A BOWL OF RED

A couple of weeks ago Dan and I headed south to Texas to meet up with some friends, do a little quail hunting (thank you Jim and Pam), and to escape the less than desirable winter temperatures. The hunting was great and dog Shiner, quickly became a quail hunting aficionado.  The snow caught up with us a week after our arrival, as we were headed back up to the NE part of New Mexico.

One of our stops as we headed south, was in San Antonio, were we inquired about the bowl of “Red” listed on the menu at the Pearl restaurant. The waiter proudly informed us that it was real authentic Texas Chili, and that it didn’t have any beans in it. They had also just recently modified/perfected their recipe. We thought we better try it out, and ordered a cup to share. It was delicious, which prompted me to research it as soon as I could.

As the waiter stated, the recipes I found for Texas chili were bean-less, and also loaded with onions, and chilies. I learned a few other interesting facts too, including that the chili pepper was not native to this continent. Chili peppers were first brought into New Mexico in 1598, by a Spaniard, named Don Juan de Onate. They soon became a staple throughout the southwest. It was later on around 1723, when Canary Island transplants had settled in San Antonio, that the meat dish first became known. It was like a dish from their homeland, that they made with local peppers, onions, garlic and spices. This became know as a bowl of “Red”. The dish soon became a favorite of the cowboys on the trail, with the camp cook using beef or buffalo, with wild onions, garlic and peppers. Who knew! And according to Lyndon Baines Johnson, chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing.  This, I am not so sure about.

After stumbling upon a fabulous grocery store with a specialty Mexican section in San Angelo, I thought I would give it a whirl.  I stayed true to the San Antonio recipe using lots of onions, and I have to say the end result was pretty darn good!  I hope you enjoy it too.

Texas Chili “Red”

In addition to the instructions below, I would gather and prep all of the ingredients before starting the process, as I found I needed to stir frequently.  I was saved by my friend Kris, acting sous chef and really good stirrer, thanks Kris. I also used a combination of mild chilies and medium hot chilies, as one of the comments I received from fellow grocery shoppers is you can get it too hot. I adjusted the heat to my liking with cayenne pepper.  The preparation was easy and the outcome delicious. A great idea for game day!

Ingredients:
1 – 3 lb. Wild Idea Buffalo Chuck Roast, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 1/4” pieces
4  – tablespoons olive oil
4– tablespoons butter
1/3 – cup masa/corn flour
2 – tablespoons Mexican oregano
2 – tablespoons cumin
2 – tablespoons Mexican chili powder
1 – tablespoon salt
1 – teaspoon black pepper
3 – Texas sweet onions, about 7 cups
6 – garlic cloves, diced, about 3 tablespoons
2 – cups organic beef broth
2 – cups water
4 – dried Ancho chilies, stems removed, seeded and coarse chopped
6 – dried medium red chilies, stems removed, seeded and coarse chopped
1 – fresh Serrano chili, stem removed, seeded and finely chopped
1 – tablespoon brown sugar
¼ – cup fresh squeezed lime juice
*optional ½ – teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation:
1)   Prep ingredients. Spread meat out onto a large baking sheet and sprinkle with the corn flour.
2)   In a large cast iron or heavy pot, over medium high heat, heat pan and add 2 tablespoons each of the butter and olive oil.
3)   Add half of the floured meat to the pan and allow to brown, stirring occasionally, scraping the bottom up to keep browning even. Remove browned meat from pan with a spoon and place on a plate. Repeat this step with the remaining butter, olive oil and meat.
4)   Add the first browned meat back to the pot, along with the seasonings, stirring to incorporate.
5)   Add chopped onions and garlic, again stirring occasionally, scraping up the bottom. Allow the onions and garlic to cook for about 7 minutes.
6)   Add the broth and water to the pot, stirring again as above.
7)   Reduce heat to simmer and cover the pot.
8)   Place all of the diced chilies in a food processor (small ones work best) and chop. After peppers are a bit more chopped, add ½ cup of the pot liquids to the processor and blend again, creating more of a paste.
9)   Add the pepper paste to the pot, stir to incorporate and cover. Allow the chili to simmer for a couple of hours, stirring as above occasionally.
10) When the meat is tender, add the brown sugar and lime juice. Stir to incorporate, and allow to simmer a few more minutes.
11)  Taste, and adjust seasoning to your taste, adding the cayenne if more heat is needed.

For a complete meal, serve with grilled cheesy quesadillas with fresh relish and Texas style mustard and collard greens. Hey – I’m in the south! Enjoy!