Traditional Texas Red Chili means two things for sure, no beans and no tomatoes
Real Traditional Texas chili, this recipe is something any chili lover will dream of when the weather begins to change. A beautiful base of fresh and dried chilis makes this recipe deep with flavor and just plain good.
Winner of the "People's Choice Award". A few years ago I was honored with this award at a Chili CookOff in Austin Texas.
Traditional Texas chili is also referred to as "Texas Red" or "Texas Red Chili". The word "Red" comes from the fresh and dried chiles used in the recipe.
When it comes to Texas chili competitions there are a few things to consider. First is you will never see beans in the recipe. Second no tomatoes either. This might surprise some of you, but it's the law of the land with no exceptions. Something else that matters is the size of the cut on the vegetables. They really need to be so small or cooked down that they aren't really noticeable. This is, in a nutshell, competition Chili in Texas.
Ok we got the "Rules" out of the way, "No Beans & No Tomatoes". To a lot of you reading this, you might be thinking to yourself what is Traditional Texas Chili then?...
Traditional Texas Chili comes from the days past, when the cowboys were out on the chuckwagon trails and had limited supplies. In the southwest, there has always been an abundance of Chiles, Peppers and Beef. Wasn't long before these ingredients all came together and became what is known today as real traditional Texas chili or Texas Red. Remember! NO Beans & NO Tomatoes.
The chiles, and the balance of the meat cooked correctly is the key. Simmering the chili for a few hours is a good idea, but not required. I would suggest leaving out cuts of meat like cubed Chuck / Brisket if your in a time crunch. Just use the ground beef. The key to using the chiles to their maxium flavor is using half of them and creating a course purre of them in a food processor and cooking the other half in a saute pan and sweeting out some of the natural oils and getting the chiles to release some of their water.
Below we will get into some of the most common chiles used.
And there you have it, the base of what traditional Texas Chili is all about.
#Amazing #chili #texas
Photo of Real Texas Red Chili -
Photo credit to -
| Agentseven at en.wikipedia |
Let's talk Chiles Peppers for a moment
The list of the Chiles in our Traditional Texas Chili Recipe
Below you can expand each Chile name for some quick information, description, Scoville units (heat levels), photos, etc.
GUAJILLO CHILI
- heat index 2,500-5,000 Scoville units
- used in pastes, butter, or rubs to flavor all kinds of meats, especially chicken
The guajillo chili is characterized by its thin, deep red flesh. It has a mild green tea flavor with berry overtones, only a small amount of heat. They are sometimes used to make the salsa for a sweet taste with a surprisingly hot finish.
POBLANO PEPPER
- heat index 1,000-2,000 Scoville units
- commonly used in mole sauces
The poblano is mild chili pepper. Dried, it is called an Ancho Chile. The ripened red poblano is significantly hotter and more flavorful than the less ripe, green poblano. The flavor and heat can be unpredictable, occasionally they can have significant heat. One way to pick out Poblanos at the grocery store is the ones with the curve stems are hotter.
ANCHO CHILE PEPPER
- heat index 1,000-2,000 Scoville units
- Ancho along with Pasilla and Guajillo make up the “holy trinity” widely used in mole sauces
Ancho is the dried form of Poblano chiles and the most widely available dried chiles. Different peppers from the same plant have been reported to vary substantially in heat intensity.
Anaheim Chile Pepper
Anaheim
- heat index 500-2,500 Scoville units
- commonly used in salsas, and can be roasted and stuffed to make Rellenos
The mildest variety of chili pepper also called California chili or Magdalena. Since Anaheim peppers originated from New Mexico, they are also sometimes also known as New Mexico peppers. Varieties of the pepper grown in New Mexico tend to be hotter than those grown in California.
JALAPENO
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- heat index 2,500–10,000 Scoville Units
- most widely used chile pepper
Jalapeno is a medium-sized chili pepper, mature it is 2–3½ inches long and is commonly picked and consumed while still green, occasionally it is allowed to fully ripen and turn a beautiful crimson red. One of the most if not the most common chiles in the United States it is a staple of many tailgates.
