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Seven-Chile Texas Chili

Source of Recipe

From "The Homesick Texan Cookbook" by Lisa Fain


Recipe Introduction

"People often ask if my chili is authentic Texas chili. I'll say yes, because I'm a Texan and it's the chili I grew up eating. Though defining what is authentic Texas chili can be difficult. The term 'chili' comes from chili con carne, which translates to peppers without meat. That's what I make, with the addition of some spices and aromatics. Some could say, however, that my chili isn't the *most* traditional Texas chili, and there has been some grumbling. Some people have grumbled because there's cinnamon and chocolate in my chili, though these flavors are commonly found in Mexican cuisine. Some people have grumbled because there aren't tomatoes in my chili, though I don't think cowboys on the range had access to tomatoes all the time. And some people have grumbled because I don't use chili powder, though using fresh chiles will trump chili powder any day. Feel free to experiment, however, with your own chili. It's hard to mess up chili, as the longer it cooks, the more the flavors both deepen and blend in a complex dish where the sum of the bowl is greater than its parts. Even if you take some liberties with my chili, I will insist that you leave the beans out of the pot. Please feel free to serve them on the side for those who do like beans. But as I once read, serving the two separately shows the utmost respect for *both* dishes, as combining them only lessens both the beans and the chile con carne. And we wouldn't want to do that!"

List of Ingredients

◦ 6 dried ancho chiles
◦ 2 dried pasilla chiles
◦ 2 dried guajillo chiles
◦ 2 dried chipotle chiles
◦ 4 dried chiles de arbol
◦ 4 pieces of bacon
◦ 4 pounds chuck roast, cut into �-inch cubes
◦ 1 large onion, diced
◦ 6 cloves garlic, minced
◦ 1 cup brewed coffee
◦ 1 bottle of beer
◦ 1 tablespoon ground cumin
◦ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
◦ � teaspoon ground cinnamon
◦ � teaspoon ground clove
◦ � teaspoon ground allspice
◦ � teaspoon cayenne
◦ � teaspoon grated Mexican hot chocolate
◦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
◦ 4 dried pequin chiles
◦ 2 tablespoons masa harina
◦ Grated cheddar and chopped onions, for serving


Recipe

Remove the seeds and stems from the dried chiles. In a dry skillet heated on high, toast the ancho chiles, pasilla chiles, guajillo chiles, chipotle chiles, and chiles de arbol on each side for about 10 seconds or just until they start to puff. Fill the skillet with enough water to cover chiles. Leave the heat on until the water begins to boil and then turn off the heat and let the chiles soak until soft, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pot such as a Dutch oven, fry the bacon on medium heat. When it's done, remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon grease in the pot, and on medium heat, cook the beef on each side until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. (You may have to do this in batches.)

Remove the browned beef from the pot. Leaving the heat on, add the diced onions to the pot and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the beef back into the pot, crumble in the bacon, and add the coffee, beer, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, clove, allspice, cayenne, chocolate, 3 cups of water, and salt. Turn the heat up to high.

While the pot is coming to a boil, make the chili pur�e. Drain and rinse the chiles then place them in a blender along with the pequin chiles (you don't need to presoak these little chiles) and 1 cup of fresh water. Pur�e until nice and smooth and then pour the chili pur�e into the pot.

When the chili begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer uncovered for 5 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste it once an hour and adjust seasonings. If it starts to get too dry, add more water. After 5 hours, scoop � cup of broth out of the pot and combine with the masa harina. Pour the masa harina mixture into the pot and stir until the chili is thickened. Let the chili simmer for another 30 minutes or so. When done, serve with cheddar and onions.

Makes 6 to 8 servings





❧ Note:
If you can't find all of these chiles, just use the more readily available anchos and chipotles.