Shelly's Recipe

TEXAS RED CHILI CON CARNE - Crock pot

Category: Chili

6 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
5 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 boneless beef chuck-eye roasts (3 1/2- to 4-lb each), trimmed and cut one into small cubes and the other into large chunks
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup water plus 2 additional tbsp
3 medium onions, chopped medium
4 medium jalapeno chiles, stemmed and minced
6 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp ground cumin
8 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 (16-oz) cans pinto or kidney beans drained and rinsed (optional)
1 tsp dried oregano

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tortillas, overlapping them as necessary, and cook until blistered on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining tortillas. Tear tortillas into 2-inch pieces and combine with 2 cups chicken broth in microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high until tortillas are saturated, 2 to 3 minutes. Puree mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, then transfer to slow-cooker insert. Add tomatoes and chipotles to blender or processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to crock pot insert along with remaining 1 cup chicken broth and brown sugar.

Dry beef thoroughly with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown one-third of beef thoroughly on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer browned beef to crock pot, return skillet to medium-high heat, and repeat with 2 more tsp oil and second batch of beef. Transfer to crock pot insert and repeat with 2 more tsp oil and remaining beef. Transfer to crock pot insert. Add 1/4 cup water to skillet, scraping up any browned bits, and return skillet to MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Cook until almost all water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer skillet contents to slow-cooker insert, and wipe skillet dry with paper towels.

Heat remaining 3 tbsp oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, jalapenos, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are deeply fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer vegetables to crock pot insert. Add 2 tbsp water to skillet, scrape up any spices, and transfer contents to slow-cooker insert. Stir ingredients to combine thoroughly.

Set crock pot to HIGH, cover, and cook until tender, 6 to 7 hours. (Alternatively, cook on LOW for 9 to 10 hours.) Stir in beans (if using) and cook 15 minutes. Stir in oregano and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months. Serves 10 to 12 without beans and 12 or more with.

Make Ahead: To bring out their full flavor, we found that you must brown the meat and sauté the vegetables and spices before they go into the crock pot. If you’d rather not do this in the morning, you can complete this step the night before. Prepare the recipe through step 3. Instead of transferring the meat, vegetables, and other chili ingredients to the crock pot, refrigerate them in airtight containers. The browned meat should go into its own container; the tortilla mixture, tomato mixture, and sautéed vegetables and spices can be refrigerated together. In the morning, just transfer everything to the crock pot. The cooking time will run to the high end of the ranges given in the recipe.