Texas Chili is a favorite in the Spoon household when the weather is dreary and cold like it is today in Texas! We don’t put beans in our chili in Texas either! Ever! But we do garnish with lots of different toppings:
- chopped onions
- grated cheese
- Fritos or tortilla chips
- sour cream
- jalapenos, pickled or fresh
- avocado or guacamole
Did I miss anything?
Sometimes I make chili with spices, but this chili starts with dried chiles which I really like. There’s just something about using actual dried chile that adds warmth and depth to the dish!
I used dried ancho https://amzn.to/30pMudY and dried pasilla https://amzn.to/2G8VGKx. A chili recipe I have on the blog using ground spices is at this ling: https://the2spoons.com/frank-x-tolberts-original-texas-chili/.
I Love this Instant Pot Texas Chili
I make brisket chili too which is soooo good! Here’s a link for the Texas Brisket Chili: https://the2spoons.com/essential-texas-brisket-chili/.
I Love this Instant Pot Texas Chili
For this recipe I used a chuck roast that I diced into small pieces. I think the chuck is a great choice because most chuck roast are well marbled. If you don’t want to dice a whole roast, the large grind “chili meat” from your supermarket grocery store is fine.
Make this recipe in the next few days! You won’t regret!
Instant Pot Texas Chili
Equipment
- Instant Pot or other Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup beef tallow, lard, bacon fat of vegetable (if you must) I used lard.
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 3 dried pasilla chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 2 cups very hot water (I brought it to a boil on the stovetop)
- 1 tbsp salt, divided use
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper, divided use
- 4 lbs beef, either chili-grind beef or beef chuck roast cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup stock (beef or chicken) or water (I actually just used water)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 15 oz can unsalted crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp sweet paprika (I used a sweet smoked paprika)
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tsps dried mexican oregano
- 1-3 tsps cayenne (optional)
- 1/2 cup masa harina
Instructions
- Melt the tallow or lard in a large pan over medium-high heat either in the Instant Pot or in a separate skillet. Briefly fry the chiles until fragrant, about 10 seconds on each side. Remove the chiles to a blender or food processor (leaving the seasoned fat in the pan), cover with the very hot water, and let steep while you sear the meat. (Use a spoon or tongs to push the chiles down into the hot water if they’re not completely submerged.)
- Season the beef with two teaspoons each salt and pepper. Sear the meat in the leftover chile oil over medium-high heat until well-browned, about 6 minutes total. (You may have to work in batches, depending on the size of your pan.) When all of the meat is browned, add it to the Instant Pot if you used a separate skillet up to this point.
- Add the stock or water to the pan and use a metal spatula or a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits off the pan. Add this liquid to the Instant Pot.
- Add the garlic and onion to the blender and blend until nearly smooth. I wanted to strain the chile becasue sometimes there's skin left so I placed a strainer over the Instant Pot and poured the chili paste into the strainer and pressed with a back of a spoon, scraping the bottom of the strainer occasionally until there's nothing left in the strainer but the skin residue. Discard the residue.
- Add the crushed tomato, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, paprika, cumin, dried oregano, and cayenne (if using) to the Instant Pot. Seal the lid and run the high pressure setting for 40 minutes. Manually release the pressure.
- Carefully open the Instant Pot and scoop out about a cup of the chili’s liquid into a heat-safe bowl. Whisk in the masa harina and add this mixture back into the Instant Pot. Stir to combine; the chili should thicken slightly.
- Serve with whatever chili accompaniments you like best. I listed several we like in the body of this post!