Chili