Original San Antone Chili
Submitted by MelanieB23
Original San Antone chili is authentic 19th-century Texas chili con carne: cubed beef and pork seared in suet, simmered in beef stock with ancho chile puree, garlic, and cumin. No beans, no tomato, all meat and chile.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
4 hrsThis is real San Antonio chili, the style the chili queens cooked in the plaza in the late 1800s and the root of every Texas red that followed. Forget the ground beef and kidney beans, authentic chili uses hand-cubed meat, rendered suet, and whole dried ancho chilies reconstituted and pureed into a deep brick-red broth.
The chile paste is the soul of the dish. Whole dried anchos get stemmed, seeded, boiled, and pureed with their cooking water into a smoky, raisin-sweet base that no powdered chili blend can match. Skipping this step and using chili powder gives you something acceptable but not authentic.
Beef plus pork is the traditional ratio. The pork shoulder brings fat and collagen that breaks down into silkiness over 3 hours of simmering, while the cubed beef holds its shape and gives you something to bite into.
Cumin goes in near the end, freshly toasted and crushed. Adding it earlier lets the volatile oils cook off, so the aroma dulls. Late addition keeps the whole pot fragrant.
Pro Tips
- Use chuck roast or brisket for the beef, cheap stew meat from the supermarket is inconsistent.
- Toast the ancho chilies dry in a hot skillet for 30 seconds per side before boiling. This deepens their flavor dramatically.
- The reserved flour-water slurry is a thickener, whisk it smooth before adding to avoid lumps.
- Serve over steamed rice or with cornbread, crackers, and diced raw onion, never with beans if you want Texas credit.
Variations
- Substitute pasilla or guajillo chilies for some of the anchos for a smokier heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of masa harina instead of the flour slurry for a more traditional thickener.
- Finish with a splash of cider vinegar or a squeeze of lime for brightness.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove suet and discard.
Cut meat into ½ inch cubes.
Combine flour, salt and pepper in brown papper bag.
Add meat and shake to coat. save remaining flour. Sear floured meat in hot fat, stirring to prevent sticking.
Add onions and garlic; cook and stir until soft.
Add beef stock or broth and bring to a boil; then reduce heat aand simmer slowly while preparing peppers Wash peppers under cold running water; remove stems and seeds.
Put in a sauce pan; cover with water and boil for 5 minutes.
Let steep 10 minutes. Lift out peppers and grind or purée, adding 1 cups water in which peppers were cooked.
Add to meat, cover and simmer 2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender.
Grind cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle or a heavy spoon in a cup; add to chili.
Add salt to taste. Mix flour saved from browning meat (about ? cup) with cold water; add to chili and cook 3 to 5 minutes to thicken.
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