Texas Red?

[leatherneck]

Texas Red Chili Recipe

In Texas, a bowl of "Texas Red" refers to beef chili - no beans, end of discussion. This is a meal in itself, but adding some hot, buttered, jalapeño cornbread is always a winning combination.

Ingredients

• 2 lb. coarse ground beef OR

• 2 lb. chuck roast, cut into 1/4-inch pieces OR

• 2 lb. stew meat, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

• 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

• 1 large green bell pepper

• 1 large Texas yellow onion

• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

• 3 heaping tablespoons Gebhardt chili powder

• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped fine

• 1 green pickled jalapeño pepper

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

• 6 cups water

• 3 ancho chili pods

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (comino)

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preparation

Heat the 6 cups of water in a saucepan. While this is heating, roast the ancho chili pods under a hot broiler for 10 seconds on each side. Remove the pods and when cool enough to handle, remove the stem and shake out any seeds. Place the pods in the water that has come to a boil, cover and remove from the heat. Let steep until later in the recipe.

In a large stew or chili pot, add the oil and butter. When hot, add one of the meats listed above. Brown the meat on on a medium high heat, stirring often. While the meat is cooking, peel the onion and dice into 1/4-inch pieces and remove the stem, seeds, and membrane from the bell pepper. Also dice the remaining outer skin into 1/4-inch pieces.

When all the pink has disappeared from the meat, add the onions and bell peppers and stir in well. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic and black pepper. Again, stir well.

Add the flour, a little at a time and stir to mix well. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 5 minutes. It will be normal for some of the flour to stick to the bottom of the pan. Slowly add the broth that has the ancho chili pods in it. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula and now add the tomato sauce and the jalapeno pepper (remove seeds for less heat).

Stir to mix well, reduce to medium low and cook uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is very tender. Check and stir every 30 minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to keep from burning. Remove and serve in a large soup bowl with crackers and/or jalapeno cornbread.

Optional toppings are finely grated, longhorn cheddar cheese and fresh, raw, chopped yellow onion.

[muggs]

Re: Texas Red?

yum

[jdickey]

Re: Texas Red?

Lots of history behind TEXAS RED. Frank X. Tolbert organized the World Chili Cook Off in Terlingua, TX. He also opened a very popular Texas Red chili parlor in downtown Dallas.. later a packaged recipe with his adversary WICK FOWLER'S TWO ALARM CHILI mix hit the stores. Tex tolbert passed away several years ago, but his legacy lives on....

http://www.abowlofred.com/FXTChili.htm

[jdickey]

Re: Texas Red?

[ QUOTE ]

Is there a good substitute for the Ancho chili pods, if I can't find any?

[/ QUOTE ]

Chili powder is most common. About 8-10 tablespoons. I jut kinda eyeball it, or you can buy Wick Folwers mix or Carrol Shelby has a prepacked mix too that is very good!