Travels with Charley + Chili Con Carne

In just a few days I will be embarking on a cross-country road trip! In anticipation, I decided to make a recipe for chili con carne inspired by my favorite road trip book, John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley in Search of America.

I feel fairly strongly that the ideal method of travel is the road trip. No rushing to get to an airport on time, only to have your flight delayed at the last minute. No having to remove your shoes, or being squished in with snoring strangers and screaming babies. And you don’t have to have a concrete itinerary. You can stop and explore anything that catches your interest.

Hit the Road, John

Clearly I am not the only one who hears the road calling, judging by the abundance of road trip novels and memoirs. And in 1960, at the age of fifty-eight, John Steinbeck set out on his own road trip, which he chronicles in Travels with Charley. His purpose for this trip is two-fold: to stave off the onset of age, and to really see and experience the country about which he was writing, but which he had not seen much of for twenty-five years.

“I, an American writer, writing about America, was working from memory, and the memory is at best a faulty, warpy reservoir. I had not heard the speech of America, smelled the grass and trees and sewage, seen its hills and water, its color and quality of light.”

Travels with Charley

Steinbeck’s Journey in Travels with Charley

Along with his French poodle, Charley, Steinbeck travels from New York to Maine, and then west across the country to California. His return trip takes a southern route through Texas and New Orleans. In reflecting upon his travels, he offers an often humorous, but always sincere portrait of not only the places he visits, but the people he encounters. He offers up some poignant insights on aging, nature, wealth, what it means to be an American, and, well, dogs. His writing is both heartfelt and hilarious.

While the book is subtitled In Search of America, Steinbeck’s trip does not lead him to any ultimate conclusions about the country or its people. There is no X-marks-the-spot, Eureka! moment, because the size of the country and the diversity of its people and their experiences defies definition. Rather, like any good road trip, its about the journey, not the destination–the essence of America is not objectively definable in a book, but rather is felt through one’s experiences and interactions with its people.

Chili Con Carne in Travels with Charley

While staying with friends in Texas, Steinbeck eats the Texas staple, chili con carne.

“They brought a large pot of chili con carne, made from a family recipe, the best I have ever tasted.”

Travels with Charley

Chili is one of my favorite dishes to cook. In fact, I would argue that chili is like the road trip of food. You don’t have to follow strict guidelines. You can improvise and go with the flow. The spice level is adjustable depending on how adventurous you’re feeling. No two batches will be exactly the same, but they will be good in their own way.

People do, however, have some strong opinions about what should and should not be in chili con carne. Chunks of beef and chilies make up the core of it. Traditionalists forbid the addition of tomatoes, and you would probably be barred from the state of Texas if you even considered adding beans. Views vary on onions, but ultimately you want the flavors of the beef and the chilies to be the star of the show.

Chili Con Carne Recipe

While I did choose to include onion in my recipe, I adhered to the no tomato and no beans standards. I wanted my chili to have some really rich flavors, so rather than using chili powder, I used four different types of whole dried chilies, along with canned chipotle chilies.

There is such a wide variety of chili peppers. You can really have fun customizing your chili to match the spice level and flavor profile you want. Look online for a guide, such as this one, to the various types of chili peppers. The following recipe lists what I put in this batch of chili, but it is not a strict guideline. Go ahead and experiment!

Travels with Charley Chili Con Carne

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Rating: 3.7/5

( 3 voted )

Serves: 4-6 Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes 3 Hours 30 Minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 3 New Mexico chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 3 Ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 2 Guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 2 arbol chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds removed, plus 3 Tbsp of the sauce
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 lb chuck roast, cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp regular soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• cheese, sour cream, scallions, cilantro, tortilla chips to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill a large stock pot 3/4 full with water and boil. Remove from heat and soak all dried chilies, with lid on, for 20-30 minutes, until softened.
2. Remove chilies from pot and put in food processor, along with 1/2 cup of the soaking water, and the chipotle chilies and sauce. Blend until a paste is formed. Set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Season beef cubes generously with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown beef cubes, 2-4 minutes on each side, allowing them to get a deep sear. Set aside on a plate.
4. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add more oil if needed.
5. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, and allspice, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute, until fragrant. 
6. Reduce heat to medium low. Add beef broth and deglaze the Dutch oven by scraping the browned bits off the bottom.
7. Return beef to Dutch oven along with any juices accumulated on the plate.
8. Add chili paste from food processor, along with fish sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, unsweetened cocoa powder, and brown sugar. Mix well.
9. Let simmer partially uncovered, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender and sauce has thickened, 3-4 hours. If sauce starts to get too thick, fully cover with the lid. Add additional beef broth if still too thick.
10. Serve with optional garnishes of cheese, sour cream, scallions, cilantro, and/or tortilla chips.

Did You Make This Recipe?

How did it turn out? Tag me on Instagram at @thelitkitch