I confess I’m a chilli (con carne) addict and spent ages refining my own version of a Texan Chilli recipe, borrowing various ideas and ingredients from others over the years that it now bears little resemblance to the original long since lost. Whilst I like the chilli I make, I realise it’s a world away from an authentic Texan Chilli and I’d like to get back to something more realistic. I’ve tried a few recipes seen online and apart from the huge variations between them all, they somehow seem a little bland from what I would expect; something rich and fulfilling, with bags of beef/tomato flavour and an unmistakable chilli kick. Anyone have a recipe that may meet my expectations they’d like to share?

My own recipe is a fairly simple affair provided below. I like my chilli hot and use Sriracha sauce to adjust heat as required.

750g (ground) minced beef
2 peppers
2 large onions
100g mushrooms
5-6 red/green chillies
4 cloves garlic
2 medium carrots
400g chopped tomatoes
500g Passata
800g tinned red kidney beans
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
2 tablespoons ground paprika
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
1 beef stock cube
2 tablespoons Bovril (Concentrated beef extract)
Chopped fresh basil for garnish

1. Finely dice carrots, peppers, onions, mushrooms and chillies. Mince garlic and keep all veggies on a plate to the side.
2. Prepare spice mix in a cup or small bowl by combining cumin, oregano, black pepper, ground coriander, salt, chilli powder and paprika.
3. In a large stock pot, fry minced beef in the rapeseed oil and add stock cube while mince is browning.
4. When mince is brown, add half the spice mix to the stockpot. Stir with the mince, lightly frying the spices.
5. Add the vegetables to the stock pot and stir.
6. Add remaining spice mix and combine all ingredients. Reduce heat to a simmer and lightly fry, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. Do not burn the garlic!
7. Add chopped tomatoes, passata, kidney beans and Bovril. Stir until fully combined, cover and leave to simmer for 2 hours to ensure vegetables are cook
through and all the ingredients to get to know one another.
8. Serve with rice and add torn basil leaves for garnish.

Missing the Cayenne pepper
Also I would put in some Jalapeno peppers too

Maybe substitute cilantro for the basil garnish.

Oh...and keep your cardiologist a little happier and drain that cooked ground beef first.

Brilliant, thanks gents.


Fresh Jalapenos always seem a bit challenging to find near me, hence using the green chillies; no problem finding other varieties, Birds Eye, Scotch Bonnet etc. We have one supermarket chain that are supposed to stock them but never when I visit the store. Just to confirm, are your recommedations additional or substitution of any of the ingredients I already use?


Always have to look up cilantro, we call it coriander this side of the big water, but for some reason can never keep that association in my head. I find the flavour a bit too strong for my taste, but my wife loves it. It's been a while since I last tried it though and always willing to give things another go, so will get some for the next batch on your recommendation.

Thanks for the additional advice too. I was diagnosed with hyperlipidemia about 15 years ago and as a consequence am regularly monitored. I seem to be on top of things and managing through diet without some of the horrendous meds people in similar situations seem to have to endure. Always use a lean Aberdeen Angus beef (5% fat) and drain excess fat after cooking as a matter of course nowadays. I'm sure it detracts from the flavour somewhat, but will take that over the coronary any day!

Cheers!

There are so many variations of chili in Texas that one can make pretty much anything close and call it authentic.

I did think I may open a can of worms in asking the question and expected to be reprimanded for the inclusion of carrot and mushroom in my own concoction. The variation in recipes I have found on the web suggest the world and his wife has a different idea of what an authentic chilli is. A number include chocolate amongst the ingredients that I find hard to imagine is nothing more than a recent introduction. FWIW, I did try a recipe with the chocolate and both my wife and I were left thinking, meh... I figured that many of the people frequenting the forums here are geographically closer to the source than many of the so called chefs purporting to be a culinary experts in the dish; I also hold members here in higher regard too.

I think it might be good but here in Ohio you can't find many of the ingrediants..I just but Carol shelby's mix and use steak insteag of hamburg I'm sure my friend Bill Grant has a solid recipe

I don't think we can get that mix in the UK, hence asking; is that the same Caroll Shelby of AC Cobra fame?

