Best Original San Antonio Chili Recipes

THE BEST AUTHENTIC TEXAS CHILI RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut the stems off the dried chilies and remove all of the seeds. Place them in a blender with 1 cup of warm beef stock. Cover the blender and let them soak in the beef stock for 30 minutes.
• While the dried chilies are soaking, cut the beef chuck roast into 1/2 inch cubes and dice the white onion and jalapeños.
• In a bowl, mix together the chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, masa flour, ground cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
• After 30 minutes, puree the chilies and beef stock together to create a homemade chili paste. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a medium cast-iron Dutch oven. Brown the beef chuck cubes on all sides. If there is not enough room in the Dutch oven, brown the beef chuck cubes in batches. Do not remove the brown buts or liquid from the Dutch oven - this has all the flavor and will be used for the Texas Chili. Remove the browned beef chuck and set aside.
• Using the remaining liquid in the saucepan, sauté the onions till translucent. Then add the diced jalapeños.
• Deglaze the Dutch oven by adding the Shiner beer, remaining 2 cups of beef stock, and apple cider vinegar. Then scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to get all the bits of flavor incorporated.
• Add the beef chuck back into the Dutch oven along with the homemade chili paste, dry ingredient mix, and brown sugar. Mix all of the ingredients together and bring to a boil.
• Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat, slightly cover the Dutch oven, and simmer for 2 - 2.5 hours or until the beef chuck is tender. Make sure you stir the Texas Chili occasionally.
• Once the beef chuck is tender, serve the Texas Chili with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced jalapeños, and a side of cornbread.

AUTHENTIC 1840 TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Render the fat to liquid.
• Add the beef, and brown lightly, then add onions and garlic.
• (IMPORTANT Do NOT drain the fat or drippings).
• Cook over medium heat, until onions are translucent, then add spices, stirring gently until blended.
• Continue over low heat for at least two hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
• Add salt to taste, though it doesn't need much.
• If it gets too thick, you can add water, but remember that chili is reputed to be able to stand a spoon up straight!
• Its edible after two hours, but improves vastly with time, so don't be afraid to cook 6 or 8 or ten hours --
• After you've tried the "original" recipe as above, you could add one or two jalapeno's, a single tomato and/or green pepper, just to fully appreciate how far this dish has evolved -- .

TEXAS-STYLE CHILI

Steps:

• In a small heavy skillet, toast cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant. In a mortar and pestle, or in a coffee grinder, grind to a powder and set aside.
• Meanwhile, roughly cut beef into 2-inch cubes, or slice it against the grain into pieces about 1/4-inch thick by 1 1/2 inches square. Sprinkle with salt.
• In a large, heavy pot over high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, brown the meat, turning occasionally until crusty. Adjust heat to prevent scorching. As it is cooked, remove the meat to drain on paper towels. Add more oil as needed for browning, but do not clean out the pot.
• To the empty but crusty pot, add onion, garlic, jalapeños, masa harina or tortilla (if using), chile powder, cumin-coriander powder and oregano. Cook, stirring, until onion has softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add meat, beer, tomatoes, chocolate, whole dried chiles and 1 quart water. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is fork-tender. Remove the dried chiles. Taste and add salt if necessary.
• Serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate. The chili tastes best one or two days after it is made.
• Reheat over low heat if necessary and serve in bowls, sprinkled with chopped onion and cilantro. Add Fritos for crunch, or dip tortillas into the spicy gravy.