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Tex-Mex Chili

tex-mex chili
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Tender beef, sausage, and bacon, bathed in the essence of toasted chilies, roasted tomatoes, and Tex-Mex flavors.  Does it get any better than that?  This Tex-Mex Chili recipe will take you back to the time of Texas Cattle drives!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 6 Ancho Chilis
  • 3 Guajillo Chilis
  • 3 Pasilla Chilis
  • 4 Roma Tomatoes
  • 3 pounds Beef Chuck (cut into 1″ cubes)
  • 1 pound thick sliced Bacon (cut into 1/4 slices)
  • 1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil (any vegetable oil will work)
  • 1 large white Onion, diced
  • 3 ribs Celery, diced
  • 1 Green Pepper, diced
  • 1 Head fresh Garlic, roasted and crushed
  • 5 cups beef stock
  • 1 Chipotle in adobo, stem and seeds removed
  • 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Fresh Ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup Masa Harina

Equipment:

  • Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet
  • 10–quart stockpot with lid
  • Blender or Food Processor (to puree the chilis)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
  2. Thoroughly clean the dried chiles, taking care to wipe any dusty crevasses. De-stem and de-seed the chiles, but don’t worry about getting rid of every last seed. Divide the chilis into batches of 2-3 chilis.
  3. Add a batch of chilis to the heated cast iron skillet.  Use a wooden spatula to press the chili flesh down onto the dry heat, so that it starts to blister and turn a darker color. This should take 35-45 seconds.  Remove the toasted chilis to a large bowl.  Repeat until all the chilis are toasted.
  4. Pour water from a freshly boiled kettle over the chilies, and leave in a bowl to soak for at least 15 minutes – they are not in hot water long enough that they will lose flavor.
  5. While chilis are reconstituting, rinse and de-stem the tomatoes.  Roast in a 400F oven for 20 minutes. Set aside.
  6. Preheat a large stockpot over medium heat.
  7. While roasting tomatoes, cut the chuck roast into 1-1½” pieces, and add a generous amount of kosher salt.  Discard any fat pieces you don’t want included in your Chili. Set the beef pieces aside.
  8. Add the bacon slices to the pot and cook until crisp.  Remove the bacon pieces and set aside.  Remove all but about 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat, save the fat you remove.
  9. Add a few of the chuck roast pieces at a time to the pot. Sear the meat on all sides, for about 2-3 minutes and remove to a plate. Repeat the process until all the meat is seared. You may need a little more bacon fat than what’s listed, it will depend on how well-marbled the meat is.  If needed, add some of the saved bacon fat.
  10. Add the Italian Sausage to the pot and stir occasionally until brown.  Remove the sausage and place on a paper towel-lined plate set aside.
  11.  Add the onions, celery, and green pepper to the pot.  Stir occasionally, cooking until softened.  Add the minced garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Remove half of the onion-garlic-green pepper mixture and place it into a blender where it will become part of the chili puree.  Add 4 cups of stock to the stockpot.
  12. Drain the reconstituted chilies.  Add the drained chilies to the blender, one of the roasted tomatoes, and a single chipotle in adobo.  Add one cup of stock and blend until smooth.  You may need to add more liquid if it won’t combine easily.
  13. Add the chili puree to the stockpot.  Add 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano, 1 teaspoon ground Cumin, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper.  Stir to combine, then add the seared beef pieces, sausage, bacon, and remaining whole roasted tomatoes.
  14. Raise the heat to medium-high and cover the pot, when the chili begins to boil, lower the heat to low to medium-low.  Let the chili simmer for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.  Check every 30-45 minutes, skim fat with a large spoon or ladle as necessary.
  15. At 4 hours, remove a cup of the chili broth and add the masa harina, mix well, then add back into the chili pot.  Stir to combine and thicken the chili.
  16. Let the chili simmer for another 30-45 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  When done, serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, onions and tomatoes.

Find it online: https://foodienoise.com/homemade-tex-mex-chili/