Don't think so https://www.carrollshelbyschili.com/ I usually add some mushrooms,,vidalia onions and keep a bottle of Original Tabasco sauce on hand burns me a new butt but I love it,,In the Marines we had chilly over rice or spaghetti what ever the cooks made..And always make my own southern style cornbread not the boxed crap I make it with creamed corn in it ,,Man that's hog heaven for me ,,I always make a double batch with 4 pounds of meat and freeze some but it don't stay in the freezer long

Hmmm... too many coincidences make me curious.

Carroll Shelby, Texas, Chili...hell let's throw in Bob Wills. Better yet Vince Gill, I digress.

Yep, it's the race car dude!

Fast Cars, Fast Women and, Hot Chili

My Chili varies depending on what's in the cupboard and freezer.
Worst was campbells tomato soup with kidney beans and chilli powder thrown in lol

fracture I'm about to vomit over your rape of chilli If I'm short on something I get my butt to the store and get what I need ,,But I would be interested in any body's chilli recipes

Proper corn bread is an art form.

I can make acceptable biscuits, decent gravy, perfect eggs, but getting corn bread right is tough for me.

thanks for the recipe BDB will give it a go sometime

Thanks guys.


Don't you just hate talented people. Can't be satisfied with being good at one thing only. Oh no, have to be good at everything else too. Makes the rest of us look bad, well, me anyway!


Same here, rice, pasta and quite often over cous cous nowadays. Cous cous is as bland as sh*t to my taste buds, but a bit lower in carbs. (Means I can eat more chilli for a "balanced" diet ) We divide it into portions and freeze but doesn't last long either. Although I do think the freezing process enhances the chilli kick slightly.


Now you just go stand in the corner, face the wall and think long and hard about what you've done Mister.
(Russ, looks like you're nearest. Think it may be time for the "Old Yeller" treatment...)


No one I know makes or even knows how to make corn bread, it just doesn’t seem to get made over here. I've also never quite worked out what biscuits and gravy really is either, even after watching quite a few episodes of Triple D's with Guy Fieri. What we call biscuits you guys call cookies and nearest equivalent I can figure is scones, (both sweet and savoury versions exist over here, and we can't even agree on the correct way of pronouncing the word either), but we never have them with gravy to my knowledge.


You're welcome, though didn't expect anyone would give it a go, more to point out where I maybe going wrong.
If you do try I often add an extra (400g) tin of beans in the form of what we call "Bean Salad" for a bit more variety. Content varies slightly between stores from Cannellini, Flageolet & Adzuki Bean mix (Tesco) to the more up market Pinto, Black-Eyed, Chick Pea, Haricot, Lima, Borlotti, Flageolet, Cannellini bean mix offered by (Waitrose).
The quantities listed above, even with the extra tin of beans, fits comfortably inside our 4.5 litre stock pot. (Missus drew the line when she caught me eyeing up a 18.5 litre replacement!)
Finally, the two hours cook time is a minimum at which point I remove the lid and continue cooking to allow the mixture to thicken slightly.

If it’s not hot enough where your nose starts running then it’s not authentic Texas chili.

Properly made Southern cornbread right out of the iron skillet is the food of the gods.

October 4, 2010 354

Prep Time:
5 Minutes

Difficulty:
Easy

Cook Time:
20 Minutes

Servings:
12 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup Milk
1 whole Egg
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 cup Shortening
2 Tablespoons Shortening

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir together.

Measure the buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup and add the egg. Stir together with a fork. Add the baking soda and stir.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until combined.

In a small bowl, melt 1/4 shortening. Slowly add melted shortening to the batter, stirring until just combined. In an iron skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons shortening over medium heat. Pour the batter into the hot skillet. Spread to even out the surface. (Batter should sizzle.)

Cook on stovetop for 1 minute, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Edges should be crispy!

Does nose bleeding still count or does that mean I've overdone it?

