Chilli con carne recipe & questions

competitionscafe

I usually use the BBC Good Food recipe for chilli con carne with a square or two of dark chocolate instead of the sugar, but the Leon version (with diced beef instead of mince) is very good too.

Recipe here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/08/foodanddrink.recipe

puddy

We had a tasty beef joint yesterday which I roasted. I want to use the left overs to make a chilli for tonight

Is it best to put the ingredients as they are into the slow cooker, or to chop the beef up and then use the slow cooker, or to chop very finely and then make as usual on the hob?

I dont have a mincer and dont really want a load of chopping!

BitterAndTwisted

You're a cook so you can do anything you like.

Even though I haven't eaten meat myself in a couple of decades I would be unwilling to use the remains a good beef joint for a chilli. This is a dish better made with cheaper meat with some fat in it for the flavour. But as I said you're a cook so you do what you think is best. I'd cut it as finely as I could manage and then heat it on the hob. You don't need a slow--cooker because it's probably quite lean and has been cooked through already. I hope you kept any left-over gravy!

Dunroamin

Agree with B&T, a waste of a good beef joint and why slow cook something that's already cooked?

Chris25

Don't know if it's any help but I use the left-over meat from joints for my cottage/shepherd's pies. When my K Chef packed up & I couldn't use the mincer, I discovered that if you slice the meat & put a tiny amount of gravy to moisten, you can sort of mince it with a stick blender. It came out reasonably well - just have to make sure it's not blended too well, otherwise the texture is a bit like pate
I then mixed it with gravy & chopped, cooked veggies before topping & cooked in a normal oven

hilstep2000

I make rissoles when I have a joint left over. Delia has a good one that all my lot love!
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/lamb/rissoles.html

puddy

oh dear, well its too small a piece to do anything else with apart from the odd sandwich and the slow cooker idea was so that the flavours meld together over a longer time as its leaner than mince would be

actually, i have some salami to mix up with it, that would add fat

CH27

I'd chop the beef up small & start the chilli on the hob & then bung it in the slow cooker for a few hours.

freezspirit

I saw an american cooking programme and they did a chili with a variety of beef selections, mince, strips and roasted then diced chunks. It looked nice as you could see different textures. So I don't see why not.

About hob or slower cooker its up to you. I would put it in the slow cooker on low only because I have a gas hob and don't like it on unless I stay in the kitchen.

BitterAndTwisted

What's wrong with the odd cold roast beef sandwich? That could make a lovely supper with something like beetroot and horseradish on it with a nice salad or something on the side.

My philosophy when cooking or preparing meals is to keep it simple and not be tempted to muck about with things that are perfect the way they are already just for the sake of it. I'm also a bone-idle.