Beans or no beans? That is the definitely the question when it comes to chili. If you are cooking up a dutch oven of Real Texas Chili, the answer is simple: no beans! As Kent Finlay, songwriter and owner of the Texas historical music hall Cheatham Street Warehouse, wrote: “…if you know beans about chili, you know that chili has no beans.”
“Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a 'bowl of red'. -Lyndon B. Johnson
The exact debut date of chili in the United States is a pretty jumbled story. There are many myths, lore, and legends surrounding chili, with some of the stories dating back to the 1600s and a teleporting nun (which is a story for another day); however, most food historians have at least one event earmarked as a good starting point for chili’s story: the “Chili Queens” of San Antonio.
For over 70 years in the Military Plaza of San Antonio, the “Chili Queens” would set up tables and chairs to serve up steaming hot bowls of chili con carne. The ladies would serve food from dawn to dusk. Chili was a cheap and easy meal to serve to large crowds of hungry people.
The chili con carne the “Chili Queens” prepared did not have beans, making it one of the first identified Bowl o’ Red in United States History. While the chili did not have beans in the pot, many times the chili came with a side of beans, sometimes refried and sometimes whole.
Chili became a popular dish for cattle drivers out on the trail. It was easy to find the meats they needed for the dish, such as venison or bison, and the peppers. Since meat was fairly expensive there was often a side of beans for the chili to add a little more girth to the meal. It is thought cowboys started mixing the beans into the pot, potential leading to why many chili recipes today have beans.
While beans may have earned a place in a pot of chili out on the cattle trail, Texas held strong that Real Texas Chili did not include beans. The first official chili contest was held on October 4, 1952 at the State Fair of Texas and the rules specifically stipulated no beans allowed! And in 1977 the state of Texas established chili, and more specifically a Big Bowl o’ Red as the official food of Texas. Officially this dish has no beans and no tomatoes.
So, in honor of a traditional Real Texas Chili, I whipped up a big bowl o’ red, sans beans and tomatoes, with deer meat as the star of the show. The best part of a bean-less chili is the true star of the show, the venison, gets to shine, and this recipe really highlights the best parts of venison meat: the flavor and the texture.
The Recipe
Real Texas Chili starts with a homemade chili paste base. Whenever I make chili, my first move is to reach in the spice cabinet and pull out the chili powder. This is not the case when making a Real Texas Chili. I did not add any chili powder to this recipe and instead developed the flavor with this paste. The results actually made me stumble over my words a little: amazing is what comes to mind!
So purchase a package of dried whole chilis. They come in about a 3 ounce package. I linked the brand I used here: Dried Whole Chili Peppers. Pour the chilis into a skillet over high heat and blister the peppers quickly. Don’t let them burn, as they will develop a bitter flavor, just heat up a bit for about one minute.
Immediately remove from the heat and put into a large bowl. Cover the chilis with hot water and allow to rehydrate for about thirty minutes.
While the chilis are bathing, add your wild game to a large ceramic dutch oven or other large pot. For a browning fat, I used rendered bear fat. You could also use butter, oil, lard, bacon fat, or your other favorite fat source. Add the fat to the pan first and allow it melt, then place your 2 and 1/2 pounds worth of wild game of choice, cut into bite size pieces, in the pot and brown for a few minutes per side. No need to worry about cooking all the way through, just get some flavor building going with a little browning.
I browned my meat in several batches to keep the pan hot. If you overcrowd the pot, the meat will drop the temperature of the fat and you won’t get that slight caramelization on your meat. Set the meat aside.
Add a tablespoon more of fat to the pot and cook up the diced onion, a minced jalapeno, and four cloves of garlic, also minced. Let this cook until the onions are soft, taking care that the heat isn’t so high that it browning the garlic. It should take about five minutes over medium heat for the onions to become translucent.
Next, add two cups of a bone broth, two cups of vegetable stock, and two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. I used my homemade elk and deer bone broth for this chili. Homemade broth is definitely my first choice when cooking with wild game, but you could also substitute for a store bought bone broth. You could also use water instead of vegetable stock. I decided to go with vegetable because it adds a few more layers of flavor to the pot.
Time to thicken to chili! I have never used masa harina to thicken anything before, and I was very impressed with the texture it created for this Real Texas Chili. Traditionally, I would have either created a roux at the beginning of the dish when cooking the onions or added corn starch at this point in the game. Masa harina does not create as viscous a stew base as corn starch or a roux, but it was the perfect texture for this chili. It added a silky, thickness to the chili and I will definitely be adding masa harina to other chilis in the future.
For adding the masa harina, all you do is quickly whisk in two tablespoons of the corn flour, vigorously stirring until the flour has been completed broken down and absorbed.
Finally, it is time to build some flavors! To the pot, add a tablespoon of cocoa powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, all spice, and oregano. Return the browned wild game to the pot as well.
It is time to finish the chili paste now. Strain the peppers from their water and snip the tops off. Shake out as many of the seeds as possible. Drop the chilis in a blender, add a 1/4 cup of water, a tablespoon of salt, and four chipotles in adobo sauce peppers. If you like things a little extra spicy, as many prefer with their Real Texas Chili, add a tablespoon or two of the adobo sauce from the chipotles. Blend until smooth.
Add your chili paste to your chili, stir everything together, drop the heat to low, and cover the pot while leaving a small opening at the side of the dutch oven. Cook for at least one hour, preferably two if you have the time! Like everything else I seem to eat from Texas, and this Real Texas Chili is no exception, things are better when cooked low and slow.
Happy Hunting!
Deer Real Texas Chili
Ingredients
- 3 ounces whole dried chilis
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- Four chipotles in adobo sauce peppers
- 2 Tablespoons adobo sauce
- 2 and 1/2 pounds deer, elk, or pronghorn steak cut into bite size chunks
- 3 Tablespoons fat (lard, bacon fat, butter, bear fat, vegetable oil)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 one jalapeno, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups bone broth
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons masa harina
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- 2 teaspoons oregano
Instructions
- Place whole dried chilis in a skillet over high heat and blister for about one minute per side, taking care not to burn the chilis.
- Place in a large bowl and cover with hot water. All chilis to rehydrate for thirty minutes.
- Drain chilis, snip off tops and bottoms, and shake to remove seeds.
- Place in a blender with the quarter cup of water, salt, chipotle peppers, and adobo sauce. Blend until smooth.
- In large dutch oven over high heat, melt two tablespoons of your fat of choice.
- In small batches, brown the deer chunks for about two minutes per side. Set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of fat to dutch oven, reduce heat to medium, and add diced onion, jalapeno, and garlic cloves. Cook until onions are soft, about five minutes.
- Add two cups of bone broth, vegetable stock, and two tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer.
- Whisk in the masa harina, stirring vigorously until all the corn flour has dissolved.
- Add cocoa powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, all spice, and oregano. Return the browned deer to the pot.
- Stir in the chili paste, drop the heat to low, and cover the pot while leaving a small opening at the side of the dutch oven. Simmer for one hour, preferably two is possible.
- Enjoy topped with fresh diced onions, jalapeno slices. cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, frito chips!
