Rio Grande Chili

No beans. No tomatoes. Just meat, chiles, spices, and beer. This is Texas-style chili the way the Rio Grande border towns make it, and it doesn’t apologize for leaving things out.

Whole cumin seeds toasted right in with the beef give a deeper, more aromatic flavor than pre-ground cumin ever could. Three tablespoons is generous, but that’s the point. Cumin is the backbone of Texas chili, and this recipe leans into it hard.

Masa flour is the thickener here instead of tomato paste or beans. It’s the same corn flour used to make tortillas, and it gives the chili a silky body with a faint corn flavor that ties everything to its Tex-Mex roots. Sprinkle it over the meat and toss gently so it absorbs the fat and spices before the liquid goes in.

The two-hour covered simmer is where the magic happens. The beer and beef broth reduce and concentrate, the green chiles melt into the sauce, and the spices deepen into something you can smell from across the house.

Pro Tips

• Use extra-lean ground round. This chili has no tomatoes to balance fat, so leaner meat keeps it from getting greasy.
• Add the Tabasco with the spices so it cooks down and mellows. Raw hot sauce added at the end tastes sharp and vinegary.
• Stir only occasionally. Letting the bottom develop a slight fond before stirring adds complexity.
• This is even better the next day. The flavors tighten up overnight in the fridge.

Variations

• Use cubed chuck roast instead of ground beef for a chunkier, more traditional Texas chili con carne.
• Add a can of pinto beans in the last 30 minutes if you need to feed a bigger crowd.
• Stir in a square of dark chocolate at the end for a rich, mole-inspired depth.