Thanks for sharing that Russ. Looks straight forward enough that even I should be able to handle that and I'll give it a go at the weekend.

makes great corn bread but only use a cast iron skillet best for cooking..here's the link http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/skillet-cornbread/ I watch her show a lot and she cooks great stuff ..I always try some thing new on Sundays I live alone with a Lab and love to cook and she usually gets a cut of my efforts as long as there's nothing in it she shouldn't have,,And it shoes She's a yellow lab and goes 80 pounds..Sometimes I add a can of creamed corn to it all..Hope you can find corn meal over there

Known as Crack in A Box. Makes the BEST Cornbread ever. Stocked by the pallet at all the local stores. $0.30 a box
No way I would make homemade over this

If we got down to less than 6 boxes of Jiffy on my boats panic began to set in.

Corn bread, biscuits & gravy and chicken fried steak. That's all I need to live.

Bill Grant put a picture of Corn Muffin mix in the thread as a hilarious joke. Corn muffins are not cornbread.

Nixer thanks for the education,,I didn't know the car dude and chilli man were the sand,,,,Bill used to always make that but my late girlfriend taught me to make it from scratch,,but still have a few boxes of crack and if i'm feeling lazy I go to it..I put 2 or 3 boxes in my cast iron skillet

Thanks for the link, at least I know what it is supposed to look like when I'm done. Am I correct in thinking I should use course cornmeal? Shops also sell a fine cornmeal here too.
I used to own a black lab, best dog I ever owned. I think he must have been crossed with a cart horse because he was massive and used to intimidate people because of his size. He wasn't the smartest cookie in the jar, but was the friendliest, soppiest animal you could ever wish to meet; unless you were a sofa cushion, in which he would grab you, run outside and try to bury you somewhere!


Your crack is a damn site more expensive over here. I managed to track it down for £1.65/box +£4.50 delivery. (That's over $8 by my reckoning). Fortunately, Dart saved me before I placed an order for a pallet load to get the bulk discount!


The simplest things in life are often the best. Least that's what I keep trying to convince my wife. Must be working, she's still keeps me around


Thanks Dart, not sure local law enforcement would have understood my advert for selling the best Crack this side of the Atlantic if the pallet order had gone through!

BDB, Dart just doesn't know the secret to Corn Bread. They have called it Corn Muffin Mix forever.

Yeah Bill and the instructions on the box are for muffins,,Don't take a PHD to make bread

BDB my first dog after the military was a black lab named Charley..Dog had more brains than most people Named my son after him Never been with out a dog since then..Except when my last one passed I said no more dogs about a week later I got up and the ho8use just felt empty I told my M8 you know what's missing and she said I didn't think you would wait this long and we got Mary Sue..Now we live alone and she sleeps in bed with me and I think she hears my eyes open as soon as I do she washes my face ..I never wake up in a bad mood

Guys we're all good here and just joshing with you.

My lab was called Dibs, after I called "dibs" on him. We went everywhere together and his favourite places always involved water. He adored going to the coast and playing in the sea and we'd walk miles and miles together. I didn't get another dog after losing him because my work was taking me away from home for increasingly longer periods of time and didn't think it fair. I can empathise with that empty house feeling and still get odd moments when my wife is out and the house just seems a bit too quiet. Labs are by far my favourite breed and make brilliant companions.

Recipie looks pretty good and tasty! I can tell you, as a Texan my whole life, that traditional Texas chili does not have beans. I however enjoy beans in my chili.

Hi Jason,

How's it going?

I saw a couple of recipes in my recent searches that omitted beans. The link to Shelby's mix Russ kindly shared above also has a picture with a bowl of chilli and not a bean in sight.

I am always curious about the origin and evolution of things and wondered when and why kidney beans became so dominant in most recipes today. It seems to me that the haricot, (navy?), bean was a more obvious choice to me. Too heavily influenced by the films of wranglers eating chilli and beans around an open fire that I grew up with as a kid I guess.

Cheers,

B

P.S. Please don't tell me Hollywood isn't real, I couldn't handle learning the whole fabric of my historical references are false.

According to Hollywood, all men in the UK sound like Prince Charles and all women sound like Queen Elizabeth II when they speak. Is this not correct?

Born in London, grew up there, and I can honestly say, feck off we don't sound like that muppet....

Huuummmmm... Khai, you can't talk about Queenie's boy like that. He'll be your Lord and Royal Sovereign in the not to distant future. If he hears that kind of talk you'll be sent to the tower and forced to talk to his plants all day.

