Big Girl Texas Chili

Big Girl Texas Chili

Here in the great Lone Star State we take our chili seriously….I’ve heard rumor of foreigners (any non-Texan) being asked to leave town for even suggesting that beans be put in chili! With chili originating in Texas, we get to make up all the rules…apparently. It is our state dish after all. True Texas chili is made with beef, chiles, cumin, oregano and garlic and that’s about it. No onions, no tomatoes and most definitely, no beans.

Now, I have made lots of different chili versions over the years, made with onions, tomatoes and yes, beans….we just couldn’t call it chili…it was like, chili beans….please don’t speak too badly of me for this… Texas is no place for sissy dishes and being the Texan that I am, I like my chili with a big bold chile taste, a nice meaty flavor and a spicy heat hot enough to make your nose run…..sorry, just is what is…..Big Girl Texas Chili.

When I was a kid, the first cold snap brought the stock-pots out and chili was on! It was served with saltine crackers only, and then you decided whether to crush them into your chili or just eat it with them. Great childhood memories for me.

There’s a chill in the air! So, get the fireplace going and put on a big stock-pot of this chili…..invite some friends over and turn the music up loud….Willie and Waylon and maybe Radney Foster? Get your soup bowls out and serve this warm, spicy chili with cornbread, crackers, Frito’s, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped onions and chopped jalapenos. Happy, happy, happy guests. And you can SO wear your flip flops in cold weather…

Put your big girl panties on and ENJOY….my version of real Texas chili.

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 12 min
Yield: 8-10
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

2 lbs chili meat
1 Tbs bacon grease (always save your bacon grease)
6 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs each cumin & oregano
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 med-large onion, chopped
1 can Rotel, tomatoes & chiles
32oz carton beef broth
1 tsp white pepper
3 jalapenos/hot pepper or hot sauce

Directions:

The meat…..At this time of year, my grocer carries a coarsely ground ‘chili meat’ but I didn’t like the way it looked, so I bought a chuck roast on sale and cut it into small cubes, 1/2 inch or less maybe? It worked really well. And I probably had more than 2 lbs when I made mine.
The spices….I see a lot of recipes that would have you buy the dried chiles and cook or grind them into powder, but I’m about ease and we have too many really good chili powders out there today. Gebhardt’s is a good brand to use. The cumin, oregano and garlic are very important in chili…do not substitute.
Melt the bacon grease in a big stock-pot or dutch-oven over high heat and add meat, stirring occasionally until nicely browned. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes, and then add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, pepper and a bit of salt and stir, stir, stir. Then add Rotel and beef broth. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. I like to simmer chili for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed. It should thicken up nicely, but you can add a couple of tablespoons of masa or cornstarch to help.
Now for the heat. I like spicy chili and you might not, so let this cook for a few minutes and taste. I like chipotle peppers because they have a nice smoky heat, but jalapenos are really good and not too hot or you can add a few dashed of hot sauce or hot chili powder….I used all these but the chipotles. Mine was a good spicy heat, not too much….for me anyway.
Chili is always better the next day, so you could put all this together and cook for a few minutes, and then put it in the crock-pot the next morning. This will also give you the chance to skim the fat off the top too. The chili aroma will be perfectly amazing when you walk in that door after working all day!!
IF you have leftovers…use on burgers… french fries, chili then pimento cheese…scrambled eggs, then chili then cheese…mac & cheese, then chili then pico…Frito’s, then onions, cheese, chili then cheese! Endless yummy possibilities…