Recipe - A Dirt Simple Plain But Tried And True Texas Chili Recipe

2 pound Beef; preferably a chuck or
round, about, (don't use a
fancy cut!) (up to 3)
One half pound The best doublesmoked bacon
you can find
2 lg Onions; chopped
1 tablespoon Ground cumin; (or more to
taste)
1 tablespoon Good quality chili powder;
(I use Santa Cruz hot, but
adjust this for taste) (up
to 2)
1 tablespoon Paprika; (optional, for
color and less heat) (up to
2)
2 Cloves garlic; (optional)
(up to 4)
Water
Salt and pepper to taste

(taught me by an old friend Ed from Texas, as much a Texas boy as there
ever was)

In keeping with all good recipes, measurements are pretty on the fly here.

Cube the beef into bitesized chunks. Dice the bacon. Heat a large heavy
pot, fry the bacon until almost crisp. Scoop it out and set aside (so it
won't get burnt). Then fry the meat in the bacon fat until browned on all
sides you may have to do this in batches. Scoop out the meat and add to
the bacon. Saute the onions (and garlic if you're using it) in the bacon.
(Those who really get concerned can drain off some of the fat, but it won't
be true Texan at that point.) When it's soft, throw in the cumin, chile
powder, and paprika and cook briefly. Return the meat, cover with water and
bring it to a boil. Taste and add salt, then cover and set it to simmer for
a couple of hours. Thicken as needed with cornmeal or stale tortillas.

Serve with sour cream or cottage cheese, minced onions and, of course, beer.

Like all good chilis this is best made a day in advance and reheated.

Posted to CHILEHEADS DIGEST V4 #272 by David Cook zebcook@pacbell.net on
Jan 17, 1998