Ladies and gents, hold onto your bootstraps, this chili is one for the record books.
We’re thrilled to bring you our version of Texas Chili. No beans or whole tomatoes in sight, but unbelievable taste and texture, to boot. Give yourself a few hours, and you’ll have the best chili this side of the Rio Grande and beyond!
How To Make Texas Chili
If you’re looking to make authentic Texas-style chili, you’ve come to the right place.
We love starting off with 2 to 3 lbs of cubed ribeye steak.
Building the flavor profile as you go is key to deep, satisfying chili taste.
Choosing the Right Cut of Beef
Lots of folks use beef ground chuck, which is wonderful, of course.
But we love good bite-sized chunks of super tender meat that you get with every bite.
Our favorite is boneless ribeye, but you could also go with a sirloin, strip steak, or beef tenderloin.
A simple seasoning of salt and pepper is all that’s needed for the beef.
Browning the meat in a little olive oil locks in the flavor.
The meat will render some fat, so we drain the meat with a colander before returning it to the hot skillet.
The Best Seasonings for Texas-Style Chili
- Top-notch chili powder
- Garlic and onion powders
- Cayenne and black peppers
- Smoked paprika
- Dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- Salt
After you’ve combined all the seasoning ingredients, we recommend dividing the mixture into thirds.
You’ll add tomato sauce, chicken, and beef stocks to the pot with the cooked beef and bring it to a nice simmer.
EXPERT TIP: Adding the seasoning mixture in equal portions over the course of an hour and a half, deepens the flavor and ensures all spices dissolve perfectly, and helps to thicken the chili.
Building the Classic Flavor
After an hour and a half of simmering, all of the seasoning mixtures should have been added.
As the Texas chili simmers, it will reduce down and thicken to the perfect consistency, not thick like gravy, but definitely not runny either.
EXPERT TIP: For the final flavor boost, we add brown sugar, ground cumin, and a few dashes of our favorite hot sauce. These are best when added right at the end of cooking, otherwise, their flavor-profile can become too dominant in the chili.
Authentic and Comforting
Folks, a bowl of our classic Texas Chili is about a comforting as they come.
You might also enjoy our white bean chili, turkey chili, or vegetarian chili, too. But we must admit, this Texas chili, sometimes called Texas Red, is our all-time favorite.
This could easily be doubled (or tripled) to feed a crowd.
Quality chili powder is important. You can find the very best in Fort Worth, Texas at Penderys…or easily peruse the endless selections of spice, chili powders and more at www.Penderys.com.
Be sure to provide all the classic garnishes when serving Texas-style chili. Chopped onion, shredded cheddar (or Monterrey jack), and sliced jalapenos are a must. Sour cream and even cooked rice are popular additions, too.
If you’re looking for the perfect bowl of chili to serve, you’ve arrived!
Ready to make this best chili in town, or heck, in the world? Go for it! Yee-haw!
And don’t forget, when you make it, be sure to take a picture of it and post it on Instagram, and tag @HowtTofFeedaLoon and #HowToFeedaLoon!
Texas Chili
Equipment
- 1 Large pot,such as a Dutch oven
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt more, to taste
- 1 tsp Adobo seasoning
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 lbs boneless beef steak such as ribeye or sirloin, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp brown sugar light or dark
- 2 tbsp cumin ground
- Hot Sauce for garnish, such as Frank's or Tobasco
- onion chopped, for garnish
- cheddar cheese shredded, for garnish
- jalapeno fresh or pickled, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the first 9 ingredients in a bowl; divide into thirds.
- Heat oil in a large pot (Dutch oven works well) over medium heat.
- Season meat with salt and pepper all over.
- Cook meat in hot oil until browned all over. Drain. Add meat back to the pot.
- Add tomato sauce, chicken stock, and beef stock.
- Bring to a simmer and then add ⅓ of the chili powder mixture, after 30 minutes, add the next ⅓ of the chili powder mixture, and then after another 30 minutes, add the last ⅓ of the chili powder mixture and let simmer for another 30 minutes. (This will be approx. 1 ½ hours total).
- Add in the brown sugar, ground cumin, and hot sauce and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes, until desired thickness.
- Serve at once with garnishes on the side.
Made this the other night and absolutely loved it. (Just enjoyed the leftovers for lunch!). Went with 2 1/2 pounds of ribeye. Really nice flavor profile, just enough heat without it being overwhelming. I may have simmered it a bit too long as the sauce was a bit dense (yours looks to be more “liquidy”) but it was delicious nonetheless and even more so two days later for lunch! Thanks for yet another winning recipe!
Hi Mark! So for the late response! Woo hoo!! So so glad you enjoyed the chili! Sometimes it can get a little thick in the final simmering. If that happens, you can thin it a bit with a little more beef or chicken broth, or even water. But, so so glad you enjoyed it and as always, we appreciate so very much you letting us know and for the great review!! Keep us posted on more dishes!! And keep your eyes peeled for more on the way!! Kris & Wesley
The best chili I ever made was with brisket offcuts. Hooboy that was good. Yours looks pretty amazing!
Yum Yum Yum!!!! Sounds heavenly to us!!!!