Texas Chili con Carne

A bowl of red the Texas way: chunks of chuck, deep chile flavor and no beans. Masa harina thickens it at the end.

Prep

25 min

Cook

3 hr 10 min

Total

3 hr 35 min

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

3 lb beef chuck, cut in ½-inch cubes
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup pure ancho chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
15 oz canned tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth
2 tbsp masa harina
Shredded cheddar, diced onion and sliced jalapeño, to serve

Method

Pat the beef dry and toss with the salt.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, 5 to 6 minutes per batch, and move it to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium. Cook the onion until soft, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano and paprika and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
Return the beef with its juices. Add the chipotles, tomato sauce and broth. Bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook on low until the beef is very tender, 2½ to 3 hours. Stir now and then and add water if it gets too thick.
Stir the masa harina into ¼ cup water, add it to the pot and simmer 10 minutes to thicken. Season with salt and serve with the toppings.

Kitchen note

Brown the beef in small batches. A crowded pot steams the meat and you lose the deep, beefy crust.

Where it comes from

San Antonio’s “chili queens” sold bowls of red from plaza stalls from the 1880s. Chili is the official state dish of Texas.