Texas chili??? Whatta you got?

coltle6920 · Aug 29, 2015

Only ever ate or made chili with hamburger and beans growing up back East.Looking to try one of these Texan beef chili recipes that all of you brag about.

So what do you have? I like heat but only to enhance the flavor.Don't tell me about these exotic chilli peppers you got from a buddhist monk while serving in Asia.

It isn't like I'm starving here.Just trying to add a little variety! Would certainly appreciate some of your favorite recipes.

Bro. Dave · Aug 29, 2015

Texas chili

Check out Home

They are purveyors of all things chili (and many other spices, too) including some classic recipes. I try to keep on hand, at the least, some Top Hat blend, Fort Worth Light, and some Ancho.

As many will attest, true chili has no beans. Some folks go so far as to provide beans on the side for those who desire to commit this sacrilege. Beef is the default protein, but which cut and how prepped (coarse ground, regular ground, chopped, etc.) is subject of much debate.

For me, onions and garlic are a great addition. Probably no topics other than religion and politics will bring out controversy as what constitutes a true bowl of Texas Red.

Buckle up and watch the excitement when the topic comes up in a crowd.

finesse_r · Aug 30, 2015

I usually get a lot of gas and heartburn. It is worth it most of the time.

DWalt · Aug 30, 2015

In Texas, there are as many varieties of Chili as there are Chili makers. I have been to Chili cookoffs with over a hundred entrants. And every one used a different recipe with different ingredients. How about rattlesnake meat? armadillo meat?, deer meat? javalena meat? feral hog meat? I've even seen shrimp Chili and crawfish Chili. And a good many entrants use beans - all sorts of beans. Some is spicy hot, a lot is not.

I grew up in Southern Ohio, where the norm was Cincinnati Chili (which takes numerous forms also). It can be of a type used on hot dogs or spaghetti, which is usually sort of thin and watery, without beans. Or it can be thicker and eaten with crackers from a bowl. It can have beans, or no beans. About the only constant is it contains chocolate and cinnamon. My mother always put kidney beans in her version. But always with the chocolate and cinnamon. I still like it that way.

coltle6920 · Aug 30, 2015

When I make chili I use hamburger,onion,diced tomatos,beans and jalapenos.The only thing that might vary is the amount of cumin or chili powder used.Using different brands of tomatos can also make a big difference in the end result.The only thing I would substitute is chunks of beef in place of the hamburger.

Onomea · Aug 30, 2015

C'mon, guys. Throw some recipes out there! That's what the OP asked.

(Hey, I am curious, too. Made some chili a while back from my go to cooking Bible, Joy of Cooking, compiled by Irma Rombauer's descendants, but, frankly, was not satisfied.)

So, what'chall like?

wbraswell · Aug 30, 2015

Tournament chili has no beans, and usually no tomato product. Eating chili does. But as a Texan, I would never put a lot of beans in my chili, and those would ONLY be pinto beans. Black beans belong in Caribbean food, and those awful long things called chili beans must have come from Satan, or up north. I will pulse pintos a couple of times in the food processor before adding them, so it looks like there's only a few in there. I use chili grind meat, not hamburger. I like the texture and chew.
Pictured: Lunch, protected by M13-3 with Ahrends boot grip.

THE PILGRIM · Aug 30, 2015

Interesting! Most of the Chilii that I have eaten in Texas had tomato.
Since moving to NM, I make it without tomato.
And I like to make it from scratch. No kits!
Kits are for model airplanes, not Chilii.
Ok - you still got your Chilii making training wheels on?
You are cleared to use a store bought kit.
This will be rescinded when you demonstrate minimum profiency.

hoosierone · Aug 30, 2015

Mine is pretty basic:

1 lb hamburger
1 can tomatoes (I usually use diced)
1 can beans (whatever you like)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped onion
garlic (as much as you want)
2T chili powder (or more)
1t ground cumin
sprinkle of cilantro
1T lime juice

Aticus · Aug 30, 2015

Texans don't make chili they just throw some meat and stuff after the hot spices and call it chili. If it doesn't deaden your taste buds for two days in ain't chili.

coltle6920 · Aug 30, 2015

So from what I read online about the history of chili it was nothing more than beef and spices.Tomatos were seasonal so they were rarely used and it was too time consuming to soak beans.

I guess I've been eating Texas chili all my life except that it's on a plate and it's called a ribeye!

wyccad915 · Aug 30, 2015

We just made some chili. In addition to the hamburger and beans, we had added some stew meat and polska kielbasa.

shouldazagged · Aug 30, 2015

I don't work from recipes, and no two batches are ever quite the same, but I make it various ways.

One semi-traditional favorite involves making a stock with beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, a little black coffee, a pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder, onions, garlic, green pepper and chili spices: hot peppers, cumin and oregano. Sometimes add ground chipotle or a little Spanish smoked paprika. I cook it down for an hour or so with a few chunks of country bacon, then discard the vegetables. To the stock I add browned boneless beef short ribs and pinto beans, and cook it long and slow. I serve it over rice. I like it with a pretty high level of heat.

On the other hand, since I'm not a Texan but a Tennessean who grew up on my grandmother's chili, I also make it with ground beef and pork, tomatoes, onions, diced green pepper, garlic, diced tomatoes and pinto beans.

Unlike many Kentucky residents, I DON'T put spaghetti in chili, or macaroni. That just ain't right.

finesse_r · Aug 30, 2015

Good chili is made from what you have and you don't need no stinkin' recipe. You either know how to make it or your don't.

wbraswell · Aug 30, 2015

Chili is also used as an ingredient. Nothing wrong with using it as a pasta sauce. It just becomes chili-mac or chili spaghetti. Chili burgers seem to be a fad these days, although that's a little sloppy for me. Chili dogs are a tradition from Texas to NY to Detroit and beyond. You can't make that great Texas delicacy Frito Pie without good chili.

CAJUNLAWYER · Aug 30, 2015

People forget the real reason chili was invented in the first place and that was do mask the flavor of otherwise unpalatible meat so you could get it down. Put enough chili pepper in it and you don't know you're eating meat that has turned.

SouthernGirl · Aug 30, 2015

DWalt said:
But always with the chocolate and cinnamon. I still like it that way.

Chocolate??? in Chili????

I love chocolate, trust me there, but in chili?

DWalt · Aug 30, 2015

SouthernGirl said:
Chocolate??? in Chili????

I love chocolate, trust me there, but in chili?

It is quite good. Most who use it in Chili use dark chocolate. It doesn't take a lot. Google on Cincinnati Chili, you'll find out all about it. Chocolate is used in many Mexican recipes - that's where Chocolate came from. Moctezuma practically lived on it.

Double-O-Dave · Aug 30, 2015

I just butchered the remainder of last season's deer last night, and I'm getting ready to make a batch of chili for supper tomorrow. Venison, beer, onions, chili powder, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and that's all. Serve it with white rice and Fritos, can't hardly wait until supper tomorrow.

Regards,

Dave

RSBH44 · Aug 30, 2015

SouthernGirl said:
Chocolate??? in Chili????

I love chocolate, trust me there, but in chili?

Heck yeah. Not a ton mind you but a dash of dark semi sweet powdered chocolate goes a long way and enhances the flavor of chili nicely
I have even used a dash of dark roast ground coffee when there was no choc. In the pantry. Try it, you'll be suprised.

Texas chili??? Whatta you got?

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