Hearty Texas Style Chili
Ingredients:
- 4 thick sliced pieces of bacon or 4 ounce slab of bacon, chopped
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons New Mexican chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground instant coffee
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 3/4 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons masa harina or fine cornmeal
- 1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- Corn tortillas or tortilla chips, optional
Toppings:
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheddar
- Sliced jalapeno
- Chopped onion
- Cilantro leaves
Method:
1. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring, until it is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and the garlic and cook, stirring frequently until the softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, coffee, cumin and ancho. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spices begin to fry, about 1 minute. Add the ketchup and the beef and cook, stirring until the beef browns slightly, about 5 minutes.2. Add the broth, 3 cups of water, oregano and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and simmer the mixture, uncovered, until the beef is tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Add more water as needed so that beef is just barely covered in liquid. Stir the chili occasionally to make sure that the meat is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. Stir in the cornmeal and the cider vinegar and simmer the chili until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place chili into deep serving bowls. Garnish with desired toppings and serve with tortillas or tortilla chips if desired.
Serves: 6-8
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes