Texas Tuff 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.

TEXAS TUFF CHILI

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, brown the ground beef along with the onion and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring it to a boil.
• Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for an hour covered.
• Skim off any grease on the top.

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.

TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the chiles on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Don't let them burn or they will turn bitter. Transfer the chiles to a medium heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and let the chiles soak until softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Drain the chiles then remove and discard the stems. Split open each chile and scrape out the seeds with the back of your knife. Discard the seeds and transfer the chiles to a blender. Add the cumin, half of the diced onion, half of the garlic, 1/2 cup of the beef stock, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Blend, occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender, until a smooth, slightly fluid paste forms (you want to eliminate all but the tiniest bits of skin).
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chile paste and cook until slightly darkened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the lard (or heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil). Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. When the lard begins to smoke, swirl the pot to coat and add half of the beef. Cook, lowering the heat if the meat threatens to burn, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 2 more tablespoons of the lard and the remaining beef. Set aside.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon lard (or heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil) in the pot. Add the remaining diced onion and garlic and cook gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot along with any juices. Then add 2 cups water and the remaining 2 cups beef stock. Stir in the reserved chile paste and bring to a simmer over high heat, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Lower the heat to maintain the barest possible simmer (just a few bubbles breaking the surface) and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 2 hours.
• Thoroughly stir the masa harina, brown sugar and vinegar into the chili. Gently simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of crema, shredded cheese, white onion and a lime wedge.

TEXAS CHILI

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup stock to a boil. Add chilies. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Remove and discard stems from seeds from chiles. Put chiles and soaking liquid into a food processor or blender. Cover and process until smooth., In a large bowl, combine 4 tablespoons flour , salt and pepper. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and toss to coat. , In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Brown beef in batches, adding additional oil as necessary. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add onion to same pan; cook and stir until tender, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1-2 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups broth, stirring to loosen browed bits from pan. Stir in chile mixture. Return beef to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered until beef is tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Skim fat. Stir vinegar, cilantro, brown sugar and cumin; simmer another 10 minutes. If desired, serve with tortillas, sour cream, lime wedges and additional cilantro.