Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television: Fire-Roasted Tomato Chili con Carne

• Christina Zeiders
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  Christina Zeiders is the Communications Specialist at WITF. She helps get the word out about all of WITF's programs, events and community conversations.

Cold, dreary, snowy? It’s perfect chili weather. Is there really a bad time for chili, though? Warm up your belly and soul with Fire-Roasted Tomato Chili con Carne, an Instapot recipe from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television!

To get the rich, earthy flavor of whole dried chilies without having to toast, soak and puree them, we use ancho chili powder, which is pure ancho chilies pulverized to a fine consistency. If you can’t find ancho chili powder, increase the regular chili powder (which is a blend of ground chilies and other spices and herbs) to ⅓ cup.

We thicken our chili with crushed tortilla chips. The easiest way to crush them is to place them in a zip-close bag, seal the bag and roll with a rolling pin until the chips are finely crushed. Serve the chili with shredded cheddar cheese, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, chopped cilantro and hot sauce, if desired.

Don’t be shy about trimming the beef. Chuck is a fat-rich cut, so removing as much fat as possible before cooking helps prevent the chili from becoming greasy. Also, don’t drain the tomatoes before use; their liquid is needed for proper pressure cooking.

Active time: 40 minutes • Start to finish: 8¾ to 9¾ hours • Servings: 6

In a large bowl, stir together both chili powders, the sugar, cumin, oregano and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the beef and toss to coat. On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste is browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with juices, chipotle chilies with sauce and 1 cup water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the beef, then distribute in an even layer.

With the pot still on More/High Sauté, bring the mixture to a boil. Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Venting. Select Slow Cook and set the temperature to More/High. Set the cooking time for 8 to 9 hours; the chili is done when a skewer inserted into a piece of beef meets no resistance. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.

Using a large spoon, skim off and discard the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Stir the crushed tortilla chips into the chili. Select More/High Sauté and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chili is lightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Press Cancel to turn off the pot. Let stand for 10 minutes, then taste and season with salt.