Beef Chipotle Chili (Pressure Canned)
Thick beef and bean chili with chipotle in adobo, canned in pints. The beans soak overnight, so start it the day before. From The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving.
Ingredients
- 3 cups dried black or pinto beans
- 6 cups water
- 4 lb beef stew meat
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
- 6 cups canned diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup finely chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3 large limes)
Instructions
Rinse and sort the beans according to the package directions. Put them in a large saucepan, cover with water 2 inches above the beans, and soak 12 hours.
Drain the beans and discard the soaking water. Return them to the pan with 6 cups fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 40 minutes, just until tender. Drain.
Trim all the fat from the beef and cut it into ½-inch cubes. Season with the salt and pepper. Brown the beef in batches in the hot olive oil in a 6-quart stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then remove it.
Add the onion and bell pepper to the Dutch oven and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Return the beef and any accumulated juices, then add the drained beans, tomatoes, chipotles, and lime juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Ladle the hot chili into a hot jar, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rim, center the lid, and apply the band fingertip-tight. Set the jar on the rack in a pressure canner holding 2 inches of simmering water (180°F). Repeat until all the jars are filled.
Lock the lid on the canner. Turn the heat to medium-high and vent steam for 10 minutes. Put the counterweight or weighted gauge on the vent and bring the pressure to 10 psi on a weighted-gauge canner, 11 psi on a dial gauge.
Process pints 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the canner return to zero pressure. Let it stand 5 more minutes before removing the lid. Cool the jars in the canner 10 minutes, then remove and cool.
Notes
Pints only. The book gives no quart time for this one, and chili is dense enough that you should not invent one.
Good on its own with the usual fixings, over nachos or chili dogs, folded into tacos, or spooned under baked macaroni and cheese.
Altitude: times assume 1,000 feet or below. Higher up you raise the pressure, not the time. Weighted gauge goes to 15 psi anywhere above 1,000 feet. Dial gauge: 11 psi to 2,000 feet, 12 to 4,000, 13 to 6,000, 14 to 8,000, 15 to 10,000.