Hello! The other day I cooked and tried the [Babish version of Kevin’s Chili](https://www.bingingwithbabish.com/recipes/2017/1/18/kevinschili?). Honestly it was great and very delicious. However it tasted too… I would say, complex? It was very rich and flavorful, but I almost felt bad adding cheese and Fritos. Definitely does not taste like my mom’s chili. Didn’t get nostalgia and member berries from his recipe.
Now, I know my mom makes chili using chili seasoning (nothing wrong with that!), but I want to take it a step above. Anyone knows a good chili recipe that tastes nostalgic and Texan?
Thanks!
by Fenix512
20 Comments
What are member berries
Honestly I just add the basics and season to taste. Basics being sautéed onion, garlic, protein, tomato paste, tomatoes, bay leaves, comino, garlic and onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pep. I don’t use measurements at all…
Kenji has a good chili recipe, he did a YouTube video of it as well.
The broad strokes are start with dried red chilies- guajillo and ancho are classic, easy to find locally. Deseed them and toast quickly in a pan, then throw in a saucepan and cover with stock and simmer them for about 20 minutes. While that’s going, sear your beef off. I like to use chuck roast like he does in his recipe. You can cube it before or after searing. Once the peppers are done, blend them up with the stock, and that’s the base for your braising liquid. Add the blended mixture to a pot with the beef, adding more stock if necessary to cover, and season. Then just simmer until the meat is tender, a few hours give or take.
Frank x Tolbert wrote the book on texas chili. It’s called A bowl of red! It’s a great history about the dish with recipes. APL has a few copies I know for sure.
Funny enough, I’m at the cook off he founded with wick Fowler in terlingua right now.
there’s a bunch of texas chili cook-off winner recipes published on a website somewhere. every winning chili is in it
Plenty of good chili and other Texas recipes here: [https://www.homesicktexan.com/?s=chili](https://www.homesicktexan.com/?s=chili)
One of these would be the most authentic Texas chili. The first one is pretty complex and made with diced chuck roast. The second uses ground beef and is less complex but still flavorful, probably more what you’re looking for. [https://www.homesicktexan.com/more-precise-texas-chili-recipe/](https://www.homesicktexan.com/more-precise-texas-chili-recipe/)
[https://www.homesicktexan.com/frito-pie-with-texas-chili/](https://www.homesicktexan.com/frito-pie-with-texas-chili/)
All the dried chiles you can find at Central Market or a Mexican market. If you can’t find pequin, some cayenne powder or chiles de arbol work fine. Moritas are a slightly less smoked version of chipotles, so you can replace them with some dried chipotle or canned chipotles in adobo sauce.
The Wick Fowler kit is fool proof, just add the ingredients on the box.
[**President Johnson’s Pedernales River Chili**](https://news.utexas.edu/2016/02/15/president-johnsons-pedernales-river-chili/)
>*Only a month before the November 1964 election, an article in the Gentry Serenader proclaimed, “Both Candidates Like Chili! Which One Gets Your Vote?” The article presents a different kind of voter guide — the recipes for President Johnson’s Pedernales River Chili and Senator Goldwater’s Chili.*
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>*“Violently dedicated partisans can be comforted by the knowledge that although both men like chili, it’s a different sort of chili, as shown by comparing the recipes above,” the article says.*
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>*The chili recipes are part of the Briscoe Center for American History’s collections, which showcase Texas and U.S. history and culture.*
I’m gonna second this one by Kenji. It is my go to.
Imo the key is fresh chilis (I mean whole dried chilis you grind yourself as opposed to chili powder), whole spices, and umami.
https://www.seriouseats.com/real-texas-chili-con-carne
Robb Walsh is the rabbit hole to follow
The logical step to take it above using chili seasoning would be to use whole dried chilis and toast them first.
An easier thing you can do is add MSG. Basically every contest-winning chili has it in some from form, usually from a premix seasoning blend.
Beans. Lots and lots and lots of beans!!!! 😏
Real Texas chili. Very simple and delicious.
https://www.reddit.com/r/chili/s/wzlci2KwV0
[Wick Fowler’s 2 Alarm Chili Kit](https://www.heb.com/product-detail/wick-fowler-s-2-alarm-chili-kit/163601). Traditional Texas chili doesnt have beans, but I like them and add a few cans of various kinds (pinto, kidney, garbanzo, and/or cannellini beans).
Here’s my recipe i just made the other day and it came out incredible. Just leave the beans out if you want it to be Texas style chili.
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/19jDfmqwpEViOZvW0uuJi1cq1fjL680ODhmx6PCmy8VU/edit?usp=sharing
2lbs ground beef, a small white onion, three jalapenos, 14oz can of beef broth, 16oz of canned tomato sauce, 4tsp dark chili powder, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2tsp cayenne. Throw this in a slow cooker for 6 hours on low. Use corn masa near the end to thicken the gravy. This is the basic-est Texas chili. Throw in a pablano or a bell for more chunkiness. Try out serranos or habaneros. Try your own spice mix. But this will get you a great bowl of meat and gravy easily and cheaply.
Anyone have a recipe for “TX Chili Parlor”-like chili? (Or would the aformentioned suggestions cover it?)
Our story begins in the Canary Islands…
i make some pretty kick ass chili. my friends and family would concur. here’s the recipe if you wanna try it:
Chili
SERVINGS: 6
INGREDIENTS
• 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 large sweet onion
• 3 poblano peppers
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 6 cloves garlic
• 56 ounces diced tomatoes
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 12 ounces tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 pound black beans, (or 2-3 cans)
• Fritos
• shredded cheese
PREPARATION STEPS
1. Chop veggies and saute until tender.
2. Mix tomatoes/paste/sauce in bowl.
3. Brown meat, drain, & return to pot.
4. Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, veggies, tomatoes, & beans.
5. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 30 minutes.
The International Chili Society that run the annual world champion chili cook-off competition has the 1st place winners’ recipe (there are multiple categories, including red) online, and the list goes back decades to the very beginning.
Pick a Texan winner or three and use their recipe as a starting point.
https://www.chilicookoff.com/winning-recipes