True Texas Chili

Texas chili the right way: no beans, no filler, just beef, tomatoes, beer, and a serious chili powder commitment. Five tablespoons of chili powder for two pounds of beef sounds aggressive, and it is, because real Texas chili is supposed to taste of chiles first and everything else second. Add jalapeños, cumin, and a hit of paprika and you’ve got the kind of chili that locals will actually argue isn’t authentic enough.

The beer is doing more than adding liquid. Lager (anything from cheap American to Mexican lager) adds malt depth and helps tenderize the meat over the simmer. The carbonation cooks off; the flavor stays. Don’t use IPAs or stouts; they’re too bitter or too dark for this purpose.

The 45 to 55 minute simmer is the bare minimum to tame the raw chili powder and let everything come together. If you’ve got more time, an extra hour at low heat makes the flavor noticeably deeper.

Pro Tips

• Use a Mexican lager like Tecate or Pacifico for the most authentic flavor.
• Crush the whole tomatoes by hand as they go in for a more rustic texture than canned crushed.
• Adjust heat at the end with cayenne; chili powder strength varies by brand.
• Tastes even better day two; flavors meld in the fridge.

Variations

• Use cubed chuck roast instead of ground beef for chunkier traditional chili con carne.
• Add 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate for mole-like depth.
• Skip the can of tomatoes and use 3 tablespoons of tomato paste for a more authentic pure-chile version.