The Heirloom Bean Co
Chili con Carne

As all our beans come from the Americas, it seems appropriate to lay out a regional recipe that ditches the tomatoes and mince that Europeans invariably chuck into their CCC. It also finds room for dark beer!

50ml olive oil

1kg stewing steak, cut into ½-1in/2cm cubes

2 onions, chopped

4-6 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon dried marjoram

30g mild chili powder (or to taste - you’re looking for a US-style blend incorporating the likes of cumin, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and mild chili. Most UK supermarket offerings should be fine. If you whack in 30g of cayenne pepper nobody’s going to handle it!)

1 teaspoon cumin

ground salt

750ml water

1 bottle dark lager (Negra Modelo or a German dunkelbier - but ordinary lager is OK)

250g Vaquero beans, cooked and drained (most of our large, dark beans will also do the job)

1 tablespoon of masa harina (optional)

In a large pot, heat the oil and brown the meat pieces. Remove as they brown. When all the pieces are browned and seared, lower the heat and sauté the onions and garlic until soft. Then add the marjoram, chili powder, cumin and salt. Fry the spices for a few minutes, then slowly add the water, then the beer. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Add the meat back to the pot and simmer gently for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the beans. Cook for another 10 mins or so. The texture should be pretty soupy but if the liquid is too thin, dissolve the masa harina in about 100ml of water (cornflour will also work but can add a weird taste). Stir well to avoid any lumps. Slowly trickle the liquid into the chili. Cook on low for another 15 mins or so. This step adds a nice cornmeal-ish flavour and you can choose to do it even if you like the texture, noting that it will dilute the chili tang somewhat. Ladle out hot with garnishes of raw chopped onion and chopped coriander. Serve with hot flour tortillas.