If you typed chili texas red, also known as chili con carne, a bowl of red, you must be looking for a page on real Texas chili.
Well, you found it!
Chili Texas Red, like many dishes can be great, made with quality ingredients, using the right techniques; or, it can be a disaster- a shadow of its intended self, most often canned and ridiculously cheap. In fact, what many of us know as chili, is a far cry from what is what it was at its inception.
I am somewht of a chili purist. Chili Texas Red, quite simply does not have beans. Any beans.
And vegetarian chili is an oxymoron.
But that is not to say that I can’t appreciate a can of chili.
Nope, I can get down and trashy with the best of them, figuratively “waking up the next morning” after a randy night of opening a can of Nalley’s, Hormel, or Wolf Brand from Texas.
In fact, there is really no better chili for chili dogs with squirt cheese than canned chili with beans, but that is another article.Chili con carne, is the Americanized term for chiles con carne- quite literally chile peppers with meat. The modern day king or father of chili, Frank Tolbert, writes in his book A Bowl of Red, that the early recipe for chili was simply chunks of beef stewed together with reconstituted dried chili pods and spices.
In his great book, The Tex Mex cookbook, Robb Walsh traces the explosion of the popularity of chili to the Columbian Exhibition of 1893 in Chicago. There, the Texas exhibit re-created the chili stands of San Antonio where you could buy a bowl of red and crackers for a nickel. A few years later, chili stands and canned chili began popping up across the U.S.Below, I am giving the recipe for Earl’s Chili from my former restaurant. I swore I would never give out this recipe, but I am giving in. And, to help myself sleep at night, I am giving you the amounts for approximately 3 gallons of chili- so it is up to you to break it down to the batch size you’d like. (Or freeze it in portions of 4 or so.)
One tip: do not pass on the masa harina flour. This is a key ingredient for giving the chili earthiness and mouth feel.
Chili Texas red is best served with diced white onions, cheddar cheese and a very cold beer or glass of iced tea.
And, if you really want the authentic feel, make a Frito Pie: dump a bag of Fritos in a bowl, ladle over eight ounces of chili, and top with onions, cheese and mustard. No joke.
Recipe: Texas Red Chili Recipe: aka Earl's Chili
12# Beef stew meat
2 cups masa harina
1# Bacon Ends and Pieces
1/2 cup oil
6 Onions Chopped
½ c chopped garlic
3 cups chili Powder
1 - #10 can tomatoes chopped (a #10 can is approx 1 gallon)
1 can chipotle pureed in Cusisnart
1 gal beef stock
4 oz brown sugar or piloncillo
Salt to taste
Chop bacon in Cuisinart. Put bacon and oil in a very large pot Add onions and garlic. Brown – do not burn!
Add stew meat. Brown well. this will take some time.
Drain excess fat.
Add the rest of the ingredients except masa and salt and cook for 1.5 - 2 hours until meat is fork tender.
Mix masa with water until a runny paste forms.
Add masa to chile and salt to taste. Cook for another 1/2 hour at very low heat, stirring occasionally.
No comments:
Post a Comment