Beefy Texas Chili

Real Texas chili is bean-free by tradition. The Lone Star State takes its chili seriously enough to have made this rule into law (well, almost). What you get is a deeply spiced, beefy stew where every bite is meat and chile, no filler. If you want beans, the directions say add them in the bowl, not the pot.

The meat is the star, so use the right kind. Coarsely ground chili meat (or a coarse grind from your butcher) gives the dish its proper chunky texture. Regular fine ground beef makes a soup-like chili. The chunks should hold their bite.

Six tablespoons of chili powder is the right amount for an authentic Texas profile. That’s a lot, but Texas chili leans hard on the chile, with cumin and paprika playing supporting roles. Use a quality blend (or a mix of dried ancho, guajillo, and pasilla powders if you want to go deep).

Adding the jalapeño and cayenne in the last 30 minutes is the move. Adding fresh peppers earlier cooks out the volatile capsaicin, leaving you with mellow heat. Late additions preserve the bright punch.

Pro Tips

• Brown the beef in batches if needed. Crowding the pot steams the meat and you lose the deep brown crust where flavor lives.
• Skim the fat off the top after the simmer if it pools heavily. The recipe makes a generous amount and the chili tastes cleaner without it.
• The 1.5-hour simmer is the minimum. Longer is better. Texas chili improves the longer it cooks.
• Garnish with chopped onion, shredded cheddar, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, and warm flour tortillas or cornbread.

Variations

• Substitute cubed chuck steak (cut into ½-inch pieces) for a more old-school Texas chili with chunks of stew meat.
• Add 1 ounce of dark chocolate or 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa for mole-like depth.
• Stir in a bottle of dark beer along with the tomato sauce for richer flavor.