"Texas Red" Chili Con Carne

Meaty, long-simmered Texas chili seems like a natural choice to adapt for the slow cooker, but we were surprised to find most slow cooker chili recipes were lacking. Many tasted bland and one dimensional, while others were as thin as soup. We wanted to devise a recipe specifically for the slow cooker that was every bit as good as a traditional stovetop recipe. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• Most slow cooker recipes don’t bother browning the meat, but this extra step is well worth every minute. We also found it important to the overall flavor of the chili to brown the onions and chiles and toast the spices. Spices need hot, dry heat to activate their flavors.
• Purchase two chuck-eye roasts and cut one into small cubes and the other into large chunks. The smaller cubes will break down to help thicken the chili and the larger chunks will provide some chew to the chili.
• Add pureed toasted corn tortillas to thicken the chili. They are easier to find than the authentic thickener, masa harina.
• Add spicy, smoky chipotle chiles for a deep, authentic Southwestern flavor.