Texas-Style Chili con Carne
SERVES: 6 TO 8
PRESSURE LEVEL: HIGH
RELEASE: NATURAL
TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 1¼ HOURS*
TIME UNDER PRESSURE: 25 MINUTES
*PLUS BEAN SOAKING TIME
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Texans are famous for their style of chili featuring chunks of beef in a chile-infused sauce. Boneless short ribs turned tender in under 30 minutes. To thicken our base of chicken broth and crushed tomatoes, we experimented with ingredients like flour and cornstarch, but we settled on corn tortillas. Grinding them in the food processor ensured they melted into the chili, thickening it up and giving it a subtle corn flavor. Traditional recipes call for dried chiles, but we found the pressure cooker did a great job of intensifying basic pantry spices. Serve with your favorite chili garnishes. See the step shot and Troubleshooting that follows the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
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6 |
(6-inch) corn tortillas, chopped coarse |
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5 |
pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks |
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Salt and pepper |
|
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3 |
tablespoons vegetable oil |
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1 |
onion, chopped |
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3 |
tablespoons chili powder |
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2 |
tablespoons ground cumin |
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5 |
garlic cloves, minced |
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4 |
teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce |
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3 |
cups low-sodium chicken broth |
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1 |
(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes |
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8 |
ounces (1¼ cups) dried kidney beans, picked over, rinsed, and salt-soaked (click here) |
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2 |
tablespoons soy sauce |
1. BUILD FLAVOR: Process tortilla pieces in food processor to fine crumbs, about 30 seconds; set aside. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown one-quarter meat on all sides, about 8 minutes; transfer to bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and one-quarter meat.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, garlic, and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomatoes, soaked beans, soy sauce, browned beef with any accumulated juices, and remaining beef. Sprinkle processed tortillas over top.
3. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 25 MINUTES: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
4. NATURALLY RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Serve.
VARIATION
Fiery Texas-Style Chili con Carne
Substitute 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes for crushed tomatoes and add 2 stemmed, seeded, and minced jalapeño chiles and 1 teaspoon cayenne with chili powder.
Sweet and Smoky Texas-Style Chili con Carne
Add ¼ cup dark brown sugar and ½ teaspoon liquid smoke with tomatoes. Reduce chipotle to 1 tablespoon.