(Also, just between you and me, so keep it under your hat... We need to keep the Americans thinking we all live in castles so they keep coming to visit as tourist and spending money. I've checked and there's only £1.90 left in the government funds and I need that to buy the Crack in the Box Bill is selling).

Absolutely old boy. One does have to keep up the standards you know. Oh my is that the time? Have to toodle off and polish the battlements before tea. Hmmm... Wonder if Mumsies got cook to make cucumber sandwiches. Scrummy, my favourite.

More like Ned Stark & Davos Seaworth

I'm sorry guv, dunno wot came into the ol noggin there, cor blimey, strike a light.
I'll go to the foot of our stairs, I got that wrong, I'm a right plonker.....

Oh that is awesome!!! You Brits rock.

Now ranch style beans and ground beef is also a very Texas dish, and one I am QUITE fond off. The recipe is however complex, requires a lot of specialized ingredients to do right, and takes all dang night to prepare.

1 Can of Ranch Style Beans
1 Lb of browned ground beef

Mix together and heat until warm.

Serve

-Jenrick

Good recovery, I don't think they noticed

Can honestly say I had no idea who these people are and had to google them. I've never watched a single episode of GoT and there are way too many documentaries about life in the UK as it without watching yet another!

Nah, we're just great. It says so on our passports "...Great Britain..."

Heretic!! To the rack!!

lol

Sounds good - added to the list of dishes to make! Thank you.

Can I have mine with bbq sauce and pita bread and a full salad?

Well cold damp day here in Ohio ,,no chili but i'm a New England Yankee and making a back home dish..went to the grocer at 6 AM and got the stuff ..Lived in NY,,New England until about 10 years ago,,And this is on of those dishes that taste twice as good the next couple days..With good Jewish Rye Bread When your fork can stand at attention in a pile they are done

New England baked Beans
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/slow_cooked_boston_baked_beans/

Nice one Russ. Did you see the recipe for Brown Bread at the bottom of the page.

Those two and some beef knockwurst..Yummmmm!

Damn Nixer missed that,, back home we just bought it..around here they don't have it hence the Rye...I love bean dishes using dried not canned,,they taste good,,are good for you and during the night when the dog gets up my butt I have a sure fire way of backing her up..LOL

What, not even chilli sauce?


Thanks Russ, I've grabbed that one too. Love beans and been slowly introducing my (Chinese) wife to more varieties. I've already got her hooked on Butter (Lima?) beans, which were always an essential in my mother's pantry store, and been extolling the health benefits of eating more. I think she's become aware of some of the side effects too!


Grabbed those too. Thanks Nixer. Damn this diet of mine is going to take a real hit...


Ahah, it's all coming together now. You nuke Mary Sue during the night, she washes her butt and then wakes you with good morning kisses thinking, "Yeah, straight back at you Dad!"

Naw can't handle hot sauces. It's a sensory overload thing with the aspgers... (also loud noises other than my music.... Crowds.... Politicians....)

I need to amend my statements about Jiffy mix, as it was brought to my attention that regular ol' white cornmeal is not universally available to everyone.

Which should be a crime against humanity, IMHO.

On hot sauces, in recent years the trend has been to bring heat but not flavor to hot sauces. For my money, nothing yet beats Tobasco.

Yeah BDB that's s that's usually the way it works we share,,,Hell what are friends for ???

You are forgiven +1 on the other three.

There's a white version too? Definitely not seen that over here.


+1

I think the more you consume, the greater your tolerance, hence people go in search of hotter varieties. Me and a group of friends use to take it in turns to make their own version of chilli every couple of weeks. It soon escalated into a "who can make the hottest dish" contest. My mate won on the heat stakes, but we all agreed it had reached a point where there was no flavour at all. Either that or he had melted everyone's taste buds.

I can generally tolerate hotter spice levels than my wife. However, I was completely blown away when one of her friends stayed with us one Christmas. This lady originated from Hunan province renowned for hot, spicy dishes. I made a pretty spicy dish even for me, and this woman piled it high with chilli peppers she'd brought with her from China that would have put an Alien's blood to shame.

