Hairy Bikers' One-Pot Chilli Con Carne (Air Fryer Method)

Name: Hairy Biker's Ultimate One-Pot Chilli Con Carne | This Morning
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 sticks celery sticks, chopped; 2 peppers peppers, deseeded and chopped; 250 g pork mince; 250 g beef mince; 4 cloves garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tbsp soft brown sugar; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp dried oregano; 1 tsp chilli (powder or flakes); 1 tsp ground coriander; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 400 ml beef stock; 400 g chopped tomatoes, tinned; 2 x 400g tins red kidney beans, drained and rinsed; salt; black pepper, freshly ground; 20 g dark chocolate, grated, ideally 70% or bitter; 1 handful tortilla nachos; 100 g grated cheese, Cheddar or similar; 1 small handful fresh coriander, chopped

Source video by This Morning on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This is the Hairy Bikers' one-pot chilli con carne, demonstrated on This Morning and taken from their One Pot Wonders book. It uses a mix of pork and beef mince for a juicier, more balanced result, layered with cumin, oregano, chilli, coriander and cinnamon, then simmered with tomatoes, beef stock and red kidney beans. A grating of dark chocolate finishes the sauce with a savoury, umami depth. The dish is traditionally a hob simmer, so it has been adapted here for the air fryer using an air-fryer-safe casserole dish, with the cheesy nacho topping crisped at the end.

Air fryer notes: Original recipe is a hob one-pot that browns mince and simmers for around 1 hour. Adapted for the air fryer using a heatproof casserole dish that fits the basket: sauté and brown stages done uncovered at higher temperatures, then a covered low simmer at 160°C to mimic a gentle hob simmer without scorching. The nacho-and-cheese topping is crisped uncovered at the end. Stirring every 15 minutes replaces hob stirring to prevent the base catching.

Ingredients

Base

1 tbspvegetable or olive oil
1 largeonion, chopped
2 stickscelery sticks, chopped
2 pepperspeppers, deseeded and chopped

Meat

250 gpork mince
250 gbeef mince

Spice base

4 clovesgarlic cloves, crushed
1 tbspsoft brown sugar
1 tbspground cumin
1 tbspdried oregano
1 tspchilli (powder or flakes)
1 tspground coriander
0.5 tspground cinnamon

Simmer

400 mlbeef stock
400 gchopped tomatoes, tinned
2 x 400g tinsred kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Finish

20 gdark chocolate, grated, ideally 70% or bitter (add late)

Topping

1 handfultortilla nachos (add late)
100 ggrated cheese, Cheddar or similar (add late)
1 small handfulfresh coriander, chopped (add late)

Method

Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Add the oil, onion, celery and peppers to an air-fryer-safe casserole dish and cook for 8 minutes, stirring once, until softened.
~8 min
Add the pork and beef mince. Increase the air fryer to 200°C and cook for 10 minutes, stirring twice to break up the meat and brown it.
~10 min
Stir in the garlic, soft brown sugar, cumin, oregano, chilli, ground coriander and cinnamon. Cook at 200°C for 2 minutes to toast the spices.
~2 min
Pour in the beef stock and chopped tomatoes, then add the drained kidney beans. Season with salt and pepper and stir well.
~2 min
Cover the casserole with a lid or foil. Reduce the air fryer to 160°C and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and intensified.
~55 min
Stir in the grated dark chocolate until melted through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
~1 min
Scatter the nachos over the surface, then top with the grated cheese. Cook uncovered at 180°C for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
~4 min
Finish with chopped fresh coriander and serve straight from the pot.
~1 min

Frequently asked

Why use both pork and beef mince?

The Hairy Bikers explained on the show that mixing pork and beef mince gives a juicier, more balanced result, the same principle as a good meatloaf. The pork adds fat and a softer texture, while the beef brings the deeper savoury flavour.

Do I really need the dark chocolate?

Yes, it is traditional in Mexican chilli. A small amount of bitter dark chocolate (ideally 70% or higher) adds a savoury umami note rather than a chocolatey taste. It rounds out the sauce and balances the spices.

Can I use different beans?

Yes. The Hairy Bikers suggested cannellini or borlotti beans as alternatives to red kidney beans. They tend to be a little softer, so just stir them in gently at the same stage.

Do I need to preheat the air fryer?

Yes, 2 to 3 minutes of preheating helps the vegetables and mince start cooking properly from the off rather than steaming. If your model has a dedicated preheat function, use it; otherwise just run it empty at the cook temperature for a couple of minutes.

What size casserole dish fits in an air fryer?

You need a heatproof dish that sits inside the basket with 1 to 2 cm of clearance around it for air flow. A 1.5 to 2 litre round ceramic or cast iron dish works well in most 5 to 8 litre air fryers. Check your manufacturer guidance before using glass or ceramic.

Extraction notes (transparency): Mince quantities, pepper quantity, celery quantity, onion quantity, tinned tomato size, nacho quantity, cheese quantity and chocolate quantity were not stated in the transcript and have been left as null or given as 'to taste'. Quantities that WERE stated: 4 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tsp chilli, 1 tsp ground coriander, 400ml beef stock, 2 cans red kidney beans. Cinnamon and soft brown sugar mentioned without amounts. Air fryer temperatures and times are adapted estimates, not from source. Recipe was originally a hob one-pot, not an air fryer recipe, so needs cook's review. | Second-pass critique flagged 9 fabricated and 15 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.