Chili season is upon us, although I make it in hot weather too! I like mine with ground beef, at least when I make it.
I found this recipe called True Texas Chili years ago and started making it and making it my own. Just a few basic ingredients, that KISS method that works, I guess. The basic recipe calls for 2 lbs ground beef and one 12 oz beer. I usually use 5 lb of beef so the recipe is loosely multiplied by 2.5. For the beer I’ll use one or two bottles of a smooth but not too strong ale; Shiner Bock comes to mind. It gives the gravy a creamy texture/flavor and a nice color (see photo). Just make sure you cook it long enough to cook out all the alcohol or it won't taste right. And before I put the lid on to simmer, if it needs more liquid, I’ll top it off with some nasty Budweiser; there’s usually plenty of that in the garage fridge!
And speaking of ground beef, here’s a tip for a really meaty chili when using ground beef:
Loosely drop ½ - 1 tsp sized chunks into a very hot (medium high) cast iron skillet, trying to leave some space in between them. You will have to do it in batches, depending on the amount of meat and size of the skillet.
So loosely fill the bottom of the pan and a few more chunks on top of those. Don’t touch it for a couple of minutes, and the chunks will begin to hold themselves together and become brown on the sides. The bottom of the chunks may be charred, and that’s ok, cause that’s flavor! Use a thin metal spatula to scrape it all up and stir it around for another half minute until there is no more red. Remove meat from skillet into your chili pot. Drain the fat, reheat and do the next batch. Keyword: very hot and dry skillet!
It’s usually one batch per 1 lb of meat in my 12” cast iron skillet; it takes some effort, but worth it IMO. You want to simmer the chili at least an hour and half to two hours after assembly. The beef morsels are tender and juicy, a unique texture for ground beef.
After the meat is finished I add the onions and garlic to the skillet and sauté several minutes. The recipe calls for a 28 oz can of tomatoes per 2 lb of beef, but I think that is too much so I use one 28 oz can for the whole 5 lbs. Drain the juice into the skillet to help deglaze, loose chop the whole tomatoes and add to the skillet with the onions. I use two heaping onions, large diced. And I usually have some pickled jalapenos in the fridge, so I’ll seed and chop up three or four of those. Personally, I would like it a lot hotter but I have a family to please also, so I keep it just warm.
Meanwhile in the chili pot I have been dumping browned meat in and adding dry spices until all is in. Then I’ll start adding the beer and bringing the heat up. Shortly here come the hot veges, and we’re off! Boil gently to get the beer settled in and then simmer for a couple hours. Less is ok if you can’t wait.
Here is the standard recipe I found, tweaked as described above:
True Texas Chili
2 lbs ground beef
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
28 oz can tomatoes
12 oz beer
5 tbs chili powder
1 tbs cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
2 jalapenos seeded and chopped
Bon Appétit, or as we say in the South, y’all dig in!
I found this recipe called True Texas Chili years ago and started making it and making it my own. Just a few basic ingredients, that KISS method that works, I guess. The basic recipe calls for 2 lbs ground beef and one 12 oz beer. I usually use 5 lb of beef so the recipe is loosely multiplied by 2.5. For the beer I’ll use one or two bottles of a smooth but not too strong ale; Shiner Bock comes to mind. It gives the gravy a creamy texture/flavor and a nice color (see photo). Just make sure you cook it long enough to cook out all the alcohol or it won't taste right. And before I put the lid on to simmer, if it needs more liquid, I’ll top it off with some nasty Budweiser; there’s usually plenty of that in the garage fridge!
And speaking of ground beef, here’s a tip for a really meaty chili when using ground beef:
Loosely drop ½ - 1 tsp sized chunks into a very hot (medium high) cast iron skillet, trying to leave some space in between them. You will have to do it in batches, depending on the amount of meat and size of the skillet.
So loosely fill the bottom of the pan and a few more chunks on top of those. Don’t touch it for a couple of minutes, and the chunks will begin to hold themselves together and become brown on the sides. The bottom of the chunks may be charred, and that’s ok, cause that’s flavor! Use a thin metal spatula to scrape it all up and stir it around for another half minute until there is no more red. Remove meat from skillet into your chili pot. Drain the fat, reheat and do the next batch. Keyword: very hot and dry skillet!
It’s usually one batch per 1 lb of meat in my 12” cast iron skillet; it takes some effort, but worth it IMO. You want to simmer the chili at least an hour and half to two hours after assembly. The beef morsels are tender and juicy, a unique texture for ground beef.
After the meat is finished I add the onions and garlic to the skillet and sauté several minutes. The recipe calls for a 28 oz can of tomatoes per 2 lb of beef, but I think that is too much so I use one 28 oz can for the whole 5 lbs. Drain the juice into the skillet to help deglaze, loose chop the whole tomatoes and add to the skillet with the onions. I use two heaping onions, large diced. And I usually have some pickled jalapenos in the fridge, so I’ll seed and chop up three or four of those. Personally, I would like it a lot hotter but I have a family to please also, so I keep it just warm.
Meanwhile in the chili pot I have been dumping browned meat in and adding dry spices until all is in. Then I’ll start adding the beer and bringing the heat up. Shortly here come the hot veges, and we’re off! Boil gently to get the beer settled in and then simmer for a couple hours. Less is ok if you can’t wait.
Here is the standard recipe I found, tweaked as described above:
True Texas Chili
2 lbs ground beef
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
28 oz can tomatoes
12 oz beer
5 tbs chili powder
1 tbs cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
2 jalapenos seeded and chopped
Bon Appétit, or as we say in the South, y’all dig in!