As long as you keep it just between yourselves

Right BDB You can't borrow her,,,,,And for the record Dart is right Tobasco. is THE hot sauce..I have a cook book on how to cook c-rats using it from the 60's

For general purposes Cholula, various flavors, is my go to sauce. Sriracha is also a household staple. Then, for certain things, I will pickup a bottle of Nando's Peri-Peri sauce (while grabbing lunch at the same time). Tabasco is fine if nothing else is available.

I'll have to catch up with an old buddy that's ex British Army. He used to talk about your guys having a hot sauce issued with their MRE's that he and his mates were mad for. I don't remember what it was, but pretty sure it wasn't Tabasco. (I think this would have been around mid-90s).

I am really glad I posted my original question. Thanks to you guys I have expanded my knowledge immensely and really grateful to you all for sharing your experience, tips, recipes and go to ingredients; and for the laughs we have shared in the process.
Keep it coming!

BDB..Yeah mine was late 60's and M8's used to send me bottles of Tobasco from home ..but I'm sure what we did is the same as what your M8 did every one combined their rations into a helmet and slopped in the hot sauce..Military eating in the field is an art of it's own and better than some of the fast food crap around today and the company was better

It was most definitely Tobasco! Little bottles about the length from the knuckle on your index finger to the tip.

Spot on dart but there are larger sizes
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&a...e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_8om2su5tot_e

Please excuse the ad..I don't work for Tobasco or Amazon

I stand corrected, thanks gents. The reason for doubting it was Tabasco is because that is readily available over here and has been for a very long time. I can certainly remember having some in the cupboard from at least the early 80s and pretty sure my mate would have known the brand too. That said, I've never seen it here in a 128oz bottle. That's one serious habit!

The irony with the famous Tabasco is that most of the seeds used for the peppers aren't even grown on Avery Island anymore. I guess the demand has gone up so much that they have to grow the seeds in other areas.

Originally all peppers used in Tabasco sauce were grown on Avery Island. Today peppers grown on the Island are used to produce seed stock, which is then shipped to foreign growers, primarily in Central and South America. More predictable weather and readily available farmland in these locales allow a constant year-round supply.

Damn didn'y know the history but it's the only hot sauce ..but it's always been in my house.......And all this discussion has led me to head to the store and making a big batch

I went shopping Wednesday and bought all the ingredients to make some delicious cornbread. I even bought a new cast iron skillet. I had to run around a bit to find the cornmeal as I couldn't find it in the supermarkets and eventually found some in a health store.

This afternoon I found I had some time and thought I get it done and surprise my wife.
Laptop beside me to follow the recipe Russ posted above - check.
Flour, buttermilk, baking powder, etc. - check.
Skillet, ready to go - check
Cornmeal - no.
I'm sure I bought some. Perhaps I did that "man thing" of opening the cupboard and just not seeing it sitting straight in front of me. Nope, still can't find it. Damn, am I going senile?
Walk away, wait 5 and return for another look. Still not there.
OK, check wallet - yep there's the receipt for the cornmeal.
I must have put it in another cupboard. I've now started pulling everything out of the kitchen cupboards in my hunt for the absent cornmeal. Still no joy.
OMG, we've been burgled and the thief has targeted my cornmeal!
Better phone my wife.
Me: Hello, you're not going to believe this, but we've been burgled! No, they've left the TV, PC, laptops and all the high value items, but they've stolen... my cornmeal!
Wife: What's cornmeal?
Me: It's a kind of flour I was going to use to make cornbread.
Wife: Is it yellow and a bit gritty?
Me: Well, yes I suppose it is. I bought a new pack from H&B on Wednesday and thought I put it in the cupboard.
Wife: Hold on a sec. Errrhhhh, it's OK, I don't think you need the Police. The cornmeal is safe, it's sitting here next to me in my work bag. I thought I would make something with it and...

I love my wife, but there are days...

That's a great story BeeDeeBee! I got a great laugh from it.

I'll have the last laugh, she's not seen the state of the kitchen!

Sorry for not reading the entire thread, will just say that the chili that Flying J/ Pilot sell ain't half bad.