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"Texas Red" Chili Con Carne

From

June/July 2005

We developed our "Texas Red" Chili Con Carne recipe specifically for the slow cooker, but it’s every bit as good as a traditional stovetop recipe. Most slow cooker recipes don’t bother browning the meat, but this extra step was 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. We purchased two chuck-eye roasts, cutting one into small cubes and the other into large chunks. The smaller cubes broke down to help thicken the chili, and the larger chunks provided chewiness for the chili. We added pureed toasted corn tortillas to thicken the chili—they’re easier to find than the authentic thickener, masa harina. Adding spicy, smoky chipotle chiles gave our "Texas Red" Chili Con Carne a deep, authentic Southwestern flavor.

Serves 10 to 12 without beans, and 12 or more with beans

Chuck-eye roasts are fatty, so don't be surprised if you trim off a pound or more from each one. You should have 5 to 6 pounds of trimmed meat when you start the recipe. Chipotle chiles are smoked jalapeños canned in a red sauce called adobo. They are available in the international aisle of the supermarket. If you cannot find them, use 8 jalapeños. This chili is authentically spicy; for milder chili, reduce the chipotles and jalapeños by half.

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