Instant Pot Chili Con Carne

Name: Instant Pot Chili Con Carne
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 6 whole dried chiles (I used half Chiles California/New Mexico and half Chiles Arbol.), stems and seeds removed; 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, stems and seeds removed; 1 quart low-sodium beef broth or chicken broth; 3 pounds beef chuck steak, preferably 1 to 2 inches thick, trimmed of excess gristle and fat; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil; 1 large onion, peeled and finely diced; 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed in a garlic press; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon chili powder; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground allspice; Pinch ground cloves; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 3 tablespoons masa (finely ground corn flour); 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoons soy sauce or fish sauce or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste; Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar and/or Cabot Monterey Jack Cheese; Cabot Sour Cream; Hot sauce; Chopped green onions; Fresh cilantro; Ripe avocado slices or chunks

Servings

6 to 8

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

This Instant Pot Chili con Carne makes quick, hassle-free work of a dish that usually takes hours and hours of simmering. With meltingly tender cubes of beef in a spice-packed, garlicky chile pepper sauce, this is the perfect dish to warm you up from the inside out. For even more goodness, top with Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese and/or Cabot Monterey Jack Cheese, Cabot Sour Cream, chopped green onions, cilantro and fresh avocado. Keep the recipe on-hand because it’s sure to become a family favorite. Feel free to share the recipe with friends and family on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter too!

To make 6-8 servings, press the “Sauté” button and then “Adjust +” once on your Instant Pot. Place the chiles into the Instant Pot, working in batches, if needed. When chiles become fragrant, after about 2 minutes, flip them over and repeat.

Transfer the chiles to a heat proof bowl, add in the chipotles and broth, cover and microwave for about 3 minutes, until very hot. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Drizzle about a tablespoon of the sunflower or vegetable oil into the Instant Pot. Generously sprinkle both sides of the chuck steak with salt and pepper and cut in half (or quarters) to fit into the Instant Pot, if necessary. Add about ⅓ to ½ of the meat into the Instant Pot and let it sear, without moving it, until the bottom is a deep, rich brown (about 5 minutes). Then flip the meat and sear 3 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a cutting board. Add a teaspoon of oil and sear the remaining meat. Then transfer this meat to the cutting board and let rest until it’s comfortable to handle and slice into 1½- 2 inch cubes.

While the meat rests, transfer the chile peppers and the broth to a blender. Remove the vent plug for the blender lid, place a folded paper towel or kitchen towel over it and then hold it in place with the vent plug. Start the blender at the lowest setting and slowly move it up to high, blending until the contents are perfectly smooth, about 1 minute.

On the Instant Pot, press the “Adjust -” button twice. Add the remaining oil to the pot, then add the finely diced onions in with a pinch of kosher salt, stirring to coat evenly. Cook the onions for about 2 minutes, or until they become fragrant and translucent, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot.

Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, allspice and cloves over the onions and stir for about 30 seconds. Pour in the contents of the blender and stir well. Next, add the beef cubes along with any accumulated liquid to the pot. Press “Stop”, fix the lid in place, making sure the vent is closed, and set it manually to HIGH for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, release the pressure and check the beef. If it’s done, it will be tender enough to fall apart easily. If still somewhat tough, close the lid and set the pot manually to HIGH for another 15 minutes. It may take up to 1 hour of total pressure cooking time to get the beef meltingly tender, so be patient.

Once the beef is extremely tender, press the “Sauté” button, then press the “Adjust +” button once again. While stirring, sprinkle the masa over the top of the chili until incorporated. Then stir in the apple cider vinegar and soy sauce (or fish sauce or anchovy paste).

**For the best results, refrigerate this chili con carne for 1 to 3 days before serving, allowing the flavors to continue to develop as it sits.

To Serve:

Reheat the chili and serve by itself or over cooked rice. We highly recommend topping with Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese and/or Cabot Monterey Jack Cheese, Cabot Sour Cream, hot sauce, chopped green onions, cilantro and slices of avocado for the ultimate flavor experience!

Need a crowd-pleasing dip that’s tasty and easy to make? Be sure to try our Instant Pot Creamy Chile con Queso Dip! Did you know that Cabot is a co-operative of over 800 farm families who all work diligently to produce only the highest quality products? We’d love for you to share your thoughts on this Chili con Carne recipe so, if you could rate and review it once you’ve given it a try, we’d really appreciate it!

Ingredients

6 whole dried chiles (I used half Chiles California/New Mexico and half Chiles Arbol.), stems and seeds removed
2 chipotles in adobo sauce, stems and seeds removed
1 quart low-sodium beef broth or chicken broth
3 pounds beef chuck steak, preferably 1 to 2 inches thick, trimmed of excess gristle and fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed in a garlic press
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons masa (finely ground corn flour)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoons soy sauce or fish sauce or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste

Additional Ingredients for Serving:

Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar and/or Cabot Monterey Jack Cheese
Cabot Sour Cream
Hot sauce
Chopped green onions
Fresh cilantro
Ripe avocado slices or chunks

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Directions

PRESS the Sauté button and then Adjust + once on your Instant Pot. Place the chiles into the open pot, working in batches if needed. When they become fragrant (about 2 minutes) flip them over and repeat. Transfer the chiles to a heat proof bowl. Add the chipotles and broth, cover, and microwave for 3 minutes, or until very hot. Set aside for 5 minutes.
DRIZZLE about a tablespoon of the oil into the Instant Pot. Generously sprinkle both sides of the chuck steak with salt and pepper. Cut in half or quarters if needed to fit into the Instant Pot.
ADD about ⅓ to ½ of the meat into the pot and let it sear, without moving it, for about 5 minutes, or until the bottom is a deep, rich brown. Flip the meat and sear 3 minutes on the second side. Transfer to a cutting board. Add a teaspoon of oil and sear the remaining meat. Transfer this meat to the cutting board as well. Let the meat rest until it is comfortable to handle and slice into 1½- 2 inch cubes.
TRANSFER the chile peppers and the broth to a blender while the meat rests. Remove the vent plug for the blender lid, place a folded paper towel or kitchen towel over it, then hold that in place with the vent plug. Start the blender at the lowest setting and slowly move it up to high, blending until the contents are perfectly smooth, about 1 minute.
PRESS the Adjust – button twice. Add the remaining oil to the pot, then add the onions in with a pinch of kosher salt, stirring to coat evenly. Stir the onions frequently, scraping the bottom of the pot, cooking for about 2 minutes, or until the onions become fragrant and translucent at the edges. As the onions cook, they should release some juices which will help loosen the flavorful browned bits from the pot. Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves over the onion and stir for about 30 seconds. Pour in the contents of the blender and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate any remaining fond. Add the beef cubes along with any accumulated liquid to the pot. Press “Stop”, fix the lid in place, making sure the vent is closed, and set it manually to HIGH for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, release the pressure, and check the beef. If it is done, it will be tender enough to fall apart easily. If it is still somewhat tough, close the lid and set the pot manually to HIGH for another 15 minutes. It may take up to 1 hour of total pressure cooking time to get the beef meltingly tender.
WHEN the beef is very tender, press the Sauté then Adjust+ buttons once again. While stirring, sprinkle the masa over the top of the chili until incorporated. Stir in the vinegar and soy sauce or fish sauce or anchovy paste.

To Serve:

Reheat chili and serve by itself or over cooked rice, topped with Cabot cheese, Cabot Sour Cream, hot sauce, chopped green onions and cilantro, and slices of avocado.