35 texan recipes

Texas chile con queso, two ingredients only: a block of Velveeta and a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles. Melt, stir, dip. The Tex-Mex queso every Texan grew up on, ready in 20 minutes.

Slow-roasted beef tenderloin sliced thin, served with buttery wine-simmered mushrooms and chilled black-eyed pea salsa for an elegant Texas feast.

Why buy prepacked taco seasoning when it is easy to make from scratch. If you purchase the spices at a bulk store it is also very very inexpensive to make. As a bonus you can control the salt. Commercial mixes have way too much salt for my tastes.

Mrs. Johnson's peach preserves boil ripe sliced peaches in clear sugar syrup with lemon extract for old-fashioned Texas-style preserves. Spoon over biscuits or warm over vanilla ice cream.

Homemade picante sauce with canned whole tomatoes, fresh jalapenos, onion, apple cider vinegar, and garlic. Simmered 15 minutes and served chilled with chips for a chunky, spicy Texas-style salsa.

Traditional Rio Grande Valley barbacoa de cabeza, beef head pit-cooked overnight in coals with onion, garlic, and cilantro. The Sunday-morning tortilla filling that defines South Texas cooking.

Grilled beef tenderloin gets seared hot then finished indirect, basted with a vinegar-and-ancho Western BBQ mop. Spicy Texas-style barbecue sauce with cumin and Tabasco for medium-rare results.

Low-and-slow smoked beef brisket with pecan wood, wrapped and basted with tangy BBQ sauce. Texas pitmaster technique, backyard results.

Texas-style venison chili simmered in beer and beef stock with chili powder, cumin, coriander, and masa harina. No beans, no tomatoes, just bold meat-and-spice flavor that deepens overnight.

Galveston rub: a wet Texas Gulf Coast paste of crushed garlic, cayenne, paprika, and lemon juice for poultry and pork. Four ingredients, ten minutes, makes about ⅓ cup.

Hill Country pickled peaches preserved in a sweet vinegar syrup with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, ginger, and white pepper. A Texas tradition for canning season.

Texas-style red chili made from dried chile pods pureed into a fiery sauce with browned meat, cumin, and oregano. No beans, slow-simmered for hours.

Texas caviar made with black-eyed peas, colorful bell peppers, jalapeño, and red onion. A quick, crowd-pleasing Southern dip or side dish ready in 30 minutes.

Texas-style dill pickles from Pflugerville with garlic, red pepper, fresh dill, and a simple vinegar brine. A classic water-bath canned pickle recipe that improves over two weeks.

Easy chicken fried steak with a triple-coated golden crispy crust and a hint of nutmeg in the breading. The Texas-style cube steak classic in under 40 minutes.

House Park beans are Texas-style pinto beans slow-boiled with chili powder, garlic, and a touch of sugar. No soaking, no meat, just simple seasoned pintos cooked low and long.