Chili Con Carne

Name: Chili Con Carne
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Southwest (Tex-Mex)
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons, ancho chili powder or 3 medium pods (about 1/2 ounce), toasted and ground (see illustrations below); 3 tablespoons, New Mexico chili powder or 3 medium pods (about 3/4 ounce), toasted and ground; 2 tablespoons, cumin seeds, toasted in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes, and ground; 2 teaspoons, dried oregano, preferably Mexican; 7 1/2 cups, water, divided; 1 , beef chuck roast (4-pounds), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes; 2 teaspoons, table salt, plus extra for seasoning; 8 ounces, bacon (7 or 8 slices), cut into 1/4-inch pieces; 1 , medium onion, minced (about 1 cup); 5 medium cloves, garlic, minced; 4 - 5 , small jalapeño chiles, cored, seeded, and minced; 1 cup, crushed tomatoes (canned), or plain tomato sauce; 2 tablespoons, lime juice from 1 medium lime; 5 tablespoons, masa harina or 3 tablespoons cornstarch; , Ground black pepper

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated March/April 1998

SERVES6

TIME3½ hours

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For the best beanless Texas-style chili recipe, start with big chunks of chuck roast. We found that toasting and grinding fresh chiles gave us the best flavor. Flavor was also improved by adding bacon, which lent our chili recipe sweetness ...

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