Cook Off Winning Texas-Style Chili

:: Updated 10/7/2023 :: Boy, do I have a winner for you guys today – an actual, literal winner. Meet my Cook Off Winning Texas Style Chili, or my “Texas-ish Chili.” I won a fun chili cook off (chili cook-off? hyphenated?) with this recipe and am excited to share it here with you. To me, it is simply perfect. Is it authentic Texas chili through and through? Nope, sure isn’t. Not even close actually. I’ve added my own twists to be sure. But it’s hearty, rich, thick, and layered with intense savory flavors. This is a truly great chili – a Texas Style Chili – and I think you guys are going to LOVE it.

What people are saying about this Cook Off Winning Texas Style Chili …

“This chili is AMAZING! I made it and entered in my husband’s work chili cookoff and won!! I don’t usually eat chili and I honestly couldn’t stop eating this! Everyone needs to make it!” – Dani W

And it’s got this glossy, deep red glow – a lacquered mahogany look – that is as fetching as it gets. This Cook Off Winning Texas-Style Chili is, without question, the best chili I have ever eaten, and it just might make you re-think that ground beef chili recipe you always reach for. The large, succulent chunks of beef in the Texas-style version make for a more special meal in my opinion, and this type of beef (as opposed to ground) helps build truly great, rich flavor in every bite.

What is Texas-Style Chili?

Texas-style chili, also known lovingly as “Texas Red,” or “Chili con Carne,” is chili built upon cubes of beef, rather than ground beef, and never ever will you ever find a single bean in a pot of Texas-style chili. Nope. Nada. No beans about it, y’all. That’s the hallmark of Texas-style chili – they don’t mess around with beans. And apparently, you’re not supposed to mess with Texas, so I stuck to the script on that front.

A simple, rustic cowboy-esque type of chili, Texas-style really has my heart – it’s just more delicious, what can I say? You need little more than beef, chiles, and a collection of some key spices to build a truly great pot and I think it’s the no muss/no fuss approach that makes this stuff so dang cool. But that said, if I may be so bold, I’ve taken some liberties (as per usual) and I’ve done a few simple things to the traditional Texas-style chili that, in my humble opinion, elevate it just a smidge …

What is Texas-ish Chili?

For starters, I’ve added tomatoes. That’s not technically a hallmark of true Texas Red, but I find them necessary. The tomatoes, however, are not nearly as bold of an add as the cocoa powder, miso paste, allspice, and mapke syrup that I also sneak in. Those things are the real deal here, though. Trust me.

They’re the pinch-hitters and, I think, complement the other flavors beautifully and take this pot of chili all the way up and over the edge. The cocoa deepens the flavor, adding a richness and a darker color (which I’m obsessed with). The miso is the perfect – PERFECT – salty, umami bomb and it’s the thing, along with the chipotles, that makes people’s eyebrows rise, ever so slightly, when they taste it. “Mmmmm … what’s that I’m tasting?”

Lastly, the maple syrup helps to balance the spice and savory richness. You’re not making a sweet chili, you’re just making a well-balance done. Which is pretty great.

What you’ll need to make this Texas-Style Chili

Now, you could make it with water instead of beef stock, but that stock makes it SO rich and incredible that I’ll always use it. But, water would work fine. Whether you’re in need of a great crowd-pleaser for game day/game night, or you’re entering a chili cook off of your own, I so hope you give my Texas-ish Chili a try. This one is the real deal.

Ingredients for Texas-Style Chili

• 4 pounds cubed beef stew meat
• Olive oil or canola oil, for cooking (not extra virgin – it’s not ideal for high-heat cooking)
• Salt and pepper, as needed
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• ½ cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon allspice (cinnamon can be subbed)
• 2 tablespoons white miso paste
• 2 chipotles in adobo, minced (for medium heat, you can use just one if you want mild)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup (do this to taste, see note)
• 4 cups beef stock 

Suggested toppings: sour cream, lots of fresh lime, soft and crunchy tortillas, avocados, red cabbage slaw 

How Do You Make Texas Chili?

Now, this strays from authentic Texas chili, absolutely. But frankly, I think the handful of simple additions I make here really bring the flavor of a true blue Texas chili into a very special place. A little chipotle pepper smoke. A dash of chocolate (trust me here). And even the addition of tomatoes isn’t actually real deal Texas style. But it’s just so good – my dream chili. And lets’ be honest – that’s what matters at the end of the day, and at the end of our spoons.

Here’s How to Make this Championship Chili:

1. Preheat your oven to 315 degrees F. 
2. Add a tablespoon of oil to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot set over high heat. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper. In batches, brown the meat for about 2 to 4 minutes per side. I typically drain the pot in between batches, adding a bit more oil each time. Transfer the browned meat to a platter, plate, or baking sheet and set aside for now. Drain the pot once more. 
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add a little more oil, followed by the onions, chili powder, cocoa, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, and allspice. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook until the onions are tender and the spices have toasted, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the miso, chipotles, tomatoes, garlic, and tomatoes. And simmer for just a few more minutes. 
5. Add the stock, stirring to loosen up bits on the bottom of the pot. Slide the beef, along with its juices, into the pot. Put the lid on the pot and place in the oven to slow roast for 3 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. Serve hot with whatever toppings you like. 

What Kind of Beef Do You Use in Texas Chili?

Not ground. Un ground. Anti-ground. A very defining trait of true Texas chili is the fact that the beef isn’t ground. Nope. It’s cubed, actually. Bite-sized cuts of sirloin (or another cut of beef that suits) – are browned in oil until nice and crispy all over, providing a truly great depth of flavor to the chili. It’s much like a beef stew, and will always be my chili of choice.

Why aren’t there beans in Texas Chili?

True Texas chili is what it is and what it isn’t is fussy. It is neither complicated nor extensive, so far as its ingredient list goes. It’s just intended to be a pot of flavorful, chili-smothered beef. No muss. No fuss.

So, the addition of beans would stray a bit from that original intent. Though again, I’ve strayed a little here. The miso is technically a bean (fermented bean paste), and cocoa comes from beans. So, you know … it’s it’s own thing, this chili is.

What spices are in Texas Chili?

Simple is best, when it comes to this style of “Texas Red,” chili (we’re talking salt, pep, chilis, repeat). But each spice that I’ve listed in my version truly plays a big part in helping to build the very distinctive, deeply rich flavor that you get in the end.

Traditionally, it would be little more than salt, pepper, and chilis. But the addition of cumin, chipotle, cocoa (I know, I know), oregano, smoked paprika, garlic, allspice, maple, and miso paste (trust me again) create the most epically flavored pot of tender beef chili you’ll ever eat. A bold claim, yes. But I stand by it.

If you like the looks of this Texas Style Cook Off Winning Chili, you might also enjoy:

Chili Garlic Butter Steak and Mushroom Bites

Red Wine & Pomegranate Glazed Short Ribs

Quick-Fix Cookoff Winning Chili

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon

Coconut Red Curry Drip Beef

Ground Beef Curry

Thai Beef With Basil

Print