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RED BELL PEPPER
Sweet Pepper often what Paprika is made from
FRESNO CHILE PEPPER
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Fresno peppers are like Red Bells' little brother. Fruit flavor and can bring a very small amount of heat to a dish, but not much if any in the way of being crazy hot
Add To Your Yummly Recipes
The sky is the limit when making chili. This article was certainly about Traditional Texas Chili, but one of the best parts of cooking is you're the chef and can do whatever you like. Experimenting with different meat combinations can become your signature. Have you ever thought about using Beef shank? Just an idea. Please enjoy and signup for our newsletter.
Check out this article on UnderBlade Steak...Such a cool cut of meat
Real Traditional Texas Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 pounds Beef Chuck Roast cut into ½-inch cubes ( Brisket Works Well )
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 2 Ancho Chiles
- 2 Dried Guajillo Chiles
- 1 large Sweet Vidalia Onion diced
- 1 large Poblano Pepper diced
- 1 large Red Bell Pepper stemmed, seeded and diced
- 1 Fresno Chiles stemmed, seeded and minced
- 1 Anaheim Peppers stemmed, seeded and diced
- ½ Jalapeno
- 4-8 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
- ¾ tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Ear of Corn Cut off the Cob
- 1 Can of Beef Stock Homemade if you have it
- Salt & Black Pepper - To Taste - Around 1 tbsp of salt ½ tbsp of Pepper
- Optional one 12-ounce bottle beer Shiner Bock
- Optional 1-2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
- ¼ cup thinly Sliced Scallions Garnish
- Topper - Sour Cream
- Optional - Ibarra Mexican Chocolate Add near the end of the cooking process ½ tablet Mexican chocolate (about 1 ½ ounces)
Instructions
Making the Base
- In a food processor add in half of the onion, half of the Anaheim pepper, one whole Fresno chile, half of one red bell pepper, half of one poblano pepper, 4-8 cloves of garlic, half or full jalapeno, and corn. Place the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles into hot water to soften. About 4 minutes, then and add chiles to the food processor and combine. Pulse until coarsely chopped. See video above
Making the Chili
- Add some oil & butter to a large pot ( few tablespoons) and add the chopped onion and all the peppers, sweat for 3 minutes. Next step add in the chiles from the food processor and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. (Releasing the peppers/chiles natural water & oils). Add the ground beef next and combine. Repeat with the cubed chuck roast or brisket and cook for 2 minutes. (Browning the cubed beef first brings more flavor) (If you use brisket expect longer cooking time till tender). Add all dry herbs & spices, plus Salt (Add salt to your tastes-Tbsp). Lastly, add the Beef stock. ( If you don't have beef stock or beef broth, use chicken stock instead).
Cooking the Chili
- If using Chuck Beef allow the chili to cook at least 30 minutes up to a few hours or longer. If the chili reduces too much, add more stock or water. While cooking the chili, partly cover the top so it will not reduce too quickly.
- If using Brisket, the Brisket will require longer cooking times until tender, cook time around a minimum of 2 hours.
Video
Traditional Texas Chili – Chili CookOff Award Winner
Notes
Enjoy!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
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Richard Rowe
I am going to try your recipe with some modifications... been making my own chili powder for decades, but am up for trying your method. I always do my chili in my smokers, so yours will get a little bump in flavor from the smoke (good or bad, time will tell, eh?). I pickle my own jalapenos with smoked eggs, vidalias, & garlic, so often serve a bowl of them for those who are brave. I also char poblanos over pecan wood, just until the skin can be removed, then I seed them and slice up 1" lengths as garnish. I really like your idea of fresh corn and Mexican chocolate. I'm not a be4an guy, but my bride of 49 years loves black beans in her chili, so I make up a separate batch for her. Being a Midwesterner, tomatoes and chili are like chicken & dumplings, but I like the notion of omitting them. We have a small brewery nearby that puts out a pretty nice product called Wee Heavenly aged in Scotch barrels, that I use in my chili, so will likely try it in yours. Thank you
Chris
This chili has been a staple for me the past two years. It’s been requested at almost every family gathering since I started making it. Thanks so much for sharing we love it I do have one question I was hoping you could answer. What other peppers or chili’s would you recommend adding to kick up the heat or just to add a different flavor profile?
