There are no beans in chili

Now that fall is upon us, I decided it was time to make a pot of Texas chili.

Chili is one of those things for which there is a recipe for every cook. This is my recipe that I have tweaked over the years and yields a delicious bowl of chili. There are no beans in my chili. There are no beans in chili period. If you were to enter a chili with beans in it in the grand daddy of all chili cookoffs, the Terlingua International Chili Championship, you would be summarily disqualified: "NO FILLERS IN CHILI - Beans, macaroni, rice, hominy, or other similar ingredients are not permitted". Enough said.

A word about jalapeños. Like most peppers, the heat lives in the seeds and veins inside the pepper. Even though this recipe calls for six jalapeños, it will be rather mild if all the veins and seeds are removed from the peppers. I usually leave the "innards" in about half the peppers for a spicy result. You'll have to experiment to find your desired level of heat.

Update: My original recipe used chili powder. I have changed to using a paste with a base of Ancho chiles instead. I can't take credit for this. I stole it from Rick Bayless.

Fernando’s Chili
1 lb coarsely ground beef
1/2 lb coarsely ground pork
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion - chopped
4 cloves of garlic - minced
2 medium jalapeños - chopped
2 14.5 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can of chopped stewed tomatoes
1 12 oz can of beer
6-8 medium dried Ancho chiles
2 tsp ground oregano
2 Tbsp ground cumin
Salt to taste

Grated cheddar cheese and chopped raw onions

"Break off the stems of the chiles, tear the chiles open and shake and/or pick out all the seeds. For the mildest sauce, be careful to remove all the stringy, light-colored veins. Next, toast the chiles (to give them a richer flavor) a few at a time on your medium-hot skillet or griddle: open them out flat, lay them on the hot surface skin-side up, press flat for a few seconds with a metal spatula (if the temperature is right you’ll hear a faint crackle), then flip them. (If you pressed them just long enough, they’ll have changed to a mottled tan underneath. If you see a slight wisp of smoke, it’s okay, but any more than that will mean burnt chiles and bitter taste.) Now press down again to toast the other side (you won’t notice as much change in color on the skin side). Transfer the toasted chiles to a bowl, cover with hot water and let re-hydrate for 30 minutes, stirring regularly to insure even soaking. Pour off all the water and discard." ~ from Rick Bayless

Transfer the drained chiles to a food processor. Add the oregano and cumin. Add a bit of water and process until it forms a paste.

In a stew pot, brown ground beef and pork until fully cooked. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, heat the vegetable oil and onions and sauté until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and half the jalapeños for a couple of minutes. Stir so as not to let this mixture brown. Return the meat to the pan and stir to incorporate the ingredients. Add the rest of the jalapeños, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, beer, and chile paste. Stir. Salt to taste. Cook over low heat for at least a couple of hours. After the first hour, taste and add more oregano and/or cumin and/or salt as needed.

Serve in bowl with raw onions and grated cheese on top.

For a Texas treat, put a layer of fritos on the bottom of the bowl before adding the chili, cheese and onions. Frito Pie, yum!