This is a traditional Texas chili made with large chunks of chuck roast meat and no beans. The sauce gets its thickness from soaked corn tortillas which also impart a slight corn flavor and adds texture to the sauce. This is typically served with beans on the side along with Mexican rice. It is also topped with sour cream, cilantro, shredded Mexican cheese or Cojita cheese, and possibly guacamole. Serve it with your favorite toppings.
TIPS: You can adjust the spiciness of this chili by changing the amount of chipotles in adobe sauce. Initially I used 2 Tbsp but found I wanted a bit more spice so I increased it to 3 Tbsp. For a shortcut you can buy already cut up beef stew meat, however sometimes this meat is not chuck but tougher parts of the beef , like shoulder, and they may become dry. If you really have to have beans in your chili, you can add two 15-oz cans of drained and rinsed kidney, pinto or black beans to the dish. Add the beans half way through cooking, and you may have to add a bit more hot broth near the end of cooking so it doesn’t become too dry. Just don’t call it Texas Chili if you add beans, or my good friend from Texas will be very upset.
Texas Chili
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, pulled apart at seams and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 4 six-inch corn tortillas torn into 2 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 C chicken broth (divided)
- 1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp minced canned chipotles in adobo sauce
- 2 tsp packed dark brown sugar
- kosher salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 C onions chopped medium size
- 2 jalapeño chiles stemmed, seeded and minced
- 3 Tbsp chili powder preferably Mexican
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp dry oregano
Instructions
- Microwave tortillas and 1/2 C chicken broth until tortillas are fully hydrated, about 2 minutes. In a food processor place the tortilla mixture, canned tomatoes with their juice, chipotle and sugar and process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Place in slow cooker.
- Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown half of the beef on all sides, about 8 minutes. Place browned beef in slow cooker with the rest of the uncooked beef.
- Add onions and 1/4 tsp salt into fat remaining in skillet and cook over medium heat until onions are softened and lightly browed, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. (if the pan starts to get too dark add a bit of vegetable oil to the pan). Stir in jalapeños and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add remaining 1 C chicken broth and scrape any brown bits off bottom of pan. Turn off heat and transfer to slow cooker.
- Stir contents of slow cooker to blend together briefly. Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours in high, until the beef is fork tender. Stir twice during cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional: Serve with your favorite toppings such as sour cream, cilantro and shredded cheese, and with a side of rice and beans.
- Enjoy!