Spices for Chili: The Core Five and When to Add Them
This guide covers five spices that show up in chili recipes: dried chile, cumin, oregano, a smoky chile such as chipotle, and bay leaf.
For each one, it gives how much two university extension recipes use per pot and when each goes in, with single-origin chile flakes and heirloom beans to cook with.
The core five spices for chili
Dried chile. New Mexico State University's Game Day Chili uses a 14 oz container of frozen red chile puree for 1 pound of ground beef. Chile flakes are another way in. Burlap & Barrel's Cobanero flakes are a Maya variety grown in the mountains around Cobán, Guatemala, which the listing places in the same heat range as cayenne (shop Burlap & Barrel Cobanero Chili Flakes, $10.00). Its Silk Chili is the Turkish variety of the Aleppo pepper, which Burlap & Barrel calls summery and mildly spicy (shop Burlap & Barrel Silk Chili Flakes, $9.95).
For a hot paprika, Burlap & Barrel's Szegedi 178 comes from a small farm in the oldest paprika-growing region of Hungary; the listing says the peppers are picked ripe, air-cured in mesh bags, dried, ground and blended with sweet paprika (shop Burlap & Barrel Szegedi 178 Hot Paprika, $9.95).
Cumin. Both extension recipes use 1 teaspoon of cumin per pot.
Oregano. Utah State University's Three Bean and Beef Chili uses 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano. The New Mexico State recipe uses 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano.
Chipotle. A chipotle is a smoked jalapeño. The Utah State recipe uses half a can of chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and minced. Dried flakes are an alternative: Burlap & Barrel's Smoked Chipotle flakes are grown at Fire Tongue Farm in California and smoked over fruit tree branches pruned from a nearby orchard, with medium heat, according to the maker (shop Burlap & Barrel Smoked Chipotle Chili Flakes, $9.95).
Bay leaf. The New Mexico State recipe simmers 3 bay leaves in the pot and takes them out before serving.
How much to use per pot
| Recipe | Meat and beans | Chile | Cumin | Oregano | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State, Three Bean and Beef Chili | 1/2 pound ground beef; 8 oz each canned black, kidney and pinto beans | 1/2 can chipotle in adobo | 1 teaspoon | 1/4 teaspoon dried | Salt and pepper to taste |
| New Mexico State, Game Day Chili (8 servings) | 1 pound ground beef; 15 oz canned pinto beans | 14 oz red chile puree | 1 teaspoon | 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano | 3 bay leaves |
When to add each spice
In the Utah State recipe, onion, bell pepper and carrot cook in oil for about 10 minutes, then the cumin goes in and cooks, stirred, for 1 minute before the beef. That minute in hot fat is blooming. The oregano and chipotle go in later with the tomatoes and water, and the pot simmers for 30 minutes before the beans and 20 minutes after.
In the New Mexico State recipe, the cumin, oregano and bay leaves go in after the beef and chile puree are combined, and the pot simmers on low for 15 minutes. The beans go in for a last 10 minutes, and the bay leaves come out before serving. See also toasting spices and blooming them in oil.
Chili powder labels
Read the ingredient list on any jar sold as chili powder. If it already includes cumin, oregano or garlic, count those before adding more of each.
Beans for the pot
Rancho Gordo, founded in 2001 by Steve Sando in Napa, California, suggests its Domingo Rojo, a small red bean that the listing says holds its shape when cooked, for chili con carne (shop Rancho Gordo Domingo Rojo, $6.50). Its Midnight Black Bean is a black turtle bean that the listing says holds its shape through long cooking (shop Rancho Gordo Midnight Black Bean, $6.50).
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Short answers
What spices go in chili? Dried chile, cumin, oregano, a smoky chile such as chipotle, and bay leaf, plus salt and pepper.
How much cumin goes in a pot of chili? Both extension recipes here use 1 teaspoon per pot, for 1/2 to 1 pound of ground beef.
When do you add cumin to chili? The Utah State recipe cooks it in the oil with the vegetables for 1 minute before the meat goes in.
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