Award Winning Texas Chili

So.  Chili.  *Sigh* where do I start?  The most popular recipe on this blog, by far, is "Oxtail Chili!"  Boasting nearly 30k hits, people from all over the world have clicked it from Australia to Turkmenistan, so I know Chili is a popular dish.

Having grown up in Texas, I was taught that Chili was all about, well, the Chilis!  Not the beans, not the vegetables, not even the meat; all about the chili peppers.  Texans know that if you want good chili, the "right chili," the perfect "bowl of red," you're going to have to do some work.  This recipe isn't hard, but it will test your dedication and maybe your shopping ability so let's get started!

You Will Need:

• 4lbs of Mock Tender (your butcher will know)
• Spice Bowl #1 (more on this, below)
• Spice Bowl #2 (same)
• 1 Tbsp Bacon Fat
• 3.5 Cups Chicken Broth (regular sodium)
• 3.5 Cups Beef Broth (regular sodium)
• 2 8oz Cans "No Salt Added" tomato sauce
• 2 Beef Bullion Cubes

Before we start, we need to have a serious talk about Chilis and, more specifically, Chili Powder.  God, in his wisdom, gave us hundreds of Chilis!  From the Demon-possessed Ghost Peppers that will rip your lips off, to the Angelic Red Bell Peppers that carry complex sugars, they're all "Chilis."  Any one of these pods can be dried out and pulverized into powder.  Therefore, when you purchase the generic "Chili Powder" from the spice section of the grocery store, you're essentially giving up and asking the Chili gods to just... "Gimme whatever you got?"  You know what you'll get?  You'll get dry, unflavored, bland, sticky, generic, nasty powder.  AND, since Chili Powder fades quickly over time, any powder you may have that's been on the shelf for a few months probably tastes like sawdust.  So (and I can't stress this enough), MAKE YOUR OWN CHILI POWDER!!!  It's so easy...  If you refuse to use your blender or your coffee grinder to make your own powder, I get it.  At least buy your chili powder online from a reputable place, like Penzy's!

NOW, we can talk about the two Spice Bowls that you'll need to make this Chili!  

Bowl #1

• 6 Tbsp - Your favorite "Medium to Hot" Chili Powder (I like Ancho Powder for this)
• 2 tsp - Garlic Powder
• 4 tsp - Onion Powder
• 1 tsp - Black Pepper
• 1 tsp - Tony Chachere's Cajun
• 1 tsp - Cayenne Pepper

Bowl #2

• 3 Tbsp - Your favorite "Light" Chili Powder (I like New Mexico or Arbol Powder)
• 3 Tbsp - Dark and Smoky Chili Powder (I LOVE Chipotle Powder here)
• 2 Tbsp - Cumin
• 1 tsp - Jalapeno Chili Powder
• 4 tsp - Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp - White Pepper
• 1 tsp - Oregano Powder
• Pinch - Basil
• 1 pk - Sazon Goya (curiously, Walmart and Target have it, but not my grocery store!)

Let's Cook!!

Start by cutting all of the Mock Tender into 1/4" cubes.  Yes, I know, this is hard.  It's tedious.  DO IT ANYWAY!  It helps if you put the meat in the freezer for a couple of hours first, and it helps even more if you have an excellent razor sharp chef's knife.  Do NOT "give up" and use ground beef instead... you'll be tempted, but DON'T DO IT!  Just take a deep breath, pour yourself a glass of wine or a cold beer, and get it done.

Dump the broth into your big chili pot.  Add the meat and the bacon fat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a bubbly simmer. 

Stir or shake the spices of Bowl #1 together, and add half of the pile to the pot.  Stir it well and let it simmer for 45 minutes.  Stir it every so often and when the 45 minutes is up, add the rest of Bowl #1 and simmer for another 20 minutes.

When the 20 minutes is up, add the tomato sauce, Spice Bowl #2, and the bullion cubes.  Cook, simmer, and stir it every ten minutes with the lid off, for one hour.

You'll notice lots of things happening during this last hour.  As the water reduces, things will tighten up.  You'll feel it getting thicker as you stir it.  Near the end, you'll want to sample small spoonfuls of it to test for two things:

1. The meat should become so tender, you can smoosh it with your tongue.

2. The liquid should make you super happy!  If it doesn't, you'll need to make adjustments.

Adjustments:

• Add some Cayenne Pepper at the end, to give it more heat up front.
• Add some White Pepper at the end, to give it a sneaky "back heat."
• Add Brown Sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, to soften any heat that you can't handle.

In the end, you'll want a bowl.  Obviously!  If you can manage, let it spend the night in the fridge first, where it will REALLY come together!  Serve it hot, in a bowl, and remember that dairy fat cools the heat so you might want to add a small dollop of sour cream or a bit of cheese!