True Texas Chili Con Carne 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 (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.

TEXAS RISING CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toast the whole dried ancho, arbol and New Mexico chiles on a baking sheet until puffed, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool. Remove the seeds and stems
• In a spice or coffee grinder, grind the toasted chiles until fine. In a small bowl, mix the chile powder, cumin and oregano with enough hot water (about 2 tablespoons) until a thick paste forms.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and render until crispy, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and reserve on a paper towel-lined plate. Keep the fat in the pot.
• Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Increase the heat under the pot to medium high, add the beef in batches and cook until browned. Remove the beef and set aside. Add the chile paste and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the onions, season with salt and pepper and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the jalapenos and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the beef back to the pot along with the hot beef stock, crushed tomatoes and cornmeal. Bring to a simmer and cook at a simmer until thick and rich, about 2 1/2 hours, adding more beef stock if the chili is getting too thick. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Finish with lime juice to taste.
• Serve with Perry County Corn Bread and choice of toppings: crispy bacon, fried onions, crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocados and corn nuts.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until melted.
• In a bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour and salt. In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs.
• Mix the buttermilk/egg mixture into the dry mix until creamy and pourable. Add more buttermilk if needed to achieve the appropriate consistency. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and stir lightly. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

TEXAS CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, chili powder, oregano, salt if desired, cumin and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour.

REAL TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the beef cubes in the oil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the garlic.
• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin and flour. Sprinkle over the meat and stir until evenly coated. Crumble the oregano over the meat and pour in 1 1/2 cans of the broth.
• Add the salt and ground black pepper, stir together well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer, partially covered for about 90 minutes. Pour in remaining broth and simmer 30 minutes more, until meat begins to fall apart. Cool, cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend.

TEXAS CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Tear the chilies in strips and pour one cup boiling water over them. Let them soak for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid, and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and brown the beef cubes. Add the chili soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaves, turn down the heat and let simmer for an hour.
• Meanwhile, puree the remaining ingredients, including the chilies, with a little water if needed, in an electric blender. Add the puree to the meat and let simmer for 30 minutes more. Remove bay leaves before serving.

TRUE TEXAS CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Heat oil in 6-quart saucepan.
• Add ground beef, onions and garlic and saute until meat is browned.
• Stir in next 7 ingredients and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, about 45-55 minutes.
• Taste and season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, if desired.
• Ladle into bowls.
• Garnish with cheese, onion and avocado, if desired.