Deconstructing Chili: Mastering the Original Texas 'Bowl o' Red'

Overview

This video demonstrates how to craft the authentic Texas 'Bowl o' Red,' a traditional chili devoid of beans, originating from 1880s San Antonio. It covers meticulous steps, from building a robust flavor base with puréed dried chilies to hand-cubing chuck roast and utilizing an overnight rest for optimal flavor integration.

Ingredients

• 60 g / 2 oz Ancho chilies
• 30 g / 1 oz Pasilla chilies
• 30 g / 1 oz Guajillo chilies
• 480 ml / 2 cups boiling water
• 1.4 kg / 3 lbs well-marbled beef chuck roast
• 45 g / 3 tablespoons pure beef tallow
• 150 g / 1 cup finely diced white onion
• 15 g / 3 cloves minced garlic
• 10 g / 2 tablespoons freshly ground cumin
• 3 g / 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 710 ml / 3 cups unsalted beef bone broth
• 240 ml / 1 cup Mexican lager
• 15 g / 2 tablespoons masa harina
• 60 ml / 0.25 cups warm water
• 30 g / 0.25 cups diced raw white onion (garnish)
• Handful of saltine crackers (garnish)

Instructions

1. Stem and seed 60 g Ancho, 30 g Pasilla, and 30 g Guajillo chilies.
2. Toast chilies in a dry skillet over medium heat at 175 °C / 350 °F for 2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Transfer toasted pods to a bowl and pour over 480 ml / 2 cups of boiling water, submerging them completely and soaking for 20 minutes.
4. Transfer softened chilies and 120 ml / 0.5 cups of the soaking liquid to a blender; purée on high for 3 minutes until completely smooth.
5. Hand-cut 1.4 kg / 3 lbs of well-marbled beef chuck roast into exact 1.25 cm / 0.5-inch cubes.
6. Heat a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat to roughly 200 °C / 400 °F.
7. Drop in 45 g / 3 tablespoons of pure beef tallow. Once it shimmers, sear the beef cubes in three separate batches for exactly 4 minutes each (2 minutes per side) until a deep mahogany crust forms. Remove seared beef to a plate, leaving rendered fat in the pot.
8. Drop the heat to medium (about 150 °C / 300 °F). Add 150 g / 1 cup finely diced white onion and 15 g / 3 cloves minced garlic to the hot beef fat; sauté for exactly 5 minutes.
9. Add 10 g / 2 tablespoons freshly ground cumin and 3 g / 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano; stir constantly for 60 seconds to release essential oils.
10. Pour in the blended chile paste and cook this mixture for 5 minutes, letting the purée fry in the tallow until it darkens to a deep rust color.
11. Return the seared beef cubes and any resting juices back into the Dutch oven.
12. Pour in 710 ml / 3 cups of unsalted beef bone broth and 240 ml / 1 cup of Mexican lager. Bring the pot to a rolling boil at 100 °C / 212 °F.
13. Immediately drop the heat to the lowest setting (around 85 °C / 185 °F), cover the Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer gently for exactly 2 hours (do not lift the lid during the first hour).
14. After 120 minutes, remove the lid and simmer uncovered for another 45 minutes to reduce the liquid by a third.
15. In a small bowl, whisk 15 g / 2 tablespoons of masa harina with 60 ml / 0.25 cups of warm water until perfectly smooth.
16. Pour this slurry directly into the bubbling chili and stir continuously for exactly 10 minutes while maintaining the simmer at 85 °C / 185 °F.
17. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature (about 20 °C / 68 °F), then refrigerate overnight (12 hours).
18. The next day, skim the solidified orange fat cap from the top.
19. Reheat gently on the stove at 75 °C / 165 °F for 20 minutes.
20. Serve steaming hot in a shallow bowl with 30 g / 0.25 cups of diced raw white onion and a handful of saltine crackers.

In this video

• Authentic Texas 'Bowl o' Red' is a brutalist monument to beef and dried chilies, utterly devoid of beans, originating in 1880s San Antonio.
• The foundational flavor relies entirely on a fresh purée of whole dried Ancho, Pasilla, and Guajillo chilies, toasted at 175 °C / 350 °F for 2 minutes and steeped for 20 minutes.
• True Texas chili demands 1.4 kg / 3 lbs of well-marbled beef chuck roast, hand-cut into exact 1.25 cm / 0.5-inch cubes, rather than ground beef.
• Sear the hand-cut beef in 45 g / 3 tablespoons of pure beef tallow in batches for 4 minutes each at 200 °C / 400 °F to form a deep mahogany Maillard crust.
• Bloom 10 g / 2 tablespoons of freshly ground cumin and 3 g / 1 tablespoon of Mexican oregano in hot beef fat with diced white onion and minced garlic for 60 seconds to release essential oils.
• The chili braises gently for exactly 2 hours covered at 85 °C / 185 °F, followed by an additional 45 minutes uncovered to reduce the liquid by a third.
• A slurry of 15 g / 2 tablespoons of masa harina and 60 ml / 0.25 cups of warm water is whisked in and stirred continuously for 10 minutes to thicken the chili into a velvety gravy.
• An overnight 12-hour rest, allowing the chili to cool to 20 °C / 68 °F and then refrigerate, is essential for the cumin, capsicum, and beef fat to fully marry their flavors.
• Reheat the chili gently at 75 °C / 165 °F for 20 minutes the next day, after skimming the solidified fat cap.
• The only acceptable garnishes for this pure Texas tradition are 30 g / 0.25 cups of diced raw white onion and a handful of saltine crackers, strictly no beans or sour cream.

Frequently asked questions

What is 'Bowl o' Red'?

The original Texas 'Bowl o' Red' is a brutalist monument to beef and dried chilies, entirely devoid of beans, born in the 1880s San Antonio plazas.

What type of chilies are used in authentic Texas chili?

A real Bowl o' Red relies entirely on a fresh purée of whole dried Ancho, Pasilla, and Guajillo chilies to create its baseline flavor.

Why is hand-cutting beef important for Texas chili?

True Texas chili demands 1.4 kg / 3 lbs of well-marbled beef chuck roast, hand-cut into exact 1.25 cm / 0.5-inch cubes, for optimal texture and searing.

What is masa harina used for in this chili recipe?

Masa harina is used to thicken the chili into a thick, velvety gravy and adds a subtle, toasted-corn sweetness that balances the sharp acidity of the dried chilies.

Why does Texas chili need to rest overnight?

An overnight 12-hour rest allows the cumin, capsicum, and beef fat to fully marry their flavors, ensuring optimal integration and complexity before serving.