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Texas Cowboy Chili




Source of Recipe


Internet


List of Ingredients




2 pounds of coarsely ground beef (not lean!)
2 ounces of animal fat (bacon grease or beef suet--the pork fat is a little better)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large chopped onion
3-5 tablespoons chili powder (McCormick's is authentic enough, although you can mix your own with cumin, ground red pepper, oregano, cumin, black pepper and salt if you're really, really serious…)


Recipe



First, render your pork or beef fat by frying it over low heat until it melts. An iron skillet is best if you want to be really authentic. Remove the rinds from the fat, if any, then add the coarse ground beef. Brown the beef lightly over medium heat, until it just begins to turn brown. Then add the minced garlic and chopped onions.

Do not drain ANY of the fat off. (I know, I know...!) Continue to cook.

Once the onions begin to become translucent, slowly start sprinkling in the chili powder, stirring slowly and gently as you add it. Once it's blended, reduce the heat and let the chili simmer at a very low, mildly bubbling heat for at least two hours. Stir the chili gently every half hour or so.

Add salt to taste. You shouldn't need much though!

You will notice that the consistency of this chili changes rather dramatically over time, becoming thicker the longer it cooks. You can add a little water if it gets too thick, but keep in mind that it's supposed to be thick – I’ve met more than a few “serious” Texas Chili folk who will tell you that a spoon should stand up if you stick it into a bowl of real chili!

That's it! Two hours, and the chili is ready to eat. However, the longer it cooks, the better it will be! Cook it four hours, six hours, eight hours…start it in the morning and eat it for dinner, whatever. Refrigerate the chili and reheat it the next day, and it will taste even better still!

Sound boring? You will be absolutely astounded with how good it is. Feel free to add a fresh, sliced jalapeno or two for a nice kick. A SINGLE fresh tomato chopped into the mix isn't too far from the original to be sacrilegious to a native Texan. A single chopped green pepper might not hurt either. However, I encourage you to try the plain, original recipe at least once, to understand what it was and perhaps, even, how far the dish has evolved.

Hope you enjoy it, and I hope you'll try the real thing at least once in your life!