Mad Mike's Chili

This is Texas-style chili at its most uncompromising. No beans, no ground meat, just five pounds of round steak cubed against the grain into half-inch chunks that turn fork-tender over a three-hour simmer.

The liquid base is the wild card. V8 juice gives the pot a vegetal sweetness and acidity that plain tomatoes can’t match, while two cans of enchilada sauce smuggle in toasted dried-chile flavor and a hit of cumin without you having to grind chiles yourself. Tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and a can of beef stock round out the body.

The spice load is no joke. Two and a half ounces of chili powder, three tablespoons of cumin, and two teaspoons of cayenne build the kind of layered heat that develops over time, balanced by four tablespoons of brown sugar that round the edges and keep it from tasting one-dimensional.

Pro Tips

• Cut the meat across the grain. Long fibers cooked into a chili turn stringy. Cross-grain cubes break down into tender bites.
• Don’t rush the meat browning. Twenty minutes of slow color builds the savory base. Skipping this step leaves the chili tasting flat no matter how long it simmers.
• Use a heavy-bottomed pot. Three hours on the stove with thick chili will scorch in a thin pan.
• Pull the bay leaves before serving. Ten leaves seems aggressive, but they don’t break down and you don’t want to bite one.

Variations

• Sub in chuck or brisket for round steak. Both have more marbling and stay even more tender.
• Add a couple of chipotles in adobo for smoky, complex heat.
• Serve over rice or cornbread and top with grated cheddar and chopped raw onion.