Authentic 1840 Texas Chili Recipes

AUTHENTIC CHILI RECIPE, A.K.A. BOWL OF RED

Steps:

• Cook four slices of bacon in a large stockpot. Remove bacon and mince.
• Add beef to the pot and cook in the bacon drippings until very well browned.
• Add in 3 cloves of garlic, minced, 1 onion, diced, 1 cup of finely ground chile pods (I used guajillo and ancho). Grind pods in a blender or spice grinder until fine. Add 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon salt and enough water to cover the beef.
• Return bacon to the pot.
• Simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring frequently, until cooked down and thickened.

TEXAS CHILI RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large skillet toast dried chiles just until fragrant. Place in hot water for 45 minutes to become pliable.
• Remove the stem, seeds and ribs of the chiles and place in a food processor or blender. Add the cumin, black pepper, salt and ½ cup of water. Pulse on high until the chiles are completely pureed.
• Cut the onion into 8 sections and add to the food processor/blender. Pulse until onions are diced.
• Cut bacon into small strips and dice. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat cook bacon until medium crisp. Remove bacon from pot and set aside, leaving grease in the pan.
• Add the diced chuck roast to the hot pan and until browned on all sides.
• Add the garlic and chile and onion paste. Stir in the beef stock and water and stir well. Return bacon to the pot and stir.
• Bring the pot to a light boil and reduce heat to a small simmer.
• Simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring frequently, until cooked down and thickened.
• Follow steps 1-3 from above to make the chili/onion paste.
• Place Instant Pot on Saute. Once hot, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and add in the diced bacon. Cook until crisp and remove with slotted spoon, leaving the pork fat in the liner.
• Add diced chuck roast and brown on all sides, working in batches if necessary.
• Remove beef and set aside. Add 1 cup of the water and deglaze the pot. Turn Instant Pot OFF/Cancel.
• Place the beef, bacon, and chili paste/onion mixture back to the Pot. Add 1 1/2 cups beef broth and stir.
• Pressure Cook/Manual on HIGH for 30 minutes. Once pressure cooking time expires allow for a Natural Pressure Release for at least 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure.
• Optional - Continue to saute until desired thickness is reached.

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.

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 -- .

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.