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Black bean chili | Homesick Texan
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Black bean chili, Texas style

Course Main Course
Cuisine Texan
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings 8
Author Lisa Fain

Ingredients

For the beans:

  • 16 ounces dried black beans
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8 cups water

For the chili:

  • 1 ounce (about 3) dried pasilla chiles
  • 1 ounce (about 3) dried ancho chiles
  • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 canned chipotle chiles
  • 1 cup bean broth
  • 1 tablespoon masa harina
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • Sour cream, for serving,
  • Diced onion, for serving,
  • Pickled jalapeños, for serving

Instructions

  • Rinse and sort the beans then place them into a large pot. Add to the pot the salt, black pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, cayenne, baking soda, bay leaf, and water. Bring the pot to a boil on high, then turn off the heat and cover the pot for 1 hour to quickly soak. You can also soak overnight without boiling first if you prefer.
  • After the beans have soaked, heat the oven to 275°F and place the pot, with the beans and its soaking liquid, covered into the oven. Cook for 2 hours then check on the beans’ tenderness. If the beans are tender, taste and adjust seasonings. If the beans need more time to become soft, continue to cook covered, checking the beans every 30 minutes until done.
  • When done, drain the black beans for the chili, reserving 1 cup of the bean broth. Wipe out the pot as you’ll be using it again.
  • To make the chili, in a dry skillet heated on high, toast the pasilla and ancho chiles for about 10 seconds, turning once. Fill the skillet with enough water to cover the chiles. Leave the heat on until the water begins to boil and then turn off the heat and let the chiles soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in the bean pot, on medium heat, warm the grapeseed oil. Add the whole garlic cloves, and while occasionally stirring, cook until fragrant and beginning to brown. Add the cumin, oregano, salt, and cayenne and while stirring, cook for 1 more minute.
  • Scrape the garlic and oil with the seasonings into a blender, then add 2 cups of water to the pot, swirl around to gather all the cooked bits, then pour into the blender.
  • Drain and rinse the chiles when they’re soft, and also place them into the blender. Add the chipotle chiles to the blend, then puree the chiles with the garlic, water, and spices until smooth.
  • Pour this chili gravy puree into the bean pot, then add the remaining 2 cups of water into the blender jar and swirl it around to get the rest of the puree. Pour this into the pot, then add the beans back to the pot, too, along with the reserved bean broth.
  • Stir the beans until they’re well blended with the chili gravy then simmer on low heat uncovered for 1 hour or until the gravy has reduced and the beans are flavorful.
  • Stir in the masa harina until well blended, then stir in the lime juice and taste and adjust seasonings. Continue to cook uncovered until the broth has thickened up a bit from the masa harina, about 5 minutes. Serve warm, topped with sour cream, diced onion, and pickled jalapenos.

Notes

If you want to use canned black beans, that's fine. You'll need 4 (15-ounce) cans and use 1 cup of the liquid in those cans. You'll most likely want to add more spices, so add the chili powder, garlic powder etc. to taste depending on how the canned beans were prepared.