And a few different kinds – basically what was in my spice rack. The result? Absolutely wonderful. We had it with oven-dried tomatoes, chopped onions, crème fraiche, nacho chips and grated cheese. Delicious!

Chili con carne

1 kg of stewing meat, in large cubes
500 g minced pork
2 medium sized onions, sliced into half moons
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
4 large roughly chopped cloves of garlic
2 large red chilis, chopped
3.5 dl ketchup
2 beef stock cubes
6 dl beer
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp ancho chili powder
2 tbsp chipotle chili powder
3 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp dried oregano
cornstarch - optional

Start by browning the beef cubes, the pork and the onions in oil. Work in batches. Add salt and pepper. Put in a large pot and add all other ingredients. (Except for the cornstarch.) Stir well. Bring to a boil. Put on the lid and simmer slowly for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

The chili should be thick, with tender chunks of meat. My chili was a little runny, so I cheated and thickened it with cornstarch. It worked wonders. :)

Chili con carne