New Mexican Chili (Senator Joseph Montoya's)

This is New Mexican chili stripped to its essence: cubed beef, garlic, pure unspiced chili powder, and water. No beans, no tomatoes, no onions, no complications. Senator Joseph Montoya’s recipe proves that when your chili powder is good, you don’t need much else.

The key ingredient is unspiced chili powder. Not the supermarket blend loaded with cumin, oregano, and garlic powder. Pure ground dried red chiles, the kind you find in New Mexico, where chili is a way of life. Three tablespoons creates a sauce that’s earthy, fruity, and warm rather than blow-your-head-off hot.

Cubing the round steak into ¼-inch pieces means tender bites that cook through in the 45-minute simmer. The flour dusted over the browned meat and garlic thickens the chili into a velvety red sauce that coats every piece.

This is bowl food. Serve it straight up with warm tortillas for scooping, or ladle it over rice, enchiladas, or smothered burritos. In New Mexico, this kind of red chili goes on everything.

Chef Tips

• Use pure New Mexican chili powder (ground dried Hatch or Anaheim chiles) for the most authentic flavor.
• Brown the meat well before adding the garlic. Good browning builds the savory base the simple ingredient list depends on.
• The chili thickens as it simmers. If it gets too thick, add water a splash at a time.
• This tastes even better the next day after the flavors have deepened overnight.

Variations

• Green chile version: Replace the chili powder with 1 cup roasted, chopped Hatch green chiles for New Mexican green chili.
• Pork chili: Use cubed pork shoulder instead of beef for a richer, fattier version that’s equally traditional.
• With beans: Stir in a can of drained pinto beans during the last 15 minutes if you want them (New Mexicans may judge you, but it’s your bowl).