Johns Smokin Texas Chili Recipes

JOHN'S CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper, orange bell pepper, onion, and celery. Cook until tender. Place pork and beef in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.
• Mix serrano chile peppers, diced tomatoes, green chile peppers, tomato paste, kidney beans, garlic, lime juice, tequila, and beer into the pot. Season with chili powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 hours.

SMOKIN' TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the beef in 2 batches and cook until it's well browned, stirring often. Remove the beef from the saucepot.
• Add the remaining oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it's tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the salsa, water, chili powder and cumin. Heat to a boil. Return the beef to the saucepot. Stir in the beans. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender.
• Sprinkle with the cilantro and Chili Toppings, if desired.
• Chili Toppings: Chopped tomatoes, chopped onions or shredded cheese.

TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Remove the stems and some of the seeds from the ancho, arbol and guajillo chiles; then tear the chiles into large pieces. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, toast the chiles until they start to change color, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup hot water to just cover the chiles; turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let steam for 15 minutes. Transfer the chiles and liquid to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onions, peppers, Fresno chiles and Anaheim peppers. Cook until the onions are translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside on a baking sheet or in a bowl.
• Sprinkle the beef chuck and ground beef with salt and pepper, then add to the Dutch oven. Cook until well browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, cayenne and cinnamon; saute until fragrant, about 2 more minutes. Add the sauteed vegetables, beef stock and the chile puree, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a very low simmer. Simmer until the beef is very tender and the liquid has reduced, about 2 hours. Stir in the beer and paprika, then add the masa harina to tighten sauce. Stir over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, breaking up some of the beef so it gets worked into the sauce slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
• Serve generous portions of chili in bowls, drizzled with Cheddar Beer Cheese Sauce and garnished with sour cream, scallions, red onion and crackers.
• Remove the stems and some of the seeds from the ancho, arbol and guajillo chiles; then tear the chiles into large pieces. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, toast the chiles until they start to change color, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup hot water to just cover the chiles; turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let steam for 15 minutes. Transfer the chiles and liquid to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onions, peppers, Fresno chiles and Anaheim peppers. Cook until the onions are translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside on a baking sheet or in a bowl.
• Sprinkle the beef chuck and ground beef with salt and pepper, then add to the Dutch oven. Cook until well browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, cayenne and cinnamon; saute until fragrant, about 2 more minutes. Add the sauteed vegetables, beef stock and the chile puree, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a very low simmer. Simmer until the beef is very tender and the liquid has reduced, about 2 hours. Stir in the beer and paprika, then add the masa harina to tighten sauce. Stir over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, breaking up some of the beef so it gets worked into the sauce slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
• Serve generous portions of chili in bowls, drizzled with Cheddar Beer Cheese Sauce and garnished with sour cream, scallions, red onion and crackers.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and flour and mix together to make a roux. Cook until nutty and fragrant but still light in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the beer and half-and-half, whisking to create a smooth, thick sauce. Add the Cheddar, cream cheese, Worcestershire, salt, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne and pepper. Cook over low heat, while continuing to whisk, for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and flour and mix together to make a roux. Cook until nutty and fragrant but still light in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the beer and half-and-half, whisking to create a smooth, thick sauce. Add the Cheddar, cream cheese, Worcestershire, salt, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne and pepper. Cook over low heat, while continuing to whisk, for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and keep warm until ready to serve.

CHEF JOHN'S CINCINNATI-STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• Combine beef and tomato paste in a large pot. Rinse out the tomato paste can with a couple tablespoons of water and add to the pot with garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, allspice, cloves, black pepper, bay leaf, sugar, and salt. Add apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, and cold water. Mash and stir with a potato masher or a large whisk to break up the meat into fine pieces.
• Place the pot over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until flavors come together and chili reaches your desired thickness, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain.
• Taste chili and adjust seasoning. Remove and discard bay leaf. Ladle over spaghetti into serving bowls. Top with some onions and Cheddar cheese. Cut and scoop the noodles up with a fork like you're eating a casserole.

JOHN GAMBILL'S TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Brew strong coffee.
• Wash, de-vein/de-seed peppers and chop onions, garlic, peppers, and cilantro.
• On the stove in a large dutch oven fry bacon until crisp.
• Remove from oven with a slotted spoon and allow bacon to cool on paper towels.
• Brown remaining meats and onions in bacon fat over medium heat, stirring often.
• Drain fat and discard.
• Add beer and garlic to browned meats, simmer until beer evaporates.
• Crumble cooked and cooled bacon and add to the oven.
• Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil.
• Stir well, reduce heat to a slow simmer and cover.
• Cook for at least 4 hours (the longer the better) being sure to stir occasionally.
• I like to cover and refrigerate it overnight after cooking (this allows the flavors to meld).
• The next day bring it back to a boil and reduce heat to a slow simmer for another hour or two (uncovered), stirring often.
• You may add more beer or water at this point if it gets too thick or if you like a thicker chili use either 1/2°C masa harina or 1/2°C flour mixed with enough water to make a thin fluid and stir into the hot chili.
• You may add more salt to suit your taste at this point.
• Simmer for another 15 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves, if you can find them.
• Best served hot and steaming with chopped fresh onions, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, Tabasco sauce, ice cold Heineken, and homemade cornbread.

TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the chiles on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Don't let them burn or they will turn bitter. Transfer the chiles to a medium heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and let the chiles soak until softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Drain the chiles then remove and discard the stems. Split open each chile and scrape out the seeds with the back of your knife. Discard the seeds and transfer the chiles to a blender. Add the cumin, half of the diced onion, half of the garlic, 1/2 cup of the beef stock, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Blend, occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender, until a smooth, slightly fluid paste forms (you want to eliminate all but the tiniest bits of skin).
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chile paste and cook until slightly darkened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the lard (or heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil). Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. When the lard begins to smoke, swirl the pot to coat and add half of the beef. Cook, lowering the heat if the meat threatens to burn, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 2 more tablespoons of the lard and the remaining beef. Set aside.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon lard (or heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil) in the pot. Add the remaining diced onion and garlic and cook gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot along with any juices. Then add 2 cups water and the remaining 2 cups beef stock. Stir in the reserved chile paste and bring to a simmer over high heat, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Lower the heat to maintain the barest possible simmer (just a few bubbles breaking the surface) and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 2 hours.
• Thoroughly stir the masa harina, brown sugar and vinegar into the chili. Gently simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of crema, shredded cheese, white onion and a lime wedge.

NINA'S TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook the steak, sausage, onion, green pepper, red, pepper, yellow pepper, and garlic in the pot until the onions and peppers are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon, honey, and kidney beans; bring to a boil. One at a time, stir in the cayenne pepper, chili powder, oregano, black pepper, salt, and sugar. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese into the chili in small batches and stir to melt. Reduce heat to low and slow cook about 2 hours. Thicken by stirring the masa through the chili, and simmering for 10 minutes.

JONNY'S CHILI

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir ground pork, onions, and bell pepper until pork is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt to taste and drain.
• Combine water, masa harina, coffee, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and black pepper in a large bowl; stir until smooth. Pour coffee mixture into ground pork mixture and add tomato juice and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Stir in smoked sausage and brown sugar. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 4 hours, stirring often.

CAROLYN'S TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil on medium low in large soup pot.
• Add cumin, oregano and chili powder, and stir for about 2 minutes to release the oils of the spices.
• Add onion, garlic and meat, and brown meat.
• Drain fat, if needed.
• Add all other ingredients, except for the masa.
• Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer, covered, for at least an hour, maybe longer.
• If needed, add about 1/2 cup of masa which has been mixed with beef broth or water to make a smooth, thick and flowable consistency.
• Stir, and cook for 5-10 minutes, taste for seasonings and consistency, and add more masa mixture if needed.

TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Toast the cumin seeds for 10 minutes at 375º and set aside.
• (I use my toaster oven for this step).
• In a 6 quart kettle saute the bacon until clear.
• Add meat, onions, garlic& jalapenos; cook& stir on high heat until browned.
• When meat is brown and onions are clear add the rest of the ingredients, mashing up the tomatoes by hand.
• Simmer 1 hour.
• Correct seasonings.

TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Place flour in a large zip-top plastic bag.
• Add beef; shake to coat.
• Heat 3 T oil in Dutch oven; add beef and any remaining flour.
• Brown beef over medium-high heat; remove beef from pan; set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 T oil; add onion and garlic; saute over medium heat until onion is tender.
• Stir in beef, tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, red pepper, cumin, and oregano.
• Heat to boiling; cover and reduce heat; simmer stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.
• Uncover; simmer stirring occasionally 30-60 minutes longer.

SMOKIN' TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the beef in 2 batches and cook until it's well browned, stirring often. Remove the beef from the saucepot.
• Add the remaining oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it's tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the salsa, water, chili powder and cumin. Heat to a boil. Return the beef to the saucepot. Stir in the beans. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender.
• Sprinkle with the cilantro, if desired.

JOHN'S SMOKIN' TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• 1) Fry onions and garlic.
• 2) Add meat and brown.
• 3) Drain grease.
• 4) Add beef broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
• 5) Add dump one and stir.
• 6) Cover and simmer for 50 minutes.
• 7) Add dump two and tequila and stir.
• 8) Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• 9) Add dump three and stir.
• 10) Stir in liquid smoke and slurry.
• 11) Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• 12) Remove cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
• Top with chopped onions and pickled jalapeños and serve with southern-style cornbread.