Blizzard or not, it's chili season. Here now is a recipe from one of the best: Chef Bryan Caswell's classic Texas red chili con carne from El Real Tex-Mex Cafe in Houston, excerpted from one of our favorite books of 2015, The Chili Cookbook by Rob Walsh. There are innumerable recipes for regional American chili, but this is a hearty version we stand by that will serve you through winter. Bonus: Included within is a recipe for chili powder. Tweak it to your liking by adding a pinch more dried ancho or a bit more cumin and then use it with everything from this chili recipe to a dusting of heat on softly scrambled eggs.
Chili con Carne Recipe
Serves 6
This is the way we make chili at El Real Tex-Mex Cafe in Houston. Be sure and use the homemade chili powder for a full-flavored chili. Don’t skip the step of dry toasting the cumin seeds; it really improves the flavor.
2 tablespoons cumin seeds 8 ounces bacon, chopped 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes 2 onions, chopped 1⁄4 cup homemade chili powder (see separate recipe below) 2 teaspoons sweet paprika 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 4 large cloves garlic, minced 1 3⁄4 cups beef broth (28-ounce) can pureed tomatoes 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
Instructions:
Step 1: Toast the cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Using a smaller frying pan or a metal or wooden tool with a flat surface, crush the seeds coarsely. Set aside.
Step 2: Cook the bacon in the skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and reserve. Over high heat, brown the beef in the bacon drippings left in the skillet and set the meat aside. Over medium heat, sauté the onions in the remaining drippings until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 3: Add the toasted cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, black pepper, thyme, salt, and garlic to the cooked onions and sauté for 1 minute. Crumble in the bacon, add the beef broth, 1 cup of water, the tomatoes, ancho chiles, and the beef.
Step 4: Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover partially, and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours, adding water as needed to maintain the desired consistency. Alternatively, transfer to a slow-cooker set on low and cook for at least 6 hours and up to 8 hours, until the meat is very tender.
Step 5: Remove the anchos, puree in a blender, and return to the pot. Serve in a bowl with chopped onions and shredded cheese, with saltines, over tamales, rice or potatoes, in a Frito Pie or combined with beans.
Homemade Chile Powder Recipe
Makes 1⁄4 cup
Toasting chiles and cumin seeds in your own kitchen and grinding them in a spice grinder makes the best chili powder of all. This recipe calls for anchos, but you can use any combination of dried chiles.
Step 1: Remove the stems and seeds from the anchos and spread the peppers out flat. Reserve the seeds. Place the chiles flat on a comal or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Being careful not to burn them, lightly toast until they are brittle, then remove and cool. Toast the cumin in the hot comal, stirring and shaking until fragrant. Toast some of the chile seeds, if desired. (The seeds will make the chili powder hotter.)
Step 2: Cut the chiles into small strips with scissors. In a clean coffee grinder, grind the strips in several batches until powdered. Grind the cumin and chile seeds in the coffee grinder. Combine the powdered chile, ground seeds, Mexican oregano, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Grind the coarse powder in batches in the coffee grinder until fine, about 2 minutes. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Mexican food tends to be spicier and weaves in chili peppers, epazote, cacao, oregano, and cilantro, whereas Tex-Mex dishes tend to be a bit milder and feature cumin as a primary ingredient.
What primarily distinguishes Texas chili from other chili recipes you might find is a lack of beans, but it also doesn't feature any tomatoes. It is, largely, a ground beef dish that's seasoned with a spicy chili paste made of dried peppers.
The dish may be served with toppings or accompaniments; grated cheese, diced onions, and sour cream are common toppings, as are saltine crackers, tortilla chips or corn chips, cornbread, rolled-up corn or flour tortillas, and pork tamales. Chili can also be served over rice or pasta in dishes such as chili mac.
Regular beef chili uses ground beef, sometimes beans, and often extra veggies (like this one – so good). But Texas chili is shredded beef chili that's traditionally made with just beef, chiles, and spices. No beans, no chunks of extra veggies.
Tex-Mex entrees typically come with black beans while Mexican dishes are served with pinto beans — and soupy ones at that. Then there's yellow cheese versus white cheese, fried corn tortillas versus soft ones and chili powder versus chile peppers.
The Tex-Mex meaning can be most simply summed up by the different types of ingredients used. Tex-Mex recipes feature the use of chili powder, a savory mix of ground chile peppers with spices including cumin, oregano, and black pepper. Alternatively, Mexican recipes call for chile peppers, not the chili seasoning blend.
Not universally, but many Texans today tend to eschew beans and even tomatoes in their chili con carne. Where did this tradition arise? Native American, Spanish and Mexican cooks have used the basic ingredients — including beans — for centuries.
“The official dish of the State of Texas: a bowl of red has no beans. Whatever you want to go with it—tortillas, cornbread, crackers. Enjoy!” “Beans are a necessity and my nephew likes peanut butter on bread to eat with his chili.”
The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.
In Mexico, they make a green rice, using a long-grain variety flavoured with salsa verde. Paul also suggests trying an ancient grain such as quinoa or faro, as well as corn tortillas and condiments such as guacamole, salsas and sour cream. “Chilli con carne is very communal,” he says.
Suppression only fueled this fire and in the 1800's chili was a staple food for cowboys, ruffians, and Adventurers on the Western Frontier. It was even served up in jails. Originally made of dried beef, fat and spices carried in saddlebags, then reconstituted over campfires. It was cheap and hearty and filling.
It's Texas, podnuh, so that means no beans in this chili. But there is plenty of meat, from pork loin ends to beef stew meat to ground beef. I think you'll like the taste that comes from the different types of chile peppers.
Tex-Mex cuisine (derived from the words Texas and Mexico) is a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejano people (Texans of Mexican heritage). It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country.
New Mexico chiles have an earthy, sweet flavor with hints of acidity, weediness and dried cherry undertones. They are often confused with their close relative the Anaheim chile (or California chile) but are a bit hotter at 800-1,400 SHU and more flavorful than the California chiles.
Some good New Mexico Chile substitutes include Anaheim Chile or Guajillo Chile, Chile de Arbol, which are related to New Mexico Chiles (in the same Capsicum annuum species) and can provide great flavor to your chile dishes.
Traditional red chili often includes cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, though it's not limited to these spices. Cincinnati chili, on the other hand, has a sweeter edge with spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Some recipes also use cocoa powder.
Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5927769/Wals_Chili_Cookbook.0.jpg "Warm Up With This Chili Recipe From Houston’s El Real Tex-Mex Cafe (1)")
