Texas-Style Chili Recipe (2024)

I am a 68 year old Texan. I can make Texas chili well enough to make you cry. Three comments about this recipe.
1. It will produce a good bowl of chili. It will work for those who have little knowledge or experience in making the real thing,
2. Please, no tomatoes or, for God's sake, beans.
3. The real thing uses no chili powder, but a paste made of various dried, softened chilies to the cook's taste. If you must, order some Gebhardt's and use more cumin.

There are two classes of chili--competition chili and eating chili. The former contains cubed meat, spices, water, and masa. Onions, bell peppers and tomatoes are taboo.
The latter contains anything you want it to. It's your kitchen, you make the rules.
This particular recipe reminds me of the chili cooked up and served by the lunch ladies at my grammar school many decades ago. I remember it fondly.
I hope this note eases the religious tension that any chili recipe seems to create.

I agree completely about the tomatoes, and the only shortcut I recommend for the Masa Harina/corn tortillas is to remove about a cup of liquid while cooking and put itini a blender - then add about a cup of Fritos Corn chips to the liquid and blend to a paste, then add this back to the pot. Fritos ingredients are only 'corn, corn oil and salt', and they make a great way to thicken and establish that essential corn taste, with very little hassel.

This recipe is delicious as presented. I have made numerous trips to Texas. I have eaten chilli with beans, chilli with tomatoes, chilli with beans and tomatoes, barbecue with sause on it and BBQ'd pork, all in the Lone Star state, all cooked by Texans in Texas establishments. So authentic means nothing if it tastes good.

I'm a 67yr old Hispanic Texan and I really liked this. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas where Chili was born. I worked for the Institute of Texan Cultures and per historical accounts, the original Chili Bowl was created from dried beef pounded and shredded called 'Carne Seca'. It was then cooked and reconstituted with fat, water, dried powdered chilies, and other spices added as per each cooks taste. NO Beans. It's called Chilli because it has chilies.

I don't get it, there are no beans in this recipe, how would it taste of beans?

I cannot attest to whether this is "authentic" Texas-style chili, but it seems that battle has been fought pretty thoroughly in the comments section already. For those, like me, who are stumbling across this recipe and simply want to know if it tastes good, it does! I followed it to the letter (using ancho as my chili powder of choice, and 4 of the recommended 4-7 jalapeños) and it turned out wonderfully.

This is not Texas chili as I remember it. First, real Texas chili uses a coarse-ground ground chuck. Second no beans. Third, it should taste of beef, cumin, onion, not tomato, beans or, heavens forbid, any sweetness.

As a vegetarian, I altered the recipe by cooking up a pot of Rancho Gordo Midnight Beans and using half of them instead of the beef. I also thought that Mexican chocolate would be good - but not having any, I used the unsweetened chocolate I had and added some cinnamon - about a teaspoon, although I did not measure it - probably would add a bit more next time.

While I respect those who do not consider beans a legitimate part of chili, eg, Texans, this is a fabulous recipe for anyone with or without beans. I add all kinds of fresh chilis - Anaheim, pasilla, etc. — and beans. Delicious. And, if anyone thinks chocolate adds sweetness, they aren’t paying attention. It is just adds a very subtle layer of flavor.

i cook chili all the time. and am texan. this is on fine recipe. just about every ingredient is essential. altho go light on the diced tomato, this is not a tomato soup recipe !!

This is absolutely delicious, and it thickens up nicely on the second day. I don’t understand why everybody is kvetching about beans, there are no beans in this recipe. Our family was unanimous that this is a keeper. I used four large jalapeños, instead of seven and it was plenty hot. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly.

This is similar to a recipe i copied out of GQ over 25 years ago. That recipe made me a chili snob. No beans or tomatoes! Cubed chuck, onions, garlic, bay leaves, cayenne, chili oowder, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, stock and dark beer, thickened with corn meal. Even though it is 90 outside I sure would like some!

I’m calling it California-Style Chili because I made it here. Great recipe!

If you want to add beans to chile con carne (chile with meat) then call it chile con carne con frijoles. Traditionally, the beans are cook separately, not highly spiced, and added to your bowl of chile coi carne in whatever amount you like. My Texan husband was against adding tomatoes to his bowl of chile con carne, which he topped with salteens -- crackers coarsely broken.

The basics here are tasty. However, I would leave out the 1-quart of water added in step 4. I added it and there was too much liquid so I added 3, 15-oz cans of pinto beans and 2 tablespoons of ACV which gave it a nice zing.

My mom used to make this every year for Christmas Eve. Somebody -Dad- must have loved it; I couldn't stand it. Save it for New Year's and recovering from a hangover or something.

Don’t use large chunks!! Use ground meat

I find that roasting the seasoned meat is the best way to render the fat and collagen.I place carrot, celery and onion in the dutch oven and then roast (covered) for 4 hours at 300ºF.Keep onion, but toss carrot and celery.

Native Texan, growing up in El Paso and central Texas. If you like beans in your chili go ahead. Also, a can of tomatoes that are well broken up in chili is fine too. I never put many beans in the chili, but to 10 lbs of beef I may add a 4 cups of home cooked beans. I don’t care for canned beans added because the beans lose sometexture in the cooking process. Nearly every Texas foodie group argues about beans vs no beans…I say stretch the great flavors and textures and enjoy what you like!

Staying out of the Texas chili or not debate. Commenting only to say this was a great recipe - received rave reviews from guests. Only - it had to cook 4 hours at least. I don’t know how you get fork tender beef in 2 hours or get the right meld of flavors. Luckily I planned for that. Using a cheap coffee grinder for the spices is really helpful. Used it for grinding ancho chilis. Also 2 small corn tortillas - street taco size - worked fine in place of masa.

I've made this twice now and I have to say, it's pretty underwhelming. Simmered 2 hrs, covered, and no masa the 2nd time. Too soupy and the flavors don't blend. Masa probably helps, or simmering uncovered for the last hour. Reheating the next day it smelled like beer. And it is missing something. Maybe more salt, maybe more cumin. Idk but it's missing. 3/5. It's OK, but there are better recipes I've made.

I made this absolutely exactly as written and then added dried pink beans I had done the quick soak to. I really don’t care about the “true” way to make chili. I just want it to be satisfying. This is lacking something. Even a day later, salt wasn’t enough to give it what seemed to be missing. It was okay at best.

I love this recipe. I don't know how authentic it may be but you can brown everything and throw it in a crock pot and it comes out great every time. I completely forgot to put the whole chiles in this time and it was still delicious. I added cumin because we like it like that and don't tell but you can add beans and it's lovely if that's your thing. Obviously not for purists but I'll enjoy my jumbled up chili just the way I like it.

Mostly followed the recipe-tastes great! Changes: 1) had no pure chili powder (just standard supermarket mix) so used 3 chipotles in adobo sauce with a tablespoon sauce 2) based on others' comments, subbed beef broth for water and reduced amount 3) used equivalent powdered cumin and coriander for seeds (too lazy to toast and grind) 4) added cornstarch to thicken too-thin sauce, despite adding corn tortilla 5) cooked in slow cooker 8 hours on high 6) omitted all salt (used unsalted broth).

A faster method for the meat is to cut the chuck roast in half and sear all sides like a steak, then cut into cubes. No need to fuss with ensuring all the little cubes are browned on all sides, and you only need to do 2 batches max (1 per steak - cut the first while the second sears). All the flavor, less work.

This recipe calls for one quart of water, but one cup of water is plenty!

Also added 1tsp cinnamon and and extra 1oz chocolate.