Texas Chili Recipe Award-Winning
Learn how to make an authentic Texas chili recipe, passed down for generations, famous for its depth of flavor using fresh peppers and dried chiles.
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
Texas Chili Meats
- 1 pound Beef Chuck Roast Cut into ¼-inch or ½-inch cubes (Brisket Works Well)
- 1 pound Ground Beef Veal works great if you can find it.
- ½ pound Ground Pork
Peppers and Chilies
- 2 dried Ancho Chiles Remove seeds
- 2 dried Guajillo Chiles Remove seeds
- 1 large Poblano Pepper Remove stem & seeds
- 2 medium Chipotle Pepper
- 1 medium Serrano Pepper
- 1 small Habanero Pepper
- 1 large Anaheim Peppers Remove stem & seeds
- 2 peppers Jalapeno Remove stem & seeds
- 2 peppers Fresno Peppers Remove stem & seeds
- 1 large Red Bell Pepper Remove stem & seeds
- 1 large Green Bell Pepper
Herbs and Spices
- 1 large Vidalia Onion Diced
- 6 cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 stalk Corn Cut off the Cob
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- ¾ tablespoon Oregano - Dried
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon Not traditional, yet suggested
- 1 tablespoon Sea Salt / kosher salt Taste, season & adjust/add more salt if needed
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Beef Stock or Beef Broth
- 32 oz Beef Stock 1 Liter, use judgement with the amount. Add more if needed or add less. The amount of liquid will reduce over the cooking duration.
Optional Ingredient Enhancements
- 1 ½ oz Ibarra Mexican Chocolate Add near the end of the cooking process ½ tablet Mexican chocolate (about 1 ½ ounce)
- 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder If you cannot find Mexican Chocolate this is a second best option.
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste Add to give a small taste of tomato (not traditional)
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper Optional
- 12 oz Beer Shiner Bock
Garnishes
- Cheddar Cheese Classic Cheese
- ¼ cup Green Onion - Sliced Thin
- Sour Cream
Instructions
- Making the Texas Style Chili Base: In a food processor, add half of the onion, half of the Anaheim pepper, one whole Fresno chile, half of one red bell pepper, half of one poblano pepper, serrano, habanero, 4-8 cloves of Garlic, half or one whole jalapeno, plus the corn. Combine ingredients, and pulse together.
- Preparing The Dried Chiles: Toast the dried chiles in a dry pan on medium heat. Toast until the chiles become fragrant. It happens quickly; make sure to stand there and watch.Placing the toasted guajillo chiles and ancho chiles into hot water to soften. Heat water in the microwave for 4 minutes, then add chiles. Soak for 4 minutes, add chiles to the food processor and combine.
- Making The Chili Flavor Base: Add oil & butter to a large pot (2 tablespoons oil (canola/or peanut oil) plus 1 tablespoon butter) and add the other half of the large onion /chopped and all the peppers.Sweat for 3 minutes. Next, add the prepared Base from the food processor and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. (Releasing the peppers/chile natural water & oils). Add the cubed beef to the pot and saute together. Sprinkle a small amount of sea salt all over the beef. (Browning the cubed beef first brings more flavor) Cook for 3 minutes, then add the remaining ground beef and pork.Add all the dry herbs & spices, plus the salt. Not traditional, but some people enjoy adding tomato paste to deepen the color; another option is adding diced tomatoes(not traditional). The last thing, add the beef stock. You can use chicken stock if desired. The recipe for the beef stock is in the post above.
- Cooking The Chili:Using a large pot, a large dutch oven, or a crockpot is best for this recipe.If using beef chuck, allow the chili to cook / simmer for at least 30 minutes up to a few hours or longer with medium to medium-high heat. If the chili thickens by reducing too much, add more stock, broth, or water. While cooking the chili, partly cover the top so it will not reduce too quickly. Occasionally, stirring is needed to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of your pot or dutch oven.If using Briske beef, the Brisket will require longer cooking times until tender.Cook time a minimum of 2 hours.
- Thickening The Chili:A classic method is to use masa harina. This is a south American milled corn meal often used to make tamales.