Real Texas Chili Recipes

TRUE TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• 1. Place the chiles in a straight-sided large skillet over medium-low heat and gently toast the chiles until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Don't let them burn or they'll turn bitter. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with very hot water and soak until soft, 15 to 45 minutes, turning once or twice.
• 2. Drain the chiles; split them and remove stems and seeds (a brief rinse helps remove seeds, but don't wash away the flesh). Place the chiles in the bowl of a blender and add the cumin, black pepper, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 cup water. Purée the mixture, adding more water as needed (and occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender jar), until a smooth, slightly fluid paste forms (you want to eliminate all but the tiniest bits of skin.) Set the chile paste aside.
• 3. Return skillet to medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the lard. When it begins to smoke, swirl skillet to coat and add half of the beef. Lightly brown on at least two sides, about 3 minutes per side, reducing the heat if the meat threatens to burn. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 2 more tablespoons of lard and the remaining beef. Reserve.
• 4. Let the skillet cool slightly, and place it over medium-low heat. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of lard in the skillet; add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, the remaining 2 cups water and gradually whisk in the masa harina to avoid lumps. Stir in the reserved chile paste, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula to loosen any browned bits. Add the reserved beef (and any juices in the bowl) and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain the barest possible simmer (just a few bubbles breaking the surface) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender but still somewhat firm and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of thickened but still liquid sauce surrounds the cubes of meat, about 2 hours.
• 5. Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar thoroughly and add more salt to taste; gently simmer 10 minutes more. At this point, it may look like there is excess sauce. Turn off the heat and let the chili stand for at least 30 minutes, during which time the meat will absorb about half of the remaining sauce in the skillet, leaving the meat bathed in a thick, somewhat fluid sauce. Stir in additional broth or water if the mixture seems too dry. If the mixture seems a bit loose and wet, allow it to simmer a bit more (sometimes we like to partially crush the cubes of beef with the back of a spoon to let them absorb more sauce). Adjust the balance of flavors with a bit of additional salt, sugar, or vinegar, if you like.
• 6. Reheat gently and serve in individual bowls with a dollop of sour cream on top and a lime wedge on the side.

REAL TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Brown beef in small amount of oil. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add chili powder, flour, oregano, and cumin. Cook until meat is well coated. Slowly add 2 cans broth. Stir well.
• Partially cover and allow to simmer 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. You may need to use all or part of last can of broth to reach desired consistency.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. If using the beans in the chili, add now. They may also be served on the side or omitted altogether. Partially cover and simmer 45 minutes more.
• IMPORTANT: Cool and refrigerate overnight.
• To serve: Heat chili. Ladle chili in bowl, squeeze lime juice on top and top with sour cream. Serve with hot San Francisco Sour Dough Bread.

REAL TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Brown beef in oil until beef is gray, do not drain. Add broths, tomato sauce, and boullion cubes and bring to a boil. Add First Dump and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cover and simmer for one hour.
• Add Second Dump and adjust liquid with more broth if necessary. You don't want it too thin, you want a nice thick "gravy" to your chili. Cover and cook another 30 minutes.
• Add Third Dump, cook about 5-10 minutes longer and serve.

AUTHENTIC 1840 TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Render the fat to liquid.
• Add the beef, and brown lightly, then add onions and garlic.
• (IMPORTANT Do NOT drain the fat or drippings).
• Cook over medium heat, until onions are translucent, then add spices, stirring gently until blended.
• Continue over low heat for at least two hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
• Add salt to taste, though it doesn't need much.
• If it gets too thick, you can add water, but remember that chili is reputed to be able to stand a spoon up straight!
• Its edible after two hours, but improves vastly with time, so don't be afraid to cook 6 or 8 or ten hours --
• After you've tried the "original" recipe as above, you could add one or two jalapeno's, a single tomato and/or green pepper, just to fully appreciate how far this dish has evolved -- .

CHILI (REAL TEXAS CHILI)

Steps:

• The sausage used for this recipe is pork country style like Jimmy Dean or Owens roll etcetera.
• Brown meat and onion together in a large 12 inch skillet and drain well. For even lower fat rinse meat with hot water, drain and place back in skillet.
• Add remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl then stir in 8 ounces of water mixing well, now blend well in with meat and onion mixture.
• Simmer 30 minutes. You can simmer for hours if you want, just stir every 30 minutes.
• Chow down.
• This is great by itself or to make nachos, top cheese enchiladas, frito pie, quite good rolled in a flour tortilla with cheddar etc -- .

REAL TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy pan over medium heat.
• Add beef, stirring frequently till meat changes color but does not brown.
• Lower heat and stir in garlic.
• Combine chili powder, cumin, and flour. Sprinkle meat with this mixture until evenly coated.
• Crumble oregano over meat.
• Add broth and stir till liquid is well blended.
• Add salt and pepper and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat.
• Simmer partially covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until meat is falling apart.
• Add drained beans.

REAL TEXAS CHILI (CHILI CON CARNE)

Steps:

• Grind the meat through the coarse blade of a meat grinder.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat in small batches in the bacon drippings.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked meat to a second large heavy skillet. Set aside.
• Wash the ancho peppers in cold water. Discard the stems and seeds, and tear the peppers into 2 inch pieces.
• Place the pieces of pepper in a small sauce pan with 2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Drain the peppers, reserving the cooking water. Peel the skin from the peppers and place the peppers in the bowl of a food processor. Add the reserved water. Puree with short pulses.
• Mix the pureed pepper into the beef. Add 3 cups water. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Stir in oregano, cumin, salt, cayenne, and garlic. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
• Mix in the masa harina. Cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking.
• If the mixtures is too thick, thin it with a small amount of boiling water.
• Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Serve with hunks of smokin' hot cornbread and a tall iced tea.