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Competition-Style Texas Chili

Source of Recipe

From "The Big Texas Cookbook" by the editors of Texas Monthly


Recipe Introduction

"The legendary chili cookoffs of Texas are known for strict rules (no beans!) and fierce competition. To win, cooks eliminate as many variables as possible in their recipes, meaning you'll see lots of dried and canned ingredients, which preclude the risk of encountering an inferior tomato or onion on cookoff day. Spices are added in separate 'dumps,' both to bring out different qualities in the chiles and to avoid undesirable bitter flavors that develop when some spices, like cumin, are cooked for too long. A proper Texas chili will have a complex, layered flavor, with a sauce that's thick and red and coats tender bits of beef like paint."

List of Ingredients

For the beef:
◦ 2 tablespoons bacon grease or shortening
◦ 2 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
◦ 2 guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
◦ 4 cascabel chiles, stems and seeds removed
◦ 4 pounds coarse-ground chili beef or stew meat, cut into �-inch dice
◦ Salt and ground black pepper
◦ 1 quart beef stock
◦ 1 quart chicken stock
◦ 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

For the 2-hour spice dump:
◦ 1 tablespoon onion powder
◦ 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
◦ 1 tablespoon paprika
◦ 1 tablespoon Texas-style chili powder
◦ 2 teaspoons ground New Mexico chile
◦ 1 teaspoon jalape�o chile powder
◦ 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the 15-minute spice dump:
◦ 2 tablespoons Texas-style chili powder
◦ 1 tablespoon ground cumin
◦ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
◦ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
◦ Salt and ground black pepper


Recipe

Melt the bacon grease over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Toast the dried chiles in the grease until they become fragrant and begin to puff. Add to a blender with enough boiling water just to cover. Let sit while you brown the meat.

Working in batches, brown the meat in the same pot over medium-high heat, adding a large pinch of salt and pepper to each batch. Return all the meat to the pan and add the stocks and tomato sauce, stirring to combine while scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil.

Blend the chiles until smooth. Add the chili pur�e to the meat, stir to combine, and cook uncovered, at a simmer, for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. After 2 hours, add all the ingredients for the 2-hour spice dump. Cook for 1 hour; the chili should be just slightly looser than you want the final dish to be. Add all the ingredients for the 15-minute spice dump; cook for 15 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Serves 6 to 8





❧ Note: Freezing the meat for 20 minutes will make it easier to dice.