Texas Chili
City/Region: United States of America; Mexico; Texas
Time Period: 1910
Picture it: San Antonio, 1910. Hundreds of tables, huge pots of chili bubbling over mesquite fires as dancers and musicians entertain the patrons. The Chili Queens of San Antonio built on a centuries-old tradition of chili-flavored foods by selling them from the plazas of San Antonio during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Early versions of chili were made up of meat that had been fried in fat and stewed with roasted, dried, ground up chili peppers, not far off from this recipe. Very simple, very delicious.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs (1 kg) beef, I used boneless chuck
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) salt
- 1/4 cup (55 g) tallow
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) lard
- 1 cup (142 g) onion, minced
- 3 cups (700 ml) hot water
- 3 tablespoons (25 g) chili powder, Gebhardt’s Eagle Chili Powder* for extra authenticity
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) minced garlic
*See notes below.
Instructions:
- Chop the meat into small cubes, about 1/2 inch.
- Mix the beef and the tallow together, then add the salt and mix.
- Melt the lard in a pot over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring so they don’t burn.
- Add the meat mixture and cook, turning the meat frequently. Once all the meat has some color, continue to cook stirring every few minutes.
- Once the juices have cooked off and the meat is left frying in the fat, add the hot water. Make sure the water is very hot, almost boiling. Add the chili powder and garlic and stir until everything is mixed well.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer with the lid off for 1 to 1 ½ hours. The time will depend on the heat and the cut of meat you’re using. Mine took an hour for the meat to get nice and tender. You shouldn’t have to add any more water, but keep an eye on it because if the water all boils away, the chili will burn.
- After the chili has simmered and the meat is tender, serve it forth and transport yourself back to the plazas of San Antonio when the Chili Queens reigned.
Notes
- Gebhardt’s is still available in grocery stores and online. They say that it’s still the same as it was back in the day (my guess is that there are probably some small additives, but overall the flavor should be the same)