texas chili

Chili. It's one of my all-time favorite meals. When I was pregnant, I craved chili during my first trimester, despite it not being chili season. I love trying all kinds of chili, but admittedly, I can't handle too much heat.

My first time trying Texas Chili was at a chili cookoff at my work, where one of my co-workers entered her Texas Chili recipe (which didn't win) but stole my heart. Chili without beans? Unheard of. But Texas chili is so good you won't even miss the musical fruit.

My co-worker gave me her recipe, and it was quite involved because she's a great cook. Over the past couple years, I've simplified her recipe and made it my own. You'd think that a batch of chili involving 5 lbs of meat would last quite a while, but not in this house. This chili is so rich and meaty and good that you'll eat more than you imagined.

Texas Chili

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs beef brisket or shoulder
• 7 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
• 1.5 tbsp cumin (divided)
• 1 tbsp sea salt (divided)
• 1.5 tbsp chili powder (divided)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium white onions, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 3 jalepeno peppers, diced
• 3 serrano peppers, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 28 oz can whole tomatoes
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 bottle gluten-free beer
• 1.5 cups water

1. Trim meat, then slice into roughly 1-inch cubes and place in mixing bowl.

2. Combine 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tbsp sea salt and 1/2 tbsp chili powder, and massage into meat in bowl.

3. Sear beef in small batches in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat in dutch oven. Place batches in separate bowl for use later.

4. Using leftover oil and meat juices in pot, saute onions, poblano, jalapenos, serranos, bell pepper and 3 cloves of garlic for roughly 10 minutes.

5. Blend tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic and 1/2 tbsp of sea salt in blender until smooth, then add to pot.

6. Add 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder, bottle of gluten free beer, 1.5 cups of water and previously seared meat.

7. Bring chili to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Delicious! I love the meatiness. If you like it spicier, increase the amount of peppers. Also, if you can't find the peppers listed, just use three different kinds of spicy peppers. I seem to use a different variation of peppers every time.