Blue-Ribbon Chili
Submitted by capnjake
Texas-style chili loaded with cubed brisket and ground chuck, simmered low and slow in beer, beef stock, and toasted cumin. No beans, no tomato sauce, just bold, meaty heat that’s worth every minute of the 4-hour cook.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
15 minCOOK
4 hrsREADY
5 hrsY’all, this is competition-grade chili. The kind that wins trophies and starts arguments about whose recipe is better.
Cubed beef brisket gets seared hard, then braised for hours with ground chuck, beer, toasted cumin seeds, jalapeños, and a serious dose of chili powder.
No beans. No shortcuts. Just meat, heat, and deep smoky flavor that builds with every spoonful.
The brisket breaks down into fork-tender chunks while the ground chuck thickens the sauce into something rich and spoonable.
This takes about 4 hours of simmering, but most of that is hands-off time while your kitchen fills with the kind of aroma that makes neighbors knock on your door.
Pro Tips
- Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant before grinding. This unlocks way more flavor than pre-ground cumin.
- Brown the brisket in batches so it actually sears instead of steaming. Crowding the pot kills the crust.
- Add the remaining ground cumin in the last 15 minutes of cooking to layer fresh spice on top of the slow-cooked flavor.
- Serve with sharp cheddar, raw onion, and cornbread. Keep the sour cream on the side for the folks who need to cool things down.
Ingredients
Directions
- In a small dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds over moderate heat, Grind the cumin in a spice mill or a mortar.
- Heat a large enameled cast-iron casserole. Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add the meat to the casserole and cook over moderately high heat until well-browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer each batch to a large plate.
- Add the garlic, jalapenos and onions to the casserole and cook 4 minutes. Add the chili powder and pure red chile powder, coriander and half of the ground cumin and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Return the cooked brisket to the casserole and add the beef stock, beer, tomatoes and Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, then lower the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours. Stir in the ground chuck, season with salt and cook until the brisket is very tender and the sauce is thickened, about 1 hour longer. Stir in the remaining cumin and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with the scallions and serve.
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