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ancho chile

I Love this Texas Chili.

January 6, 2025 by Becky Spoon

Texas ChiliJump to Recipe

Let’s make some Texas chili that we grew up with but with real dried chile that originated from Mexico! Although I could never duplicate the amazing flavors of Mexico, using some of their techniques like dried chiles just shows us how the spices should be prepared and taste.

Texas Chili
Texas Chili

This recipe for my Texas Chili is exactly what we all need these next few days with the frigid temperatures that we have coming our way. Plus, this recipe is with dried chiles from Mexico that you can find from your local grocery store. If you haven’t cooked with dried chiles but don’t understand how; this recipe will teach you so that you can start taking advantage of these beautiful ingredients of Mexico.

By the way, you don’t have to serve this with Fritos like I did. Just loved how beautiful it all came together for a delicious dish.

These are some of my favorite toppings for this Texas Chili.

  • Avocado
  • Cotjia cheese or cheddar cheese
  • Cilantro
  • Green onion
  • Red onion
  • Sour cream
  • Chopped Jalapeno
  • Crushed tortilla chips or crumbled cornbread or Fritos if you’re classy! Frito Pie for the win!
  • Did I miss anything?
  • Ketchup? I don’t know but a lot of folks love it.

What do you need to make this so good Texas chili!

  • 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

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! If you aren’t familiar with these chiles, here’s a photo and a bundle on Amazon only if you can’t find chiles in your local grocery stores.

https://amzn.to/4gY99oh

Although I didn’t use Guajillo in this recipe, they are the sister (in my lowly opinion, they are similar) to the New Mexico Hatch Red Chile, just milder….not as bitter. I really like the Guajillo chile. So buy the bundle. I’ll show you how to use them.

Below is my Brisket Chili. I have so many mixed emotions about these recipes. The base that’s develped from the dried chile or the base that was develped from the cut of beef which happened to be brisket. Of Course.

Texas Brisket Chili
Texas Brisket Chili

That’s a later story but in the meantime, here’s the recipe. amazing texas smoked brisket beans.

But, All Hale to the Texas Chili that taste like what I grew up with made by my father who was a master cook in my mind. My Mom was a master cook also made a beautifully planned out Southern meal daily in the 1950’s.

Here you go! Let me know what you think.

Texas Chili

Instant Pot Texas Chili

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course dinner, Lunch, texmex
Cuisine American, Texmex

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!
Keyword chili, chili grind beef, chuck roast, dried chile, no beans chili, Texas, Texas Chili, texmex
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Filed Under: Soups/Stews/Gumbo//Chili Tagged With: ancho chile, chile, chili, pasilla chile, texas chili, texmex

a favorite – authentic carne con chile colorado.

July 12, 2020 by Becky Spoon

Carne con Chile ColoradoJump to Recipe
Carne con Chile Colorado
Carne con Chile Colorado

When I first met Allen he wanted me to make Carne Con Chile Colorado which is meat with red chile. I didn’t really know what it was and I’d search for recipes to learn how. We didn’t have the tools then to search the Internet, I’d ask him what it was, I’d look at it and taste it at Mexican restaurants trying to figure out the ingredients. I tried to make it many times, not reaching the desired results.

Years later, I’ve finally learned how to make it. Little did I know how easy it really is. Simple. I’m sure making it many more times will improve it and I’m sure my friends in Mexico can teach me more things in cooking this dish, but I’m proud of my accomplishments and feel they will love my dish.

a favorite – authentic carne con chile colorado.

Carne con Chile Colorado

I used pork butt but I’ve seen this dish also with beef. So for the red sauce I used New Mexico red chile and ancho chile. I can find New Mexico chile in my store, but if you can’t you can order on line or you can use a California red chile.Dried chiles should be pliable and smell slightly fruity.

There are instructions in the recipe portion, but what you do to make the sauce is remove the seeds and stems from the dried chile. Then you add them to boiling or hot water and allow them to sit for about 30 minutes. After that add them to a blender along with cumin, Mexican oregano and onion, and a mixture of garlic and salt. Process until very smooth , then strain discarding any remaining skin or seeds. You can use a blender or food processor, but I really like to use my Nutribullet. It really pulverizes the chile making the straining so much easier. Here’s a link:https://amzn.to/3ek1C1G. Great for smoothies too!

One of the steps is to grind garlic and salt together in a Molcajete adding a little water to form a slurry to add to the chile puree that you can also do in the processor or Nutribullet. Here’s a link for the Molcajete. https://amzn.to/3fmnU4a.

a favorite – authentic carne con chile colorado.

I served this with refried beans and Mexican rice, along with flour tortillas. Here’s a link for those recipes: https://the2spoons.com/pinto-beans-for-refried-beans/.

and the rice https://the2spoons.com/essential-mexican-rice/

Here’s the recipe for this dish. Enjoy!

Chile Con Carne Colorado

Carne con Chile Colorado

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Breakfast, dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs pork cubed
  • 10 New Mexico red Chile or California red chile, stems and seeds removed, or other red chile
  • 2 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 1/4 cup water for the pork
  • 1 tsp salt for the pork
  • 2 tsp flour for the pork
  • 2 cups water for the pork
  • boiling water for preparing the chile
  • 1 tsp salt for the red chile puree
  • 4 cloves garlic for the red chile puree
  • 1 1/4 tsp Mexican oregano for the red chile puree
  • 1 1/2 cups water for making the chile puree

Instructions
 

  • Remove the stems and seeds from the chile. Bring a pot of enough water to a boil just to cover the chile. Turn the water off and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. Strain pressing through with the back of your spoon, discarding any skin left behind.
  • Meanwhile, add the cubed pork to a heavy pot with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on low heat checking about every 10 minutes and stirring until all the pink has gone.
  • While the pork is cooking make the chile puree. In a molcajeta or food processor, add salt and the garlic and make a paste. Add the oregano and crush, then 1/4 cup water to the mixture.
  • Remove the chile from the water and place in a food processor, blender or I use the Nutribullet. Add the garlic, salt and oregano mixture, along with the 1 1/2 cups water. Process until smooth. Strain, pressing with the back of a spoon until just some of the skin remains. Discard the remaining skin.
  • Then, remove the lid for your pork and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the pork starts to brown.
  • Add 2 teaspoons flour to the pork mixture, stirring to combine. Cook for a minute or so.
  • Add the red chile and Stir. Add 2 cups water and cook on medium until the pork is tender.
  • I add a potato or two diced, because Allen likes it with potatoes.
  • Serve with refried beans, Mexican rice and flour tortillas. Pasar Bien! Enjoy!
Keyword carne, carne con chile colorado, New Mexico Red Chile, pork, pork with red chile, red chile pork
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Filed Under: Dishes of Mexico, Tex Mex and New Mexico Red and Green Chile Tagged With: ancho chile, authentic, carne con chile colorado, mexican, pork shoulder, pork with red chile

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