Texas Chili con Carne
A bowl of red made with cubed chuck and rehydrated dried chiles — no beans, no tomatoes, no apologies.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 180 min
- Total
- 210 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Blender
- •Heavy Dutch oven
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 29
- carbs
- 14
- protein
- 42
- calories
- 480
Instructions
- 1
Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side until fragrant. Cover with hot stock and soak 20 minutes.
- 2
Blend the softened chiles, their soaking liquid, and the garlic until completely smooth.
- 3
Brown the cubed chuck deeply in batches in the Dutch oven. Do not crowd the pot.
- 4
Cook the onion in the rendered fat until soft. Stir in the cumin and oregano.
- 5
Return the beef to the pot. Pour in the chile purée and remaining stock, then simmer very gently for 2 to 3 hours until tender.
- 6
Whisk the masa harina (fine corn flour) with a little water and stir it in. Simmer 10 minutes more and season to taste.
Chef's tips
Toast the dried chiles just until fragrant. Thirty seconds too long and the whole pot turns bitter.
Storage
Keeps 4 days refrigerated and improves overnight. Freezes for 3 months.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stove with a little stock or water to loosen the sauce.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using ground beef instead of cubed chuck
- •Scorching the chiles
- •Skipping the long low simmer
Serving suggestions
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