Buckle up because this authentic Texas chili is the most flavorful, perfectly spiced bowl of red you’ve ever tried. Made with a dried chile paste rather than chili powder, every bite of this beefy chili is filled with tender chuck roast in a rich red gravy. This real Texas chili comes with just the right kick and is a guaranteed party pleaser.
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While I live in Denver, I was born and raised in Houston and spent my college years in Waco, Texas, so I've made and tried countless chili recipes in my lifetime. Of course, being an annoying perfectionist, I‘ve also spent years tinkering and testing different spice combinations for my own recipe, and I’m happy to report I've perfected my Texas chili.
So what makes my chili especially great? Making a paste from dried chiles instead of your standard chili powder that many other recipes use. Yes, it's a little extra work, but a fabulous chili takes some effort. After you taste how much more complex and flavorful dried chile paste is compared to those with just chili powder, you won't go back.
In addition, I complement that dried chile paste with a few warm spices. Cumin is a given, but I also include cinnamon, allspice and cloves, which add a richness. When these elements all come together, you’re in for one lip-smacking delicious bowl of authentic Texas chili.
Bonus: If you love this recipe, make sure you also check out my smoked chili, short rib chili and Dutch oven chili!
What Is Texas Chili?
While you can find all sorts of chili varieties, Texas chili comes with a red base and two strict rules: no beans and no tomatoes. Real Texas chili is all about the beef, chiles and spices.
Of course, that's not to say beans and tomatoes aren't delicious in chili. Despite growing up in Texas, I've had many delicious chilis over the years that feature beans and tomatoes. Those chilis just aren't a true Texas style.
If you're a big bean or tomato chili fan and not overly concerned with adhering to strict Texas guidelines, you're more than welcome to use this recipe as a base and add those fillers. But if you have your heart on staying true to an authentic recipe, leave the beans and tomatoes for another day.
Ingredients
Before we start cooking, let's organize our ingredients. Here's what we need to make this perfectly spiced red chili.
- Chuck roast
- Dried guajillo chiles
- Dried arbol chiles
- Chipotles in adobo sauce
- Fresh jalapenos
- Olive oil
- Onions
- Garlic
- Beef stock
- Coffee
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dark brown sugar
- Cocoa powder
- A variety of spices, including cumin, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, cayenne, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and allspice
- Salt
Step-by-Step-Instructions
How to Make Dried Chile Paste
To make our dried chile paste, we start by toasting our chiles on the stove until they turn fragrant. This should only take a few minutes. After toasting, we add some beef stock to the pot and allow the chiles to simmer for about 15 minutes.
We then throw our chiles and beef stock into a blender with some chipotle peppers and adobo sauce and then mix until it becomes a smooth paste. That's all it takes.
How to Make Chili
With our dried chile paste prepared, we're ready to start on the rest of the dish. We begin by cutting our chuck roast into small, bite-size pieces, about ½-inch diameter.
I won't lie. This step takes some time, so put on your current Netflix show or some good music and just enjoy the process of cooking a leisurely meal.
Once we cut up our chuck roast, we brown the meat.
After the chuck roast browns, we remove it from the pot and cook some onion, jalapeño and garlic.
We put the beef back in the pot along with our chile paste, beef stock, coffee, apple cider vinegar and spices and let the mixture simmer away.
After about two hours, the beef chuck will be perfectly tender, and the chili will thicken to a gravy-like consistency. You'll notice the gravy will reduce quite a bit. That's normal for Texas chili, which isn't as soupy as some other chilis.
If you're dying for more liquid, you can always add some beef stock, but I prefer not to as I don't want to dilute that complex chile flavor. But you do you.
Recipe FAQs
I believe a good Texas chili recipe should come with a kick. At the same time, I’m against spice that’s so intense you can only taste the heat without the nuanced flavors.
I designed this recipe for just that. This recipe comes with enough spice that we know we’re eating chili and not some flavorless beef stew, but it also won’t disintegrate your taste buds.
Of course, heat levels are subjective. If you’re sensitive to heat, you may want to skip the cayenne pepper. Once the chili finishes cooking, you can taste it and add cayenne pepper to your liking or skip it entirely.
Absolutely! In fact, I encourage it.
I love making this chili at least a day before serving. Not only does this make for easy entertaining but it also gives the flavors a chance to meld, making for an even more delicious chili.
That's not to say this chili isn’t tasty right after cooking. I just think it gets even better when it has a chance to sit.
I typically love to serve my chili in a bowl like a stew with my favorite toppings. Cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime slices, fried tortillas strips, fresh jalapenos and avocado are all delicious options. And, of course, you can't go wrong with a side of my jalapeno popper cornbread with whipped cream cheese butter.
But this chili doesn't only have to come in a bowl. I'm a huge fan of serving this chili with nachos, fries, baked potatoes, queso, burgers -- you name it. You'll find Texas red chili is as versatile as it comes.
Perfect Pairing
A roasty stout is the perfect beer with this chili. The stout's thick body is bold enough to stand up to our heavy stew and rich beef, and the roasted malt nicely complements the warm spices.
Not a beer fan? Try a zinfandel. With a zinfandel, we get a lot of fruit to counter the heat as well as a peppery finish that melds with the rest of the spices. Zinfandel also has plenty of acidity to keep our palate refreshed after each bite.
Of course, if you'd like a cocktail, you can't go wrong with a Texas margarita. Besides the namesake, this margarita is great with chili. It features both fresh lime and orange juices to give those warm spices a welcome brightness.
When nothing but a big bowl of red will do, I hope you try this authentic Texas chili. After many years of testing, I truly believe this chili is as good as it gets.
Cheers!
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📖 Recipe
Authentic Texas Chili From a Texan
Ingredients
- 8 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeds removed
- 1 dried arbol chile stemmed and seeds removed
- 5 cups beef stock divided
- 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce seeds left intact
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into ½- to ¾-inch pieces, excess fat removed
- 2 onions diced
- 2 jalapenos seeded and chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced or grated
- 1 cup strong coffee
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or stock pot, toast the dried chiles until fragrant, about two to three minutes. Add 2 cups beef stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chiles soften and are pliable.
- Add the chiles and beef stock used to simmer the chiles to a blender with the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Blend until smooth. This is the dried chile paste. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Cook half of the beef chuck until browned, about a few minutes on both sides. Remove from the pot and then repeat with the other half of the beef. Once the second half is browned, remove that beef from the pot as well. Remove excessive drippings so that there's about 2 tablespoons of liquid left in the pot.
- Add the onion and jalapenos to the pot. Cook until softened, about four to five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Pour in remaining 3 cups of beef stock and strong coffee, scraping up the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Add the beef back to the pot with the dried chile paste. Stir in apple cider vinegar, cocoa powder, dark brown sugar, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, Mexican oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
- Bring the chili up to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Keep the pot mostly covered with a crack open. Simmer for two to two and a half hours while stirring occasionally. Serve with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're sensitive to heat, you might want to leave out the cayenne pepper until the end. Try the chili after cooking and then add cayenne pepper in small increments to taste.
- This chili is even better if it has time to sit in the refrigerator. If possible, I recommend making it at least a day in advance, though it's still good if you need to serve it immediately.
- After cooking, the liquid will reduce a lot. This is normal for Texas chili, which isn't as soupy as some other chilis. If you want it soupier, you can add more beef stock, but I don't really recommend it because you'll dilute the chile flavor. Your call but just consider it a warning.
- You can absolutely freeze this chili in an airtight container.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Michael Danekilde Olsen says
Is the coffee supposed to be in powder form or liquid?
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
It's just regular liquid coffee.
Michael Danekilde Olsen says
Thanks, will try it out this coming saturday, looking forward👌
Craig says
This is a stupendous chilli! So different to the usual UK chillis with a tomato base.
I didn't use as much chillis but made a milder version of the adobo and froze a load of it.
The chilli is so dark, deep with different flavours and very versatile. I've just used beef mince instead of beef chuck and it's delicious.
Recommended.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks so much for the nice review, Craig! Glad you enjoyed it.
Sam says
Love this chili! I won my work's chili cookoff 🙂
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Congrats, Sam! That's so awesome.
Sonny says
It calls for dried chili paste but it's not listed in the ingredients?
