Frank X. Tolbert's Original Bowl of Texas Red
This recipe has, several times, won the Annual Texas Chili Cook-off Held in Lukenbach, TX.
Ingredients:
12 dried ancho chiles (New Mexico chiles may be subsititued)
3 pounds lean beef chuck, cut in thumb-sized pieces
2 ounces beef suet
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
2 or more garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons chili powder (optional -- "If you want to be adventurous and add more red color")
2 tablespoons Masa Harina ("To thicken or `tighten' the chili) you can use ordinary cornmeal if you don't have Masa."
Note: No self-respecting Texas chili chef would ever add beans to their chili.
Directions:
"Wash the peppers and remove the stems and seeds. (Don't touch your eyes.) Boil the pods in a little water for 30 minutes, or until the skins can be removed easily. Then grind, chop or run through a colander the now skinless, seedless, stemless pods.
"Save the peppery water in which the pods were boiled. Use it for cooking the chili and for adding water if necessary. Be as conservative as possible with water unless you want the chili to be soupy.
"Sear the 3 pounds of beef until it is gray in color. Into the pot, drop the beef, the optional rendered suet, the pepper pods and as much of the peppery liquid as you think you'll need to keep the meat from burning. About 2 inches of water rising above the beef is usually right.
"Bring this to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
"Take the pot off the stove. Add [the other ingredients]. Put the mixture back on the stove and bring it to a boil again, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, keeping the lid on as much as possible. Stir when necessary, but too much stirring will tear up the meat. Add the peppered water only if you think the mixture will burn otherwise.
"Take the pot off the stove again. . . . [Add the masa harina.] Cook, actually simmer most of the way, for another 30 minutes, or until the meat is done. During this last 30 minutes, do a lot of tasting to see if the seasoning suits you."
Number Of Servings:Server 4 - 6