Description
This Texas chili is a no tomato and no bean chili recipe that is rich and flavorful with chile peppers, chipotle peppers, beer, and chuck roast that are simmered together until the beef is tender. Add all of your favorite chili toppings for a cozy cold-weather dinner.
Ingredients
- 8 dried red chiles, stems and seeds removed (see note)
- 3 1/2 cups water, divided
- 1 chipotle pepper, plus 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce (see note)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided (see note)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 pounds chuck roast, fat trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
- 12 ounces bottle of lager-style beer
- 1/4 cup masa harina (add at the end)
- Juice of one lime
Toppings
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced onion
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Place the chiles in water and soak them for 30 minutes. Drain off the water and place them in a blender or food processor along with 1 1/2 cups of water, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or pan. Season the beef with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- Place the beef pieces in an even layer in the pot (you may need to cook them in two batches) and brown them on both sides, about five to eight minutes. Once browned, remove them from the pot.
- In the same pot, cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the browned beef back to the pot and stir to combine.
- Pour the chili sauce into the pan along with the beer and two cups of water. Stir and increase the heat to bring the liquid to a boil. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and let the chili simmer and reduce for three to four hours, stirring occasionally. The chili should only lightly bubble as it cooks, if the heat is too high it will thicken quickly. If needed, add more water or beer as it cooks to keep it from thickening too fast. I usually add 1/4 of liquid at a time.
- Once it’s cooked and the beef is tender, add the masa harina and stir. Cook the chili for another 15 minutes or so. Add the lime juice, stir, and serve with the toppings.
Notes
For the chiles, you have a lot of options. I like to use mild New Mexico dried red chiles but you can choose spicier ones or do a mix of chiles.
Feel free to double the chipotle peppers if you want a bigger kick of heat and smokiness.
I recommend starting with the amount of salt listed in the ingredients and adding more at the end if it needs it. Because the chili simmers and reduces you don’t want too much at the beginning otherwise it will get concentrated as the chili cooks. So start small and add as you go to your taste.
Recipe adapted from Homesick Texan
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 358
- Sugar: 8.9g
- Sodium: 220.8mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 9.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17.4g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 31.8g
- Cholesterol: 89.4mg
Keywords: Texas chili, beef chili recipe