Chile Grande with Beans
Submitted by aeokie
A Texas-style chili with stewing beef, ham rind, dried pinto beans, and red wine simmered low for hours with cumin, cayenne, and oregano. No tomatoes, all meat, pure grit.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
2 hrsThis ain’t your weeknight can-opener chili. This is the real thing.
Stewing beef browns in bacon drippings alongside Spanish onion and celery, then simmers for hours with a ham rind that melts smoky, porky richness into the broth.
Dried pinto beans cook right in the pot, absorbing all that cumin, cayenne, and oregano-laced liquid until they’re creamy and tender.
The old-school trick of mashing some cooked beans and stirring them back in thickens the whole pot into something you can stand a spoon in.
Kitchen Tips
- The ham rind is doing heavy lifting here. It adds body and smokiness that no amount of liquid smoke can replicate. Ask your butcher for one.
- Cook low and slow. Rushing this with high heat toughens the stewing beef and leaves the beans crunchy.
- A cup of red wine isn’t optional. It adds depth and acidity that balances the richness of the bacon fat and beef.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt bacon fat in a heavy pan.
Brown chopped onion and celery in it.
Add meat and brown it. Add ham rind and cover well with water.
Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil.
Add dried beans, lower heat, cook slowly until beans are done.
Add water as needed.
Remove some of the cooked beans, mash them, and return to chili to and tighten it.
Stir to smooth the consistency.
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