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Hi, Sonny! Sorry for the confusion. The dried chile paste is what you make after you simmer the dried chiles and then blend them with the beef stock and chipotle peppers in steps 1 and 2.
Bennie Harville says
Just won a chili contest today with your recipe. Love the flavor, the only thing I did was to smoke the roast before browning. Told everyone I found you on the internet. Thank you for a great chili.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
That’s so awesome to hear! Thanks so much, Bennie! Sounds like a great way to spend Super Bowl Sunday.
Dawn says
I was terrified of the chilis. I'm a wuss-lol! But this turned out SO WELL. I omitted the jalapeno, but kept the rest. After 2 days in the fridge the meat was tender and the flavors were so well blended. This is going on my permanent rotation list. Thank you!!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You're so welcome, Dawn! I'm glad you were able to make the spice level work for you.
Karolina says
This chili delivers on everything promised, flavors are incredible and the author is spot on, hardest part is cutting the meat into little pieces. Went faster as soon as I got my kitchen shears out.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks so much, Karolina! That's such a great tip about the kitchen shears. Thanks for sharing that.
Keith Shergold says
I'm a Canadian, so chilli is not something I know much about. In Canada commercially available "chilli" is tasty, but it's basically mince stew with cumin in it, or off-the-shelf "Chilli Powder". Usually bits of carrot, onion, celery and tomato floating in it as well. Tasty, but I know it's not correct. I have studied Thai cooking, so as soon as I saw the soaked-chilli flavouring paste in your recipe, I knew I had hit the jackpot. This recipe is absolutely BRILLIANT. I added a little chopped fresh coriander, and I couldn't help sneaking half a cup of St Ambroise stout beer in with the coffee. Oh and I added a bit more cocoa powder, because I was in love with the idea of cooking a savoury dish with it and wanted to bring the flavour forward.
Anyway, I seldom comment on recipe websites, but this deserved SIX out of five stars. I really liked it!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Your comment makes me so happy. Thank you so much, and I’m so glad you love it! The paste really does make such a difference. Appreciate it!
Kris says
Thank you for this fantastic recipe, it's a keeper!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You are so welcome, Kris!
Jackie Wagner says
Love the chili. But I had a problem. My dried peppers left an itty bitty pieces of skin within the chili. I processed it a blender twice and still had an issue. Was hoping the simmering the chili would soften or disintegrate the skins. Did not. Any recommendations to avoid this the next time?
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Hi, Jackie! Glad you overall loved it. I haven't really experienced that problem, but you can always pass it through a fine-mesh sieve next time to capture any little bits. Hope that helps!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Ooo! This is the real deal with all the spices and seasonings, yeah?! What a great dish!
Heather says
Delicious!! I added a little extra brown sugar to combat the spice level for my own personal taste but it's very good!!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thank you! Nothing wrong with a little extra sweetness. Happy you enjoyed!
Shawn Meyer says
I have a question, what purpose does the strong coffee serve? Does it add a certain flavor? Perhaps a little bitterness and acidity to round out the pallet? As you stated that this recipe has been tweaked over several years time I have to imagine every ingredient is carefully considered. Coffee seems odd, what's the story behind it?
p.s. I'm using your recipe as my first attempt at making chili con carne. My local Mexican restaurant has Bravo Chili as one of their meat options (beef and pork Colorado) I love it and have wanted to make it for a long time.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Hey, Shawn! I love using coffee because of the roasted notes it adds, which nicely complements the spices and the dried chile paste. Hope you love it!
Stacie Shauberger says
Great recipe! It's a hit with my family.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thank you! So happy to hear everyone loves it!
John Dodds says
Would this recipe work for hot dogs?
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You mean for topping the hot dog, correct? If so, absolutely! We actually picked up some really great hot dogs from the butcher and did that for Memorial Day last year, and they were delicious.
John Dodds says
Yes as at topping for hot dogs. Love this recipe always a hit. Making it next week for church fellowship!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you.
Dustin D. says
100% winner every time we cook it. Just the right amount of heat, guest's favorite..... and no beans or tomato sauce!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Oh, wow -- this makes me so happy! So glad it's a winner for you. Happy holidays!