Original Dallas Jail House Chili

In Texas, chili means one thing: meat and chiles, no beans, no filler. This jail house recipe is a proper bowl of red, four pounds of ground beef cooked down low and slow with garlic, ground chile pods, paprika, and cumin until it’s thick, dark, and serious.

The first move is rendering suet, beef fat, right in the pot. It sounds old-fashioned because it is, and it lays down a richness you can’t fake with vegetable oil. Then the beef and spices cook covered over very low heat for a full four hours, which is where all that deep, melded flavor comes from.

The finish is pure Texas: masa harina, the same corn flour used for tamales, stirred in to thicken the chili and add a faint, earthy corn note.

Forget cornstarch. Masa is how it’s done down here. Add it a little at a time until the chili sits exactly as thick as you like.

Chef Tips

• Cook it low and slow the whole way through. This is not a chili to rush, and the long simmer is where the flavor lives.
• Thicken with masa harina, not flour or cornstarch, for the authentic texture and subtle corn flavor.
• Add the masa gradually and let it cook a few minutes so it doesn’t taste raw or chalky.
• Hold the salt until the end, since the long cook and the broth concentrate the seasoning.

Variations

• Use cubed chuck instead of ground beef for a chunkier, old-school chili.
• Swap suet for beef tallow or oil if suet is hard to source.
• Serve with chopped onion, shredded cheese, and cornbread (but never, in Texas, beans).