Texas chili is beef and chilli — no beans, no tomato chunks, no shortcuts. The official Texas Chili Appreciation Society explicitly excludes beans. The result is a concentrated beef and chilli stew where every component of the flavour comes from the meat and the dried chillies rather than from filler ingredients.
Tallow is the correct fat for Texas chili. Beef fat and beef chuck make a cohesive dish; canola or vegetable oil is a flavour interloper that contributes nothing. The tallow also handles the 2-hour simmer without degrading.
Tallow Beef Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1kg (2.2 lb) beef chuck, cut into 1-2cm cubes (not ground beef)
- 3 tbsp beef tallow
- 2 large onions, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (optional — adds smoky heat)
- 400g crushed tomatoes
- 500ml beef stock
- Sea salt
- To serve: sour cream, shredded cheddar, sliced jalapeño, cornbread
Method
- Heat the tallow in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Brown the beef in batches for 3-4 minutes per side without crowding. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Cook the onions for 8 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli powder, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, and chipotle (if using). Stir well.
- Return all the browned beef. Bring to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer over the lowest possible heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until the beef is very tender.
- Remove the lid. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce.
- Season generously with salt. Serve with the accompaniments.
Why no beans?
Traditional Texas chili does not contain beans. The beans in chili became standard in non-Texan American cooking as a filler to stretch an expensive ingredient (beef) with a cheap one (beans). Texans consider beans to be an adulterant.
Is beef chili seed oil free?
Yes with tallow. Most commercial chili and restaurant chili uses canola or vegetable oil.
What to serve it with?
Cornbread made with lard (see our lard cornbread recipe), sour cream, and shredded cheese. All seed oil free if the cornbread uses lard or butter.
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