This recipe evolved from a well known Dallas County Jail Chili recipe. My Dad adapted it for himself and I've done the same. Here's a copy of both of them but, like my Dad, I seldom make it exactly the same way twice.
Ingredients
2 lbs. coarsley ground beef
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1½ tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp chili powder or crushed chili pods.
2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1½ tsp diced sweet (mild) chili pods
3 cups water
Brown the meat in a heavy kettle. Add the water, garlic and other seasonings. Cook under cover slowly for four hours, stirring occasionally. Then add a little water depending on how thick you want it and cook for another hour. Serves 6. Add 2 large cans of small pink beans which will increase the servings to 10 or 12 persons, or add Beans for Chili.
While the above is the recipe that my father passed on to me, I prefer to replace the ground beef with a piece of chuck roast or stew meat, cut into 1 to 1½ inch pieces. By the time it's done cooking, the pieces will be tender shreds Pick something inexpensive, with flavor but not too lean. I also prefer to replace most of the dried chili with fresh hot chili pods, diced small.
2 lbs. beef, cut into 1 to 1½ inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1½ tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp chili powder or crushed chili pods.
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 large jalepeño chilis, medium dice
3 large anaheim chilis, medium dice
1 sweet (mild) chili, medium dice
3 cups water
Brown the meat in a heavy kettle. Add the garlic and other seasonings and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, blooming the spices. Add the water and cook under cover slowly for three to four hours, stirring occasionally. Once the meat pieces come apart when pressed with a spoon, add the fresh chilis and a little water depending on how thick you want it and cook for another hour. Serves 6. If you like your chili with beans, you could add 2 large cans of small pink beans which will increase the servings to 10 or 12 persons. Canned beans are okay, but it's so much better to make your own. Here is the recipe I use, Beans for Chili.
The original recipe included ¼ lb. of salt pork, which was probably included because the meat back then was grass-fed, lean and tough. If you use a modern, corn-fed chuck or blade roast, there will be plenty of fat without needing to add more. However, if you end up using a leaner cut, such as a center-cut roast, you may want to consider tossing in a piece of salt pork when browning the meat.
I feel the about tomatoes in my chili the same way most Texans feel about beans in their chili. Just..Say..No. But if you feel differently, keep them to a minimum, this is chili, not spaghetti sauce.