With ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ steak and a slightly smokey flavor, Texas Chili is a chili you must add to your list of chili recipes!
TEXAS CHILI
We all know the phrase, ‘Everything’s Bigger in Texas’, and this Texas Chili fits right into that slogan when it comes to its flavor! This chili is packed with chunks of meat and flavor. And, we didn’t stop there. Just to make it a little ‘bigger’ we thickened up the chili at the end!
Since 1977, chili, otherwise known as ‘bowl of red‘, has been the official state food of Texas. And, Texas is very clear that beans do NOT belong in their ‘bowls of red’! In fact, Ken Finlay wrote a song called, ‘If you Know Beans About Chili, You Know Chili Has No Beans’. So, I made sure that I kept with that standard when I made my Texas Chili.
TEXAS CHILI RECIPE
If you have read the post this far, you know you won’t find any beans in my Texas Chili Recipe. I am trying to keep it authentic as a Midwestern gal can! There are two parts to this recipe–the chili base ingredients and the thickening ingredients.
Chili Base Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Beef chuck roast
- Kosher salt
- Onions
- Chipotles in adobo sauce–Check your Latin foods section of the grocery store for this canned sauce.
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Garlic
- Jalapeno peppers
- Diced tomatoes
- Chicken stock
Thickening Ingredients
- Masa Harina–dried corn dough or cornflour
- Chili powder
- Water
- Lime juice
- Salt
- Pepper
Before you get to the thickening of the chili, you need to make the chili first! For this, you will need your Dutch oven or other large, heavy, oven-safe pot.
HOW TO MAKE TEXAS CHILI
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Season the cubed beef with salt and pepper before you cook them in your Dutch Oven. Once cooked, remove the beef and set the pieces off to the side until you add them to the chili. Saute the onions in the same Dutch Oven for about 10 minutes, and then make room in the center of the pot for the adobo peppers. Cook those for about a minute before you add the jalapenos, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook this mixture for another minute. Add the rest of the chili ingredients (don’t forget the beef!) and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the chili and bake it in the oven for 3 hours. See how handy that Dutch Oven is?
HOW TO THICKEN THE CHILI
Before the chili is taken out of the oven, prepare the thickening ingredients to add to the chili. Whisk together the masa flour, chili powder, and water. Pour that mixture into the chili after you have taken the chili out of the oven. Put it over medium heat and stir it until it thickens. Add lime, salt, and pepper to taste. With the flavor and kick as big as it is, you will know why this is appropriately called Texas Chili! Serve it with my homemade Buttermilk Biscuits to complete the meal.
Ingredients
Step 1 – Chili Base
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 large onions, diced
- 1/2 cup chipotles in adobo, minced, with sauce
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, minced
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock
Step 2 – Thicken the Chili
- 1/4 cup masa harina, Mexican cornflour
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Step 1 – Chili Base
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Season beef cubes with salt.
- Heat vegetable oil in large heavy bottom dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add beef in batches and cook until browned (3-4 minutes on each side). Transfer cooked beef cubes to a bowl and repeat with remaining beef. Remove all beef from the dutch oven.
- In the same dutch oven, add onions and stir occasionally, using your spatula to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Saute 5-10 minutes or until onions are soft.
- Make a well in the center of the onions and add chipotle peppers. Cook 1 minute and stir to combine.
- Add jalapenos, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and stir to combine. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and cooked beef cubes, stir to combine.
- Increase heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cover the chili and transfer it to the oven.
- Bake for 3 hours.
Step 2 – Thicken the Chili
- In a small bowl whisk together masa flour, chili powder, and water.
- Remove chili from the oven and pour the mixture into the chili. Stir to combine.
- Heat the chili over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens.
- Add lime juice, salt, and pepper.
