How to make the perfect chilli con carne and the common mistakes to avoid

Not too hot, not too sweet, the right spices to use, plus Neven Maguire's recipe for his favourite chilli con carne

Served with rice or scooped up with tortilla chips, you can't beat Neven Maguire's chilli con carne. 

Make the day before

Chilli gets better with time, so cook it the day before you plan to eat it for maximum flavour sensation.

Start with the basics

Onion and garlic are the flavour bedrock of good chilli con carne. You can add peppers, like Nigella or carrots and celery, like Jamie but never skimp on the two most important pieces of this puzzle. 

Mix your meat

Pork adds a salty note and extra richness to your chilli that you might not be able to identify, but you'd miss if it wasn't there. If you don't have pork mince, chop up a few rashers and add them in when frying the mince. 

Use the right beans

Beans in chilli need to stand up to a long slow cook. Kidney beans are hardy, so are black beans and both are ideal for this kind of cooking. Small white beans like cannellini run the risk of disintegrating in the sauce. 

Check your spices

Spices go out of date and out of flavour. Use the freshest spices you have, and if you feel that yours might be on the way out and are losing a bit of their punch, add a little extra to balance it out. 

Toppings are key

Something crunchy, something cooling, something tart, something creamy. Think crunchy tortilla chips, guacamole, fresh tomato salsa, sour cream. 

Neven Maguire's perfect chilli con carne

Serves 6 

Ingredients 

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil 
• 2 onions, finely chopped 
• 450g minced beef 
• 225g minced pork 
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes 
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar 
• 1 tbsp paprika 
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 600ml beef stock 
• 2 tins red kidney beans 
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 
• Tortilla chips or steamed rice 

Method 

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan set over a medium heat, then add the onions and fry very gently for 15-20 minutes, until the onions are golden and well caramelised, stirring from time to time. Don’t be tempted to decrease the amount of time this takes, as this stage is very important for the flavour.

Add the minced beef and pork and fry off for about five minutes, until well browned all over, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, spices and stock. Season well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat, uncovered, for one hour, stirring occasionally. Finally, stir in the kidney beans and cook for another twenty minutes, until the meat is meltingly tender. Season to taste.

Ladle the chilli con carne onto warmed bowls set on plates, add a pile of tortilla chips to each plate or some steamed rice to serve.