A rich, no-bean Texas-style chili made with cubed beef and a deep blend of dried chiles, simmered low and slow until tender.
Texas chili is defined as much by what it excludes as what it includes — no beans, and typically no tomatoes either, with the focus placed entirely on tender beef and a complex, layered chile flavor built from scratch. Dried ancho and guajillo chiles are rehydrated and blended into a smooth paste, forming the sauce's backbone, a technique that gives far more depth than simply stirring in commercial chili powder. Cubed beef chuck braises low and slow in this chile sauce for hours until completely tender, the sauce thickening naturally as it reduces, resulting in a chili that's thick, deeply savory and unmistakably Texan in its bean-free simplicity.
Serves 6
Toast the dried chiles briefly in a dry pan, then soak in 1.5 cups hot beef stock for 20 minutes until soft.
Blend the softened chiles with their soaking liquid until completely smooth.
Heat oil in a heavy pot and brown the beef cubes in batches, about 12 minutes total; remove and set aside.
Cook onion in the same pot until soft, then add garlic, cumin and oregano, cooking 1 minute.
Return the beef to the pot with the chile paste, remaining beef stock and salt.
Blend the rehydrated chiles until completely smooth — any large fibrous pieces left behind will give the finished chili an unpleasant, stringy texture.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low 90-100 minutes until the beef is very tender.
Stir in masa harina or cornmeal and simmer uncovered 10-15 more minutes until the chili thickens.
Serve hot, with toppings like shredded cheese and onion if desired.
Blend the rehydrated chiles until completely smooth; any fibrous bits left behind will give the chili an unpleasant texture.
Use masa harina rather than flour to thicken — it's a traditional touch that also adds a subtle corn flavor consistent with the dish's Tex-Mex roots.
Braise the beef long enough that it's genuinely fork-tender before considering the chili done; this isn't a quick weeknight dish.
Some cooks add a small amount of unsweetened chocolate or coffee for extra depth, a nod to Texas chili's mole-adjacent flavors.
A version with a mix of beef and pork gives a slightly different, richer result.
Adding beans, while not traditional in Texas, is common and acceptable in many home kitchens outside the state.
Refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; the flavor deepens considerably the next day, and it freezes well for up to 3 months.
Texas-style chili, sometimes called chili con carne in its most traditional form, has roots tracing back to 19th-century Texan cattle culture, and the state takes its bean-free, tomato-free version seriously enough that it's protected by strict competition rules at chili cook-offs.
Traditional Texas chili is defined by its focus on beef and chiles alone, with beans considered a filler that dilutes the meat-forward character purists prize.
They're increasingly available at well-stocked grocery stores and Latin markets; a good quality chili powder blend can substitute in a pinch, though the flavor will be less complex.
Simmer uncovered longer after adding the masa harina, which helps both reduce and thicken the liquid into a properly hearty chili.
Per serving (400g / 14.1 oz) · 6 servings total
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