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A true, authentic Texas chili recipe

I love to buy chiles, especially when I find ones that are soft and pliant, so fresh you can imagine they were drying in a Mexican field maybe just last week.

I have to be careful, however, when shopping because my storage space is very limited. And the other day when I opened my cabinet, out came tumbling three bags of chiles that hit me on the head. I then realized that I needed to make something that would use up a lot of my supply. Fortunately, there was a big football game and nothing pleases people watching winter sports more than a big bowl of spicy red Texas chili.

Now, I’ve written about chili before and provided you with general guidelines on how I make my chili. I don’t use beans, I don’t use tomatoes but most importantly, I don’t use measurements. It works for me, but can be frustrating if you’ve never made chili and desire more strict instructions.

Authentic Texas chili with seven chiles | Homesick Texan
So for this batch, I decided to multi-task and wrote down what I was adding to the pot when I made my what I dubbed my seven-chile chili. Of course, there were a couple of mishaps—I added way too many ground cloves in the beginning and accidentally added cardamom instead of coriander during one spice addition. But the best thing about chili is that the longer it cooks, the flavors both deepen and blend into a complex dish where the sum of the bowl is greater than its parts.

People often ask if my chili is real deal Texas-style chili. I’ll say yes because I’m a Texan and it’s the chili I grew up eating. Though defining what authentic Texas chili is can be difficult. The term “chili” comes from chile con carne, which translates to peppers with meat. And that’s at heart what I make, with the addition of some spices and aromatics. But there have been some grumbles.

Some people have grumbled because there’s cinnamon and chocolate in my chili, though these flavors are commonly found in Mexican cuisine. Some people have grumbled because there aren’t tomatoes in my chili, though I don’t think that cowboys on the range had access to tomatoes all the time. And some people have grumbled because I don’t use Gebhardt’s Chili Powder, though I can’t buy that in New York and using fresh chiles will trump chili powder any day.

Authentic Texas chili with seven chiles | Homesick Texan

But no matter what people say, I love my chili and usually, those that eat it love it, too. So here is some of my chili with measurements. Enjoy!

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Print
4.97 from 33 votes

Seven-chile Texas chili

Servings 8
Author Lisa Fain

Ingredients

  • 6 anchos, seeded and stemmed
  • 2 pasilla, seeded and stemmed
  • 2 costeños, seeded and stemmed
  • 2 guajillos, seeded and stemmed
  • 4 chiles de arbol
  • 4 pieces bacon
  • 4 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 cup brewed coffee
  • 1 bottle beer
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp clove
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 2 chipotles in adobo
  • Salt
  • 1/4 cup masa harina
  • 1/3 Mexican hot chocolate tablet, grated

Instructions

  • Heat the dried chiles (anchos, pasillas, costenos, guajillos, and chiles de arbol) in a dry, cast-iron skillet on medium for a couple of minutes on each side. Turn off the heat and then add enough water to the skillet to cover the chiles, and let them soak for half an hour.
  • Meanwhile, in a large heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven, fry up your bacon. When done, remove from pan and crumble (Don’t worry if you opt to eat a slice—you deserve it!) and leave the bacon grease in the pot (it should be about 3 tablespoons). In the pot, cook your beef in the bacon grease on medium heat, a few minutes on each side until lightly browned. You will probably have to cook these in 2 batches.
  • Remove the browned beef from the pot, and add your onions. Cook on medium until clear. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Put the beef back in the pot, and mix in the coffee, the beer, water, bacon crumbles, cumin, cinnamon, clove, allspice, coriander, and cayenne. Add salt to taste and turn the heat up to high.
  • Your soaking chiles should be soft by now. Drain and rinse, discarding the soaking water (it will be bitter) and place them in a blender along with the canned chipotle chiles and one cup of fresh water. Puree until nice and smooth and then add the chile puree to the chili pot.
  • When chili begins to boil, turn heat down to low and let simmer for five hours, stirring occasionally. Taste it once an hour, and if the flavors are too muted, feel free to add more of any of the spices. Also, it starts to get too dry, add more liquid (your choice!).
  • After 5 hours, take a Mexican hot chocolate disc, and finely grate 1/3 of it into the pot. Scoop out 1 cup of broth and add the masa harina. Mix it well and then reincorporate it back into the pot. Stir until chili is thickened.
  • Let the chili simmer for another half hour or so. Taste and adjust seasonings. When done, serve with cheddar, onions and tortillas.

Notes

If you can’t find all of these chiles, I would just use the more readily available anchos and chipotles. I’d use 6-8 anchos, following the same soaking and pureeing method, and two chipotles.

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Recipe Rating




196 Comments

  1. fred hutchings says:

    5 stars
    Made it twice now. Really great. Ended up getting London Broil cuts and doing the 1/4″ chop. Family wanted a few beans, so I made a batch with a can of pinto beans. Nice flavor and not difficult for a part time cook..

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Fred–Thank you for the feedback! I’m glad you and your family have been enjoying the chili!

  2. This recipe looks amazing. I’m cooking it for the first time in a couple days. I plan on adding 1 lb. of ground axis (along with the 4 lb. chuck roast). My question is, when should I add the axis meat to the pot (at the same time as the chuck roast, or later on)? Also, what size pot should I use? Thank you!!

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Ian–I’d brown the axis and add it when you’re also doing the chuck roast. A large Dutch oven or 8-quart pot will work.

  3. 5 stars
    As a lifelong Texan, this is the best chili I’ve ever had! Made it for my boyfriend and roommate (also lifelong Texans) and they reluctantly agreed it was the best chili they’d ever had. Then proceeded to eat it for lunch and dinner three days straight.

    Perfect with just fritos and some white onion. No costeños available at central market so I subbed for extra guajillos. Also added an extra shiner and a lonestar.

    Leaving this review because I’m making it again (4x the recipe for freezing). I’m looking forward to making it for my boyfriend’s family. 10/10

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Ava–Thank you for the high praise! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed the chili!

  4. 5 stars
    It won the chili contest!

    Can the chili paste be frozen without sacrificing flavor?

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Jeff–Congratulations! While I haven’t frozen only the paste, frozen chili works pretty well so I reckon it would be good, too.

  5. Glad I checked it after an hour. Very bitter with all the chilies. I only used chipotle, ancho, arbol, and guajillo. My chilis are all dried, minus the chipotles. I added some more salt and ended up adding some sugar until it wasnt bitter. Checking it every hour and adjusting as needed. Very deep chili flavor though that is delicious! My son-in-law in Texas would be very happy to know I did not put beans in this!

    1. Lisa Fain says:

      Carolyn–It’s frustrating when chiles are bitter and I’m sorry yours were that way. Sugar is a good way to mitigate this as is honey. Cinnamon, surprisingly will also help. I also try to rinse my chiles well to get rid of any lingering tannins but sometimes you just can’t. That said, I’m glad everything worked out for you and yes, your Texan son-in-law will be proud! Thanks for the feedback!