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Texas Chili Texas Red
 
recipe image
Prep Time: 0 Minutes
Cook Time: 200 Minutes
Ready In: 200 Minutes
Servings: 12
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seasoned America. Chef Paul is one of the best chefs and cookbook authors of all time. He does not mind sharing his techniques-I love that about him.
Ingredients:
seasoning mix
1 tbs salt
1 tbs ground guajillo chile pepper
1 tbs ground arbol chile pepper
2 tsp dried sweet basil leaves
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
other ingredients
5 pounds beef top round, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 dried ancho or poblano peppers
3 dried arbbol pepper or any small, thin hot red chile pepper
6 dried serrano or guajillo peppers
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 lb yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 pound salt pork, boston pork butt, or bacon cut into 1/4-inch dice (if you use salt pork, rinse some of the salt from the rind and pat dry)
6 cups chopped onions
6 cups chopped green bell peppers
3 cups chopped celery
2 tbs minced fresh garlic
4 bay leaves
6 cups beef (preferred), pork, or chicken stock
8 medium fresh tomatoes, peeled and smashed, with their juices
1 tbs ground cumin
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Make 6 tablespoons plus 2 1 1/2 tablespoons.
3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the seasoning mix all over the meat and work it in well with your hands.
4. Place the dried anchos, arbols, and serranos on a baking dish and dry them in the oven until brittle about 10-13 minutes. Let cool. Then crush them with your hands into the bowl of a food processor and blend to a fine powder. There should be about 7 tablespoons in all.
5. Place the cornmeal in a small skillet over medium-high heat and toast flipping the cornmeal and shaking the skillet constantly, until the cornmeal is light brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. Place the salt pork, pork butt, or bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cover and cook, uncovering the pot occasionally to scrape the bottom until the salt pork is a deep brown color, about 30 minutes. There should be a film on the bottom of the pot that looks like ground red pepper. Remove the salt pork from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
7. Turn the heat up on high, and when the fat remaining in the pot is hot, add half of the beef to the pot. Cook, turning once or twice until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Then brown the remaining beef and remove to the bowl.
8. Add 4 cups each of the onions and bell peppers, 2 cups of the celery, the garlic, and the remaining seasoning mix to the pot. Stir well, cover, and cook 8-10 minutes. Add the bay leaves, cover, and cook uncovering occasionally to stir, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the vegetables are sticking to the bottom of the pot, about 6 minutes. Stir in the ground peppers and the browned beef. Cook until the meat sticks hard and forms a hard crust on the bottom of the pot, about 20-25 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, place the browned salt pork and 1 cup of the stock in the container of a blender and process until thoroughly blended.
10. When the meat has formed a crust on the bottom of the pot, stir in the salt pork/stock mixture and scrape the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes, the remaining 2 cups of onions, 2 cups of bell peppers, 1 cup celery, and 1 cup of stock. Scrap the bottom of the pot well and cook, uncovered, 12 minutes. Cover the pot and cook over high heat 8 minutes. Add the toasted cornmeal and 1 cup more of stock to the pot and scrape the bottom. Stir in the remaining 3 cups of stock and the cumin. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer, scraping occasionally if the mixture starts to stick, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Makes about 18 cups.
11. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight and reheat before serving. Fantastic with toasted corn tortillas.
12. Note: do not use commericial chili powder.
By RecipeOfHealth.com