Texas/Louisiana Style Chili

I think this recipe started from the Louisiana/Texas Style Chili recipe by H. Michael Laybourn at Medicino Brewing Company in Stephen Beaumont’s Brewpub Cookbook. Over time it it has morphed but still credit is due to the original. A few years ago the Minnesota Homebrewers Association (MHBA) had an annual chili contest where chili was broken into several categories like “Chili con Carne without beans”, “White Chicken Chili”, etc. This recipe won in the “Chili con carne sin frijoles” (chili with meat without beans) multiple times. The base recipe is not exceptionally hot though you could make it that way, it is intensely flavorful.

I use a variety of spices when I cook, if food doesn’t taste then why bother eating it. I prefer to use spices that have a good reputation, come from a reliable source. My prefered spice store is Penzeys Spices. I have one of their retail location nearby and every time you walk through the door the aroma is amazingly complex. They also have an online operation. This recipe does use a lot of spices.

The recipe below just calls for cubed meat. The times it won at the MHBA chili contest I made the chili using beef. It also works well with pork and I prefer the pork version. For beef I use round steak. For the pork version pork loin or boneless pork chops work well.

The recipe calls for ancho chili powder. Grocery store chili powder is usually a blend of a bunch of spices and I prefer to retain control, ancho chili powder is just ground ancho chilis. It isn’t hot, it might be milder than some brands but it is also typically results in a browner colored chili. For the Cajun spice used in the recipe there are a number of varieties in the stores or an alternative is Emeril’s Essence. Since virtually all the cajun seasoning blends are heavy with salt I don’t include salt in the recipe, add to your taste.

Many styles of beer will work for this chili. A traditional brown ale is a great beer but most malty kinds of beer will work so brown ales, stouts, porters, Belgian dark strong ales, … are good. I find hoppy styles like most IPAs don’t work as well for this recipe as the hop bitterness can be a distraction. Generally, the alcohol from the beer is going to all boil off during the cooking leaving the malt aspects behind. As an alternative to the beer most medium to sweet meads or melomels will also work in the recipe. Even a medium sweet cider could be used.

The recipe

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 pounds meat cut into roughly half inch cubes
• 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large poblano pepper, finely chopped
• 1 large carrots finely chopped
• 2 large sweet onions, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp garlic, chopped
• 2 medium jalapeños, seeded, finely chopped
• 5 tbsp ancho chili powder
• 5 tbsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 bunch, roughly 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 16 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp chocolate chips
• 12 oz brown ale
• 2 tbsp corn meal
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp red chipotle powder (optional to taste for heat)

If you want a little spicier chili you can up the poblanos to use two large ones, they are pretty mild peppers. I also use even more garlic for my personal consumption.

The Process

In a pan on medium heat brown the meat with the cajun seasonings and the vegetable oil. If your pan isn’t large enough for the quantity of meat to all be in contact with the bottom of the pan you will need to break the browning process up into several batches.

In another large pot on medium heat saute the peppers, onios, carrot, and garlic in the butter. When the meat is browned add it to the sauteed vegetables and mix well. Add the ancho chili powder, cumin, thyme, oregano and cilantro stirring well.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and beer. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the chocolate chips and corn meal and cook for at least 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

You can adjust the heat level to your prefered level by adding ground cayenne pepper near the end of the simmer. An alternative is to use a bottled hot sauce but I find the vinegar aspect that most of them contain is an unpleasant contrast to the other flavors of the chili.

The chili is better if you refrigerate it overnight and then reheat it for serving the next day. The overnight helps the flavors all meld together. Serve with a side of beans, corn bread or rice. I prefer it with a side of corn bread. You can top it with shredded cheese, fresh cilantro and/or sour cream as you prefer. The chili also keeps well in individual sized containers in the freezer for later reheating in the microwave.