Recipe: New Mexican Chili Con Carne With Ground Bison
Chili con carne is one of those dishes that is perfect for every occasion, and equally delicious in the hot summer as it is in the cold winter. If you’re able to locate New Mexican red chile powder, this will really enhance the flavor of this recipe. But if it’s not available in your area, don’t worry! You can substitute a different chili powder and it’ll still turn out great.
New Mexican chiles are also known as Hatch chiles, named for the Hatch valley where they’re grown. They come in both red and green varieties. If you’ve ever visited New Mexico, you’ve probably been asked what color chile you’d like on your food. Fun fact: if you want both, the correct answer is “Christmas”.
Also Read: Bison Bone Broth Health Benefits: Explained In Detail
In case you’re wondering, the spelling of “chile” is unique to New Mexico and accepted as the name for the red and green peppers the area is known for. And when you’re here in the Land of Enchantment, anything referred to as “chili” is the stew-like creation with meat in it. But if you’re not in New Mexico, it’s likely that you refer to both the peppers and the meat dish as chili.
This chili con carne is the perfect dish to eat in a bowl with tortillas on the side, topped with cheese and sour cream. It’s also delicious as a topping for dressing up our free range, grass fed bison hot dogs. It’s warming, filling and nourishing with some nice freshness and a kick from the red chile powder. Depending on how hot your chile (or chili) powder is and the spice tolerance of whoever you’re feeding, you can adjust the amount of powder to your liking.
We love eating any dish made with our ground bison. It’s so tender and flavorful, with a slightly sweeter flavor than beef. We hear from customers all the time who tell us it’s their new favorite they never realized they were missing out on. This chili con carne would be equally delicious with any of our other ground meats, depending on your preferences. We offer grass fed & finished ground beef, ground elk, ground wild boar and ground lamb in addition to bison.
Also Read: Bison Tallow: The Impressive Health Benefits
Chili con carne would also be a great opportunity to use our beef or bison Primal Blends. This ingenious ground meat blends include our best selling bison or grass fed & finished beef, along with 20% heart, liver and kidney meat mixed in. It’s the perfect ratio to minimize the taste of the organ meat while still providing tons of nutritional benefits.
Even unseasoned, the flavor isn’t overpowering by any means. But especially when cooked with some spices and other ingredients, the taste of the organs is virtually undetectable. In chili con carne, no one would ever be able to guess that they were eating anything out of the ordinary. These ground blends are the perfect way to trick your kids (or yourself) into eating nutrient rich organ meats!
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of ground bison
- 2-3 tablespoons of bison tallow, as needed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 cans of organic tomato sauce
- Two 16 oz cans of pinto beans (or you can cook an equivalent amount of dried beans)
- New Mexican red chile powder to taste (or if you can’t find authentic New mexican red chiles, use whatever you can get your hands on)
- Water as needed for desired consistency
- Sea salt to taste
- Mexican blend shredded cheese as a topping, if desired
Also Read: Bison Tomahawk Steaks: Our Most Sought After Cut Of Meat
Instructions:
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Melt some bison tallow in the pan and when it’s hot, add in the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant and softened.
- Adding more bison tallow to the skillet as needed, cook the ground bison. Keep in mind that bison cooks more quickly than ground beef, due to it being naturally leaner. It’s incredibly flavorful and tender when cooked a bit less than you would with conventional meat.
- In an Instant Pot or crock pot, add in the cans of tomato sauce, beans, red chile powder and sea salt. Combine thoroughly. Add in the cooked bison, adding water until a nice thick chili consistency is achieved. Cook on low in the crock pot or use the slow cook function for the Instant Pot. Cook for 4-6 hours, adding in more water every hour or so if necessary.
- Serve with shredded cheese melted on top. For an authentic New Mexican touch include fresh flour tortillas on the side.
Also Read: How To Go All Out Serving Bison Hot Dogs & Bratwursts
