Chili con Carne à la THW

Ingredients for 20 servings:

• 1 kg minced meat, mixed
• 1 kg goulash meat, mixed
• 200 g diced ham, raw
• 2 kg kidney beans, approx. 5 cans of 400 g each
• 1 bell pepper(s), red
• 1 bell pepper(s), green
• 2 large onions
• 1 ½ liters of meat broth
• ½ liter red wine, sweet or more
• 2 can/n tomato paste, approx. 70 g each
• 2 chili peppers
• Rapeseed oil for frying
• salt and pepper
• Paprika powder, hot

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 5 hours

from the THW goulash cannon

Drain the kidney beans and use without the liquid. Chop the bell peppers and onions. Cut the goulash into small pieces, or have the butcher do it for you. Slowly heat the meat broth, tomato paste, and red wine in a 10-liter pot. Sauté the kidney beans, bell peppers, and onions (if you like, fry them until translucent beforehand), then add them to the gently simmering broth. Brown the ham cubes in a pan and add them to the broth. Brown the meat in batches in rapeseed oil, seasoning with salt, pepper, and paprika. When the meat is brown enough, add it to the broth. Don’t brown too much meat at once, or it will absorb water. Continue this process until all the minced meat and goulash are completely submerged in the broth. The meat juices and spices will give the chili a good basic heat. If necessary, add more meat broth and/or red wine to prevent burning. Simmer on low heat with the lid slightly open. The alcohol will evaporate a little, but the flavor will improve over time. Stir frequently to prevent burning! Note: After spending about 1-2 hours chopping and searing the meat, the chili will already be cooking. To avoid it getting too hot, I hang the chili peppers in a bag, tea strainer, or something similar in the pot only once all the ingredients are in. Continue simmering for about another hour on low heat, stirring regularly, then remove the peppers. If it’s not hot enough for you, you can leave the peppers in the pot for a while, but it doesn’t need to cook any longer. I recommend preparing the chili a day in advance; it will then infuse well. But be careful: It can develop more heat overnight! I always cook enough for 20 people, and the next day I fill the chili into portion bags and freeze it. This recipe is often prepared by the THW in the goulash cannon. It can be supplemented with other vegetables. But this is the original preparation, a guarantee of good flavor. Tip for a quick version: Instead of chopping the vegetables, buy a 750g package of frozen Mexican vegetables. Then use only half of the other ingredients. This shortens the sautéing time and therefore the total cooking time.