Crazy Good Old Fashioned Texas Chili Food

TRUE TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• 1. Place the chiles in a straight-sided large skillet over medium-low heat and gently toast the chiles until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Don't let them burn or they'll turn bitter. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with very hot water and soak until soft, 15 to 45 minutes, turning once or twice.
• 2. Drain the chiles; split them and remove stems and seeds (a brief rinse helps remove seeds, but don't wash away the flesh). Place the chiles in the bowl of a blender and add the cumin, black pepper, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 cup water. Purée the mixture, adding more water as needed (and occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender jar), until a smooth, slightly fluid paste forms (you want to eliminate all but the tiniest bits of skin.) Set the chile paste aside.
• 3. Return skillet to medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the lard. When it begins to smoke, swirl skillet to coat and add half of the beef. Lightly brown on at least two sides, about 3 minutes per side, reducing the heat if the meat threatens to burn. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 2 more tablespoons of lard and the remaining beef. Reserve.
• 4. Let the skillet cool slightly, and place it over medium-low heat. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of lard in the skillet; add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, the remaining 2 cups water and gradually whisk in the masa harina to avoid lumps. Stir in the reserved chile paste, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula to loosen any browned bits. Add the reserved beef (and any juices in the bowl) and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain the barest possible simmer (just a few bubbles breaking the surface) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender but still somewhat firm and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of thickened but still liquid sauce surrounds the cubes of meat, about 2 hours.
• 5. Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar thoroughly and add more salt to taste; gently simmer 10 minutes more. At this point, it may look like there is excess sauce. Turn off the heat and let the chili stand for at least 30 minutes, during which time the meat will absorb about half of the remaining sauce in the skillet, leaving the meat bathed in a thick, somewhat fluid sauce. Stir in additional broth or water if the mixture seems too dry. If the mixture seems a bit loose and wet, allow it to simmer a bit more (sometimes we like to partially crush the cubes of beef with the back of a spoon to let them absorb more sauce). Adjust the balance of flavors with a bit of additional salt, sugar, or vinegar, if you like.
• 6. Reheat gently and serve in individual bowls with a dollop of sour cream on top and a lime wedge on the side.

CRAZY-GOOD OLD-FASHIONED TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Make the chile purée: Remove the stems from the ancho chiles, slice or tear them open and shake out and discard the seeds. Use your fingers (you may want to wear gloves) to remove the stubborn seeds. Heat a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (the same one you'll use to cook the chili) over high heat until it's hot. Add the chiles and toast them, turning once or twice, about 45 seconds total. Transfer the chiles to a medium bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them soak for 30 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon (as you want save the liquid) to transfer the chiles to the jar of a blender. Add about half a cup of the soaking liquid and purée till smooth and thick. Add a little more of the liquid if necessary. Set the purée and the remaining soaking liquid aside.
• While the chiles are soaking, heat the Dutch oven again over high heat, and when it's hot, add the garlic cloves and onion slices and toast them till they're charred in spots, about 5 or 6 minutes. Peel the garlic cloves, and roughly chop them and the onions. Set aside.
• In a small skillet, toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 or 3 minutes. Grind in a mortar or spice grinder to a fine powder. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat till shimmering. Add the diced beef and brown, stirring now and then, until all the pink has disappeared, about 10 minutes or so. Pour and scrape the ancho chile purée into the pot and stir to combine, then add about 1 1/2 cups of the chile soaking liquid, plus the onions and garlic, ground cumin, salt, oregano, bay leaves and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cook, partially covered over low heat, for about 2 1/2 hours (till the meat is meltingly tender and the chili is insanely delicious), skimming off the fat now and then and adding a little more chile soaking liquid or water if necessary. Adjust seasoning and serve, passing bowls of chopped onion and grated cheese as garnish, if desired.

CHILI

Steps:

• InstructionsBrown your hamburger meat and drain the grease. Add the hamburger to your slow cooker.Add your chopped yellow onion and butter to your skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add your onion to the slow cooker.Add the remaining ingredients to your slow cooker and stir well.Cook on high for 4 hours.Serve with sour cream, cheese & green onions and enjoy!

TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Tear the guajillo and ancho chiles into about 1-inch pieces. In a medium saucepan, toast the chiles over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and darkened in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and enough water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chiles are softened, about 10 minutes. Drain well and discard the liquid.
• Transfer the chili mixture to a blender with the beef broth, cornmeal, oregano and cumin. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, toss the beef with the salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook the meat until browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes per batch.
• Return all the beef to the pot and stir in the chili mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Stir in the cider vinegar. Season the chili to taste with salt. Serve topped with queso fresco, pickled jalapeños, cilantro and corn chips, if you like.

OLD MAMA'S FASHIONED CHILI

Steps:

• Cook and stir ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until crumbly and browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Stir drained ground beef, black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, green bell peppers, yellow onion, garlic, and chili seasoning together in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are slightly tender and chili is heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with hot sauce, salt, and ground black pepper to taste.