Texas Red Chili

For all of you non-bean chili lovers, this recipe is for you! In addition to the instructions below, I would gather and prep all of the ingredients before starting the process, as I found I needed to stir frequently. To avoid getting the chili too hot, I used a combination of mild and medium hot chilies. You can adjust the heat to your liking with cayenne pepper. I stayed true to the San Antonio recipe, using lots of onions, garlic, spices, and Wild Idea Buffalo Chuck Roast. The preparation was easy and I have to say the end result was pretty darn good! I hope you enjoy it too.

*A personal note on my introduction to Texas style chili can be found below recipe.

Author

Jill O’Brien

Ingredients

• 1 - 3 pound Chuck Roast
• OR: 3 - pounds Stew Meat
• 4 – tablespoons olive oil                                            
• 4 – tablespoons butter                                                                    
• 1/3 – cup masa/corn flour
• 2 – tablespoons Mexican oregano
• 2 – tablespoons cumin
• 2 – tablespoons Mexican chili powder
• 1 – tablespoon salt
• 1 – teaspoon black pepper
• 3 – Texas sweet onions, about 7 cups
• 6 – garlic cloves, diced, about 3 tablespoons
• 2 – cups organic beef broth
• 2 – cups water
• 4 – dried Ancho chilies, stems removed, seeded and coarse chopped
• 6 – dried medium red chilies, stems removed, seeded and coarse chopped
• 1 – fresh Serrano chili, stem removed, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 – tablespoon brown sugar ¼ – cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• *optional ½ – teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Rinse the bison chuck roast and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut into stew meat size pieces.
2. Prep other ingredients.
3. Spread the cubed meat out onto a large baking sheet and sprinkle with the corn flour.
4. In a large cast iron or heavy pot, over medium high heat, heat pan and add 2 tablespoons each of the butter and olive oil
5. Add half of the floured meat to the pan and allow to brown, stirring occasionally, scraping the bottom up to keep browning even. Remove browned meat from pan with a spoon and place on a plate. Repeat this step with the remaining butter, olive oil and meat.
6. Add the first browned meat back to the pot, along with the seasonings, stirring to incorporate.
7. Add chopped onion and garlic, again stirring occasionally, scraping up the bottom. Allow the onions and garlic to cook for about 7 minutes.
8. Add the broth and water to the pot, stirring again as above.
9. Reduce heat to simmer and cover the pot.
10. Place all of the diced chilies in a food processor (small ones work best) and chop. After peppers are a bit more chopped, add ½ cup of the pot liquids to the processor and blend again, creating more of a paste.
11. Add the pepper paste to the pot, stir to incorporate and cover. Allow the chili to simmer for a couple of hours, stirring as above occasionally.
12. When the meat is tender, add the brown sugar and lime juice. Stir to incorporate, and allow to simmer a few more minutes.
13. Taste, and adjust seasoning to your taste, adding the cayenne if more heat is needed.