In my last post I talked about my love of cooking chilli, it’s the basis of many Tex-Mex dishes and can be served with rice or as enchiladas, tacos, etc with salsas, guacamole, sour cream, grated cheese, the list goes on. I have stripped this recipe down as cooking great food does not mean it has to be complicated and there is no compromise on flavour, with Beef Texas Chilli the star of the show is…beef and chilli! It’s always been a big hit with my family and friends, I hope it becomes a favourite of yours too. 

This basic recipe is a medium heat and will serve 2 – 4 depending on how hungry you are and what accompaniments you serving with it. (The picture on the left is before you leave the chilli to simmer for 1 hour 25 minutes and the picture on the right is when it is ready to eat!)

Ingredients

• 500g Minced Beef
• 1 Medium Onion finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic minced
• 500ml  Beef Stock*
• 70g Tomato Paste (approx 2 Tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• ½ Tsp Chilli Powder*
• 1 Tsp Dried Oregano (heaped)
• 1 Tbsp Cumin Powder (heaped)
• ½ a fresh Red Chilli deseeded and finely chopped*
• Pinch of Salt (if required)

Get all of your ingredients ready as we will be starting fast and ending slow with this dish.

Put the oil into a large pan add the chopped onion and fry on a medium heat for approximately 7 minutes, or until the onions have become translucent, don’t worry if you see a bit of colour on the onions but we do not want to over fry as the flavour will change.

Then add the minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds (we want the garlic to release flavour but not cook yet!) before adding the minced beef. Carry on stirring for approximately 5 minutes or until the beef has just changed colour to brown.

Now add the chilli powder, fresh red chilli, oregano and cumin and continue cooking and stirring for a further 3 minutes.

Now how’s that smelling!

Add the tomato paste and beef stock and stir in, you may think at this point there is too much liquid but we are now going to cook out the chilli and the other flavours as well as concentrating the beef. Turn the heat down very low, and with the lid off cook on a light simmer for approximately 1 hour 25 minutes stirring occasionally (TIP: when stirring scrape any sauce stuck to the side of the pan back in as this is big flavour!).

About 10 minutes before the end of cooking taste for seasoning and add salt if required. If you want more heat this is the time to do it but add more fresh chilli, as uncooked chilli powder gives a harsh flavour!

You will now have a pan of thick, rich chilli beef!

Variations

There are many styles of chilli, maybe try some of these:

Don’t like the heat? Try using paprika instead of chilli powder.

Like the heat? Add more fresh red chilli if you’re brave even with seeds. What about hotter variety? Habanero goes very well, it’s much hotter and has a distinct flavour, however I would advise you never, ever use the seeds with this variety!

Try a 50/50 spilt of beef stock and beer!

Swop beef for pork or turkey mince and change the stock to chicken.

Vegetarian option, use veggie mince but use about 200ml of vegetable stock, add a little glug of olive oil for richness and reduce the cooking time to approximately 30 minutes.

When you add the spices try adding a small piece of cinnamon and/or a handful of fresh chopped coriander just before the end of cooking.

For a classic chilli con carne add a can of drained and washed kidney beans about 15 minutes from the end of the cooking time.

*Note: Chillies and chilli powders vary in heat depending on variety or brand. For this recipe I have used a standard supermarket red chilli and chilli powder. Beef stock brands will also vary in levels of seasoning.

Author information

The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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