Warming and Hearty Tex-Mex Beef Chili

This won’t be your traditional Texas style chili, but it will contain all of the same rich and spicy flavors you would expect from such. My Tex-Mex chili follows the techniques and flavor profiles of a classic Texas Chili with the addition of beans. A Texas Chili is known for its deep flavor and spice from smokey dried chili but with no frijoles! 

This style of chili also uses chuck beef as opposed to the more familiar ground beef. (Boneless short rib could also work here.) Stewing the cubes of chuck low and slow in the flavorful chili sauce will make the beef tender and delicious. This is a similar cooking method to braising or barbecuing, both staples in southern and Mexican cuisine. Since this cooking method takes some time, we will add the beans in later as to not overcook them. I like to start with stewing the beef in some flavorful stock along with the chili puree, about an hour in we will add the soaked beans and masa roux.

The holy trinity is a collection of aromatic vegetables popular in Creole and Southern cooking consisting of green peppers, onions, and celery. It's similar to the French “mire poix” which is carrots, onion, and celery. The trinity will round out the flavor of the chili, adding sweetness from caramelization and body to the overall dish. 

The addition of beans adds a great heartiness to the chili and my favorite heirloom Mexican beans from Rancho Gordo will pair perfectly. They are available online and at Whole Foods otherwise a medium red bean, pinto, or kidney bean would work great! I will soak the beans overnight and allow them to simmer and stew with the beef until tender. See my Beans in the Raw blog for more info on cooking with dry beans. 

The main flavor profile for the dish comes from the dried chilies. Typically smoked or roasted in the drying process. there are a variety of these chilies depending where you shop. For greater variety try a spice shop or Latin or Hispanic grocery store. The more popular and more mild chilies you’ll find in most spice aisles are Ancho, Pasilla, and Guajillo. Use multiple chilies for more complexity in flavor and heat. These are also great to add to soups and stocks in a limited amount for a hint of spice or smoke.

Dried chilies are a great ingredient to have in the pantry at all times. Like most of my favorite recipes, this dish is complex in flavor as it is built in stages from the bottom up in one pot taking full advantage of the fond after browning the meat and caramelizing the vegetables. At the base of this dish also lies a Chopping Block specialty, our spicy hot cocoa mix that adds a touch of sweetness and chocolate flavor to complement the dried chilies.

Finish the chili with some toppings of your choice: diced raw onions, sour cream, scallions and cheddar cheese, maybe some tortilla chips or your favorite style of tortillas. Thinly sliced red radish is also a refreshing option with a squeeze of lime juice! Or even all of the above which I consider fully loaded. No matter how you finish it this dish is sure to keep you warm through the Chicago winter.

Apply the base of this chili to any other ingredients whether it be ground lamb, pork shoulder, or all vegetables. Utilizing dried chilies is always a great way to bring big bold flavors to any dish.

Tex-Mex Beef Chili with Beans

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep time: 1.5 hours

Inactive time: 12 hours for soaking beans

Cook time: 2.5 hours

1/2 pound red, pinto, or kidney beans (soaked overnight)

6 dried chilies of your choice 

2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil

2 pounds chuck beef cubes

1 small Spanish onion - small dice

1 green bell or poblano pepper - small dice

2 stalks celery - small dice

4 cloves garlic - minced

2 bay leaves

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 quart beef stock or water

1 tablespoon Chopping Block Hot Cocoa Mix

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons masa flour

Garnishes:

• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Scallions
• Sour cream
• Tortilla chips
• Hot sauce

1. Start by soaking your beans the night before you will prepare the chili. Fully submerged the beans in water and keep in the fridge.

2. Place the pot you’ll be cooking the chili in over medium high heat, with no oil heat the pan and add the dried chilies to toast for 3-5 minutes turning them occasionally. You will smell them toasting and becoming aromatic. Set them aside to cool, once cool remove and discard the seeds and stems. Submerge the chilies in stock to rehydrate and soften them for blending.

3. Season the beef with salt, then wipe out the pan and return it to the heat. Add the grapeseed oil to the pan and allow to heat. Sear the beef on multiple sides to achieve lots of browning and color. Remove the beef and set aside.

4. Add the diced onions, bell peppers, and celery to the pan and cook until the edges begin to caramelize. When you see the browning of the vegetables add the garlic, bay leaves, oregano and spices. Cook for about a minute.

5. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes to the trinity, scraping up the fond in the pan and cook until some of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. Note the pot should be simmering or at a light boil for evaporation to occur.

6. Once the vegetable mixture looks thickened, add the rehydrated chilies along with the stock they were soaking in. Remove the pot from the heat and using a stick blender or standing blender puree the trinity and chilies together until smooth.

7.  Add the remaining stock and cocoa mix to the pot along with the puree, return the beef to the pot and bring everything to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for about an hour.

8. After you’ve allowed the beef to cook on its own, drain and add the soaking beans. Prepare the masa roux by melting the butter and stirring in the masa flour, cook for 3 minutes and then add into the chili.

9. Return the beans and chili to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover.

10. Cook for an additional hour to hour and a half until the beans and beef are tender and the sauce has thickened to your liking.

11.  Season with salt and pepper. To finish, garnish with favorite toppings.

If you want to learn how to build flavors upon one another in each dish you make, don't miss our Essential Building Blocks class on Friday, March 1 at 9am. In this intensive class, you'll learn the fundamentals of how to confidently make better decisions in the kitchen, cook delicious meals by opening your taste buds, and explore the basic science and techniques all cooks should know.