Description
Hearty Texas chili con carne brings bold southwestern flavors dancing across your palate with rich, spicy complexity. Robust beef and smoky spices create a soulful dish promising pure comfort in each deeply satisfying spoonful you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat:
- 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) boneless beef chuck (cut into 1-inch cubes)
Chilies and Aromatics:
- 4 New Mexico chilies (stems and seeds removed, 5–6 inches each)
- 3 Ancho chilies (stems and seeds removed, 4 inches each)
- 1 extra-large yellow onion (chopped, about 2.5 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper (chopped, about 1.5 cups)
- 2–6 jalapeños (seeds and ribs removed for less heat if desired, diced, optional)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced, about 1.5 tablespoons)
Spices and Seasonings:
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1.5 teaspoons ground coriander
- 0.5 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
Liquid and Toppings:
- 3 cups (710 milliliters) low-sodium chicken broth (plus more as needed)
- 2 cups (470 milliliters) tomato purée (plus more as needed)
- Tortilla chips
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Sour cream
- Mexican hot sauce
- Diced onions (green, purple, or yellow)
Instructions
- Toast dried chilies in a large pot over medium heat for 2 minutes per side until fragrant and slightly darkened.
- Pour chicken broth over toasted chilies, bringing to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and allow chilies to steep for 5–10 minutes until softened.
- Transfer chile-broth mixture to blender, covering lid with kitchen towel, and purée until completely smooth. Set chile sauce aside.
- Pat beef dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in the same pot over medium-high heat.
- Sear beef in batches, creating a deep brown crust on each side for approximately 3 minutes. Remove browned meat and set aside, repeating with remaining beef and adding more oil if necessary.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeños to the pot, sautéing for 4 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
- Incorporate garlic and ground spices, cooking for 1 minute to release their aromatic oils.
- Introduce tomato purée, blended chile sauce, Mexican oregano, and cocoa powder. Return seared beef to the pot with accumulated juices.
- Reduce heat to low, allowing chili to simmer gently and uncovered for 2–3 hours. Stir occasionally and adjust liquid consistency with additional broth or tomato purée as needed.
- Taste and fine-tune seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve piping hot, garnishing with preferred toppings like shredded cheese, crisp tortilla chips, or cooling sour cream.
Notes
- Carefully toast dried chilies to enhance their deep, smoky flavor without burning, which can create a bitter taste.
- For a milder version, remove chili seeds before blending to reduce heat intensity while maintaining complex pepper flavor.
- Consider using lean beef cuts like chuck roast to ensure tender meat that breaks down beautifully during long, slow cooking process.
- Replace beef with plant-based ground alternatives or jackfruit for a vegetarian adaptation without compromising traditional Texas chili richness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg