Smokin Texas Chili Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the dark, light and California chili powders, cumin, oregano and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce, green chiles, beef and chicken broths, chipotles, lime juice, molasses and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the diced tomatoes and dried California and New Mexico chiles and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• With an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth. Simmer for 1 hour, adding cheap beer if the sauce thickens too much. Stir in the beef and heat through. Taste for seasoning.

Steps:

• In a large heavy pot (such as a cast iron Dutch oven), heat the fat or oil over high heat. Add the meat and sear, stirring, until no longer pink. Lower the heat to medium-high. Add the onions, jalapenos, garlic, chiles, and chili powder, and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions are wilted and start to color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the beer and tequila and cook, stirring, to deglaze the pan. Add the chipotles and adobo sauce and 4 cups of the stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, 2 to 3 hours, adding the remaining cup of stock as needed if the chili becomes too dry or thick. When the meat is tender and the chili is ready, add the masa harina 1 teaspoon at a time to thicken to desired consistency, stirring well and cooking after the addition of each before adding more.
• Remove from the heat and correct the seasoning, to taste. Skim any fat from the surface.
• Ladle into bowls and garnish each with cilantro, chopped onions, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with hot cornbread.

Steps:

• For the chile sauce: Cover the California chiles, guajillo chiles and pasilla chiles with water in a medium saucepan and soak for 2 hours. Add the garlic and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Blend small batches at a time in blender, adding some fresh oregano each time. Strain through a medium-mesh strainer.
• For the stewed tomatoes: Simmer the heirloom tomatoes whole in a large uncovered pot over medium heat until they are broken down and have released some of their liquid, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly and then puree with an immersion blender.
• For the chili spices: Combine the oatmeal, cumin, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Set aside.
• For the chili: Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Mix together the chuck, top round, onion and garlic in a Dutch oven. Cook in the oven, stirring occasionally, until brown.
• Add the chili spices to the ground beef mixture and cook 20 minutes more. Then add the stewed tomatoes and chile sauce. Cook until an instant-read thermometer register 160 degrees F, about 1 hour.

Steps:

• Brown beef in small amount of oil. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add chili powder, flour, oregano, and cumin. Cook until meat is well coated. Slowly add 2 cans broth. Stir well.
• Partially cover and allow to simmer 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. You may need to use all or part of last can of broth to reach desired consistency.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. If using the beans in the chili, add now. They may also be served on the side or omitted altogether. Partially cover and simmer 45 minutes more.
• IMPORTANT: Cool and refrigerate overnight.
• To serve: Heat chili. Ladle chili in bowl, squeeze lime juice on top and top with sour cream. Serve with hot San Francisco Sour Dough Bread.

Steps:

• 1. Place the chiles in a straight-sided large skillet over medium-low heat and gently toast the chiles until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Don't let them burn or they'll turn bitter. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with very hot water and soak until soft, 15 to 45 minutes, turning once or twice.
• 2. Drain the chiles; split them and remove stems and seeds (a brief rinse helps remove seeds, but don't wash away the flesh). Place the chiles in the bowl of a blender and add the cumin, black pepper, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 cup water. Purée the mixture, adding more water as needed (and occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender jar), until a smooth, slightly fluid paste forms (you want to eliminate all but the tiniest bits of skin.) Set the chile paste aside.
• 3. Return skillet to medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the lard. When it begins to smoke, swirl skillet to coat and add half of the beef. Lightly brown on at least two sides, about 3 minutes per side, reducing the heat if the meat threatens to burn. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 2 more tablespoons of lard and the remaining beef. Reserve.
• 4. Let the skillet cool slightly, and place it over medium-low heat. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of lard in the skillet; add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, the remaining 2 cups water and gradually whisk in the masa harina to avoid lumps. Stir in the reserved chile paste, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula to loosen any browned bits. Add the reserved beef (and any juices in the bowl) and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain the barest possible simmer (just a few bubbles breaking the surface) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender but still somewhat firm and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of thickened but still liquid sauce surrounds the cubes of meat, about 2 hours.
• 5. Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar thoroughly and add more salt to taste; gently simmer 10 minutes more. At this point, it may look like there is excess sauce. Turn off the heat and let the chili stand for at least 30 minutes, during which time the meat will absorb about half of the remaining sauce in the skillet, leaving the meat bathed in a thick, somewhat fluid sauce. Stir in additional broth or water if the mixture seems too dry. If the mixture seems a bit loose and wet, allow it to simmer a bit more (sometimes we like to partially crush the cubes of beef with the back of a spoon to let them absorb more sauce). Adjust the balance of flavors with a bit of additional salt, sugar, or vinegar, if you like.
• 6. Reheat gently and serve in individual bowls with a dollop of sour cream on top and a lime wedge on the side.