There would have been an infinite number of unwritten chilli con carne recipes, before the concept of ‘recipe-writing’ emerged. Now there are an infinite number of written chilli con carne recipes. It’s the sort of hand-down family dish, where everyone has their own ‘secret addition’. Many honour the Aztec roots of the dish by adding coffee or grated dark chocolate to chili con carne. Lots use baked beans instead of the more traditional red kidney beans.
It’ll come as little surprise to you all that the ‘secret weapon’ here in our Rooted Chilli Con Carne comes in the form of spices. We use Hot Smoked Paprika (for smoky-heat), Ancho Chilli Powder (for fruity-chilli notes), Ground Cumin (for earthiness) and also a dash of cinnamon (which is barely discernible, but adds an aromatic note which really lifts the whole dish).
The only other secret? ‘Time’ – chilli con carne isn’t a dish to be rushed. Ideally, make it the day before (it only improves second time round), or allow a few hours for the chilli con carne to cook slowly and for the beautifully spiced flavours to develop.