Steven Pennington
Glad you and your family have been enjoying it. What I have been doing lately is adding my adobo sauce to the base. So freaking good. It goes great on anything. Try it on some chicken as a marinate some time then grill it
https://butter-n-thyme.com/adobo-sauce-recipe/
Peppers to use, habanero, Thai chiles,
Using green bell peppers does bring a different flavor. I've been doing it lately as well and liking.
I suggest visiting a local grocery store like Central Market/Whole Foods and look over the selection and try a few combinations. If you want the flavor and not all the spicy heat, remove the white rib and seeds.
Hope that helps!
Dennis
So, if I want to triple the recipe, how many 12 oz beers and how many oz of fire roasted tomatoes would I use? I need to make about 180 oz for a company chili cook-off.....and for the samples, it's roughly a 2 oz cup, going to put about 1 oz of chili, some grated cheddar cheese, 1 Frito Chip (standing up), and then use the sample plastic spoon to put a little sour cream on top....your thoughts on my idea please Chef, for sampling your chili?
Steven Pennington
Dennis, I missed this comment from you. Would love to hear how things went. What changes did you make? I bet everything worked out great!
Dennis
Steven, do you drain the meat grease? I was thinking of searing the meat off first, drain off 99% of the grease, use that 1% left to sweat the veggie mixture in......then, add the beer and maybe a small can of tomato sauce....what do you think?
Steven Pennington
That would work and be nice chili. I would suggest being careful with how much you sear the beef. Think of the beef as cooking in liquid for a while and letting the fats from the meat come out more naturally. Fat is not our enemy any longer. Fat brings flavor and can be skimmed off during the cook if desired. Start with the veg and peppers. The thought of fat being evil is flat questionable and highly researched at this point. It's the kind of fats, when we eat them, how much we eat, and with "What Foods", timing matters as well. #healthscience
Dennis, I do like fire-roasted tomatoes with chili often. Brings a good bit of flavor to the table.
I hope you really enjoy.
Charles
You don’t technically sear the chuck in the video, it’s just thrown in raw with the other ingredients. Is that how it should be done? Or is it best with an actual sear in the pot and then add ingredients to cook with the fond?
Steven Pennington
If you go with larger cuts of beef, then searing is a good idea. With ground beef it's not required. Hope you enjoy!!!
Shelly
I wanted to get your thought on using my Slow Cooker for this. I want to make sure the Meat is really tender. Will the Chili turn out be be as fantastic if I use my slow cooker? Do I need to Alter any ingredients if I use Slow Cooker?
Steven Pennington
Hello Shelly. The slow cooker is chili's best friend. I would be thinking about using a little bit larger chunks of beef due to the longer cook times which really helps make everything turn out so yummy and tender. Use two cuts of beef, one could be only ground beef or better yet get the butcher to prepare you "chili cut/grind" for the chile. They'll know exactly what you're requesting. Call ahead to make sure its ready for you. Cheers Shelly
Pete
Going to make this for the weekend. Three questions...
1. I want leftovers. Thinking about enough to fill a 6 quart crop pot. Would you double, triple etc??
2. Would you double / triple all ingredients or cut back on some if all being made in one pot?
3. Heat: 1-5 how hot is this? I'm looking for medium heat. Any changes recommended?
Sounds awesome....cant wait!
Steven Pennington
The key thing to think about is the salt level when increasing recipes. Add small amounts of salt when cooking the meat and vegetables/peppers. The Beef stock will have some sodium/salt as well. I would add the main salt close to the end and allow the salt to infuse and flavor the chili. The taste test and add more if you think it needs it. To make 1 1/2 gallons would be in the area of tripling or more of the recipe. The "Heat" components need to most care. If you tripled the recipe I would only double the heat conponts. That should be in the area of medium heat I feel. You could always add more Serrano or Jalapenos afterwards to up the heat level. The dried peppers are more of a deeper level of favor and not so much a heat component. Overall this recipe should work great with doubling and tripling with the above suggestions in mind. I would also be very careful with the mexican chocolate if you choose to add it. Just add the amount in the orignial recipe plus a little bit more. Hope you enjoy very much.
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Dave
Have you tried this in a pressure cooker which would be a big help if using brisket, chuck or bottom round? I see no reason it wouldn't work except to maybe reduce the amount of liquid, though your recipe really doesn't have a lot of liquid to begin with so it my not need adjusting. I assume when you say a can of beef stock that would be 14~16 oz leaving just under a quart of total liquid?
Steven Pennington
I really like the pressure cooker idea. I've been making chili in the Instapot over the last few months. I'm a big fan of the Instapot. I'm going to do a post on the Instapot chili soon. I'm actually making Instapot chili for our family Christmas party this year.
The amount of liquid? I would say less is more with chili. Too much liquid and we have soup. I would follow the recipe and add a little water if you think the chili is on the dry side. I love the chili with croissant rolls...Hope this helps Dave.
Hilty
When do I add the beer, when I add the stock?
Steven Pennington
Hello. After you sear the meat and vegetables. Hope you enjoy. It's so good. I think I'm going to make it now this weekend. Thanks for the idea ?
Amy Blair
Are traditional tacos made with a soft corn tortilla? If so do you have a recipe for them. I love your recipes. Thank you for sharing. Do you have a cookbook?
steveopenn
You are correct. You can take a corn tortilla and fry them into whichever shape you like, or serve them slightly warm. Helps them to not break and crack. I do have plans for a cookbook. Check out our newsletter signup. I'll be sure to tell everyone once it's complete. And thank you very much, Amy 🙂
Jody
Nice recipe!
Mike Schoonmaker
You mentioned white sweet corn, but that's not in the recipe. Do you have a quantity please?
Steven Pennington
Mike, sorry about that. Gotta say good catch. Actually surprised no one had brought that up until now. Thank you, sir. I've made the correction to the recipe card. Hope you stick around and start following our social media and our youtube channel. Take Care Mike
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Mike Schoonmaker
Many thanks, Steven! One more question: regarding the chocolate, about what quantity might one use? I bought some Ibarra Mexican Chocolate (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003T0ICCG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) but not sure how much (or when to add). Thanks again!
Steven Pennington
Sure thing. I added the additional information to the recipe card within the ingredients list. Hope everything turns out great. If you could, come post a photo of your finished Chili on our Facebook page, we'd love to see it. Thanks... https://www.facebook.com/butternthyme
Jilly
I made this over the weekend (beginning Friday) for my "Dinner & Conversation" friend. We switch cooking for each other every 2-3 weeks. I made it EXACTLY the way the recipe is written. We ate it ALL weekend, and for the last meal on Sunday, we added the tomatoes & beans as suggested just to try it that way. There wasn't that much left but it was gone after that. We found that we preferred the REAL thing without the tomatoes & beans but the basis was there with the chilis & peppers that made it a culinary experience. I was raised without the beans in the chili, but the tomatoes were there. I like the way a good piece of meat hangs out with the chilis & peppers and takes on a special flavor all its own. THIS CHILI ROCKS!!!! (Where have you been all of my life?)
Steven Pennington
Jilly, that is wonderful y'all enjoyed the Chili recipe. Took a number of years to finish that recipe. Gotta say, It's an pleasure to share the recipe with the everyone. Hope you're able to stick around and enjoy more of Butter-n-Thyme...Thanks for the comment.