Back in the early 1960’s, there was a TV programme called The School Around the Corner, on RTÉ (Ireland’s then sole broadcaster). It was presented by the affable Paddy Crosby. On the show, he would interview schoolchildren. He had a way with him and managed to extract stories from the young ‘uns. Stories that were charming in their innocence. One infamous interview had a young lad telling a story about a horse that fell into a hole in the road. The horse was beyond saving. A vet was called and he decided to shoot the horse. Paddy asked the innocent child “Did he shoot him in the hole?”. “No” replied the youngster, “he shot him in the head”.
As with so many of my conversations about food, this one took place while I was out on the bike, chatting my butcher friend, James Lawlor. As the weather is turning here in Ireland, the chat was all about autumnal food. As chilli is high on my list of cool weather favourites, I asked for advice about the meat.
I suggested perhaps using big, whole chillies (as I have a stock of them). James laughed, seeing some joke in what I said. Then he suggested, “You’re on to something there. Why not try a big holes chilli.” I have to admit, I did snigger like a schoolboy looking at a lingerie catalogue before he explained. “The holes in the normal mincer plate are 5mm. Why not try using the 10mm plate we have and see how the beef turns out?” So a plan was laid for (careful how you write it…) Big Holes Beef Chilli.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo of coarse (very coarse by the standards set here) ground beef.
- Half a kilo of beef pieces cut up nice and small.
- 100 grammes or so of pancetta (a home prepared present from Stefan over at stefangourmet.com)
- 2 dried ancho chillies
- 4 to 6 smaller hot dried chillies
- 2 tins of tomatoes
- 1 tin of kidney beans
- 4 onions
- 2 teaspoons of smoked sea salt
- 2 teaspoons of red peppercorns
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons of dried tomato flakes (optional)
- 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
- Half a pint of concentrated beef stock
- 2 bottles of beer
Side note on the sliced beef: The coarse ground beef gives a particularly good “bit of chew” that one would not get with a finer ground beef chilli. By adding the sliced beef too, we get a really nice consistency. It’s worthy of consideration.
The process is pretty straightforward. But, it does take a bit of time to complete. First, slice the pancetta into nice small pieces and fry it, in a large lidded saucepan, to release its fat.
Add the chillies to a bowl and pour in about a half pint of boiling water. Leave to stand for about a half hour.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and reserve. Fry the beef, in batches, in the pancetta fat. The beef tightens up and shows its chunkiness.
Slice the onions into quarters or eights.
Add the chillies and water to a blender and blitz to a smooth paste.
Dry fry the cumin seeds and pound them in a mortar.
Crush and slice the garlic.
Remove the browned beef from the saucepan with a slotted spoon. In the same saucepan, fry the onions and garlic, over a low heat, until very soft. Add back the beef. Then add the other ingredients bar the beans.
Stir everything in and bring the heat up until the chilli reaches a simmer. You can now simmer the chilli for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally or do as I did. Pop it into a 150ºC oven for two hours. Remove it and simmer uncovered for half an hour. This will thicken the sauce.
Add the beans and stir to incorporate. Bring it back to a gentle boil to be sure everything is nice and hot. Serve it with rice and some cheddar cheese.
This big holes chilli is undoubtedly a big, whole chilli. It’s a lesson in punctuation and a pretty fine autumn dish too. Enjoy.
Mad Dog | 1st November 2016
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Definitely the kind of comfort food for a cold autumn day. I often put chopped up leftover beef or pork in mine for extra bite and some hot smoked pimentón.
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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Thanks MD,
The chillies that I do tend to not be too over the top on heat. I like to get them so they creep up slowly. I like it when it’s just hot enough to make me blow my nose a couple of times, if that makes sense.
Mad Dog | 1st November 2016
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Ha ha – yes I do. I like that kind of thing myself 🙂
katechiconi | 1st November 2016
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Still too much of a wuss to fling that amount of hot chilli into anything, but I’ll take inspiration, and I think my brisket trimmings have (moderate) chilli written all over them! And since I’ve never seen smoked salt, I’ll be substituting smoked paprika 🙂
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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That’s a good plan Kate. I used the smoked salt because I was given some as a present and it was a shame to not use it. It’s not a store cupboard essential bay any measure.
Linda Duffin | 1st November 2016
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I like the look of that as I’m not generally a fan of mince – we usually finely dice ours for chilli, though I recently tried a Jamie Oliver recipe where you slow-cook the entire lump of meat and then shred it, which was also very good. Love the story, too. Reminds me of my favourite Dublin joke, which is unrepeatable in polite company.
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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I was idling on the couch a couple of weekends ago and saw the Cheeky Cockney prepare that very dish. I need to hear that story. There’s no polite company here….
Linda Duffin | 2nd November 2016
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I’ll email it to you. It contains bad language!
Conor Bofin | Author | 2nd November 2016
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Excellent!
A Cookbook Collection | 1st November 2016
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I just want a big massive bowl of chilli now. Looks great!
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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Thanks Donna. I’ll cook one for you if we can ever tempt you out of Munster.
A Cookbook Collection | 2nd November 2016
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🙂 I’ll have to find my passport!
Elia McGary | 1st November 2016
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That looks wonderful!
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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Thank you Elia. I really appreciate that from you. I so often think of Richard, particularly when I’m cooking anything that has a Texas feel to it. I hope you an family are well.
Best as ever,
Conor
Eha | 2nd November 2016
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A lot of warm greetings from Australia! Methinks we all think of Richard: he surely does not need a memorial plaque to be remembered~ Absolutely lovely to hear from you!!
sallybr | 1st November 2016
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Such a fun post! I was wondering where you were going with the big holes chili, and well, it makes perfect sense!
😉
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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Sally,
I had to get somewhere with that line of writing or I would have ended in as much trouble as the horse!
Best,
C
Tasty Eats Ronit Penso | 1st November 2016
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Oh this looks so good! I love the two ways of cutting/grinding the beef and use of beer.
From a tip I got years ago and followed since – I would highly recommend adding a small amount of chopped Mexican chocolate to the stew. It does wonders. 🙂
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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A great thought Ronit. I will do so the next time. I have done it before with regular 70% cocoa chocolate and it does add a depth of flavour, for sure.
Tasty Eats Ronit Penso | 1st November 2016
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Regular chocolate works well too, but Mexican chocolate is different as it also contains spices such as cinnamon and vanilla, with some ground nuts, usually almonds. It’s quite grainy and not as tasty to eat, but it’s great for cooking.
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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I have a Mexican friend here who runs a Mexican food store. Guess where I’m going? The flavours would add a lot. Thanks Ronit.
Tasty Eats Ronit Penso | 2nd November 2016
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You’re very lucky to have such a friend! And I plan on making chili with your beer “trick” this weekend. 🙂
Conor Bofin | Author | 2nd November 2016
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Please post it Ronit. I would love to see your take.
Tasty Eats Ronit Penso | 2nd November 2016
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Will do! 🙂
anotherfoodieblogger | 1st November 2016
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Hey, you finally showed up in my reader board! We have a dearly departed Texas friend who would have raised an eyebrow at that tin of beans in the chili. But since I’m a transplanted Texan who puts beans in her chili now, I won’t give you any grief over that. 😉 Gorgeous chili, though.
Conor Bofin | Author | 1st November 2016
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Thanks Kathryn,
Delighted that normal service is resumed on the posting front. My likes button is working too. I have been adding pulses to everything I can of late. It’s a nod towards healthy living….
anotherfoodieblogger | 2nd November 2016
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You made me google pulses, lol. I had never heard legumes (or beans in our vernacular) called that.
Conor Bofin | Author | 2nd November 2016
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It’s good to have a pulse….
Eha | 2nd November 2016
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Why on earth do the Irish always have to make such great sense . . . ? Now I am not a great big chilli eater but like the recipe, especially those bottles of beer [HF, I may have sinned 🙂 !] . . .
Conor Bofin | Author | 2nd November 2016
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Eha,
From where I see myself, I rarely make any sense at all. The recipe is not too explosive and there are many layers of flavour and texture. I would encourage trial.
Karen | 3rd November 2016
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That is a good sounding chili, Conor. Growing up in Texas, we used to be able to buy meat that was ground through a larger hole…it was called “chili meat”. 🙂
Conor Bofin | Author | 3rd November 2016
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And there was I thinking we had invented something!
Hope all is well with you Karen.
Maria Dernikos | 4th November 2016
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I laughed at your comment at your gauge of a comfortable heat – the scale of blowing the nose. I laughed because I would completely agree with you a slighly runny nose is just right when the eyes start to stream we have hit the over the top mark!
Conor Bofin | Author | 4th November 2016
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Got it in one!
Linda | 5th November 2016
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Looks delicious, and a great comfort food for those cold, chilly days. Thank you so much for sharing.
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th November 2016
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Thanks Linda. Kind words indeed.
CK | 5th November 2016
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I like your take on the humble chilli. You have raised the bar high, one for the bookmark.
Conor Bofin | Author | 5th November 2016
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Thanks CK. I appreciate the kind thought.
Bam's Kitchen | 6th November 2016
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Now this is one delicious bowl of comfort food! Loving your photos Conor. Sharing, of course
Conor Bofin | Author | 6th November 2016
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BAM,
You are too good to me, always.
Best,
Conor
Wildlife Destination | 10th November 2016
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I simply need a major monstrous bowl of stew now. Looks awesome!..
Conor Bofin | Author | 10th November 2016
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This one is worth preparing. Thanks for the visit and the comment.
Best,
C
Mona lisa | 12th November 2016
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ohh wow.. looks delicious…
Conor Bofin | Author | 15th November 2016
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Thanks Mona,
Kind words indeed.
nusrat2010 | 21st November 2016
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That pour shot! Pouring water on the red pepper! Sexy 🙂
Would love to take the idea of using coarse ground beef …gotta ask my butcher if he has got a ‘big-hole’ ground machine … He’ll freak out for sure as those type of words and demands dont usually come out of a Muslim woman’s mouth-hole 😀
Conor Bofin | Author | 21st November 2016
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You are a brat Nusrat. I love it.
Pingback:Chili con Carne – Tasty Eats | 11th December 2016
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FrugalHausfrau | 18th December 2016
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Hey Conor, you owned this Chili as the kids say over here! 🙂 Color me impressed. Punctuation? It can save lives! “Let’s eat Grandma.” or “Let’s eat, Grandma.” *EG*
Conor Bofin | Author | 21st December 2016
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I never heard the grandma version. The one I heard is very rude and involves an uncle and a horse. I am not prepared to go any further than that by way of explanation. Very funny all the same.
FrugalHausfrau | 21st December 2016
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haha well, maybe a little decorum is for the best…:)
Conor Bofin | Author | 21st December 2016
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Yes and No!
FrugalHausfrau | 22nd December 2016
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lol!!
Barbara | 19th December 2016
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Love your recipes Conor. It’s hard for me to figure out how much a tin of something is. I’d really like if if you could translate ingredient measures into ounces or weight for us in the U.S. Your awesome. Thanks in advance
Barbara
Conor Bofin | Author | 21st December 2016
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Thanks for the excellent suggestion Barbara. I really should be more thoughtful of my American cousins. I promise to try harder in future. I appreciate the feedback and all I need to do is read the back of the tins when I’m preparing stuff.
Best,
Conor