Chili and Meat: Texas’ Pride
Contrary to popular belief, chili was not made in Mexico. It is actually (as most Texans would insist time and time again) a dish made in the good state of Texas. With the ingenuity of most of the poor people at that time (that time being with the Spanish conquistadors), they had effectively made a dish of all-spice and no meat (with the meat being terrible tasting anyway). Thus, the meat with chili, aka ‘chili con carne’ (is that chili with meat or chili and meat?) was born.
How to make chili? Chili is but sauce, herb and meat; nothing more. Adding other things not part of the basic recipe is usually done only for the flair or for accompanying flavors, but the skeleton of the recipe is enough to keep the mouth occupied.
Get meat, preferably beef. The harder and tougher, the better. Chili was originally made with too hard to eat meat (goat and venison, anyone?), so the cooking time depends on the meat. Also, the longer the chili cooks, the more flavor seeps in and mixes with one another. A good chili cooks for at least more than half a day or so, else you get a separate mixture of meat and beans. Soup not part of the bowl too.
The choice of herbs vary according to your taste, though the preferred chili is dried ancho, a common pepper. Cumin, black pepper, garlic, oregano, onion, sage (if you’re adventurous), and others. Those mentioned above are the most common, and makes for some good chili.
Cook the meat, add the herbs, liquid and slow cook. There are lots of recipes out there, but a good chili is a reheated chili. All chilis follow this rule. Serve the chili, next day, reheated. It’ll taste loads better, flavorful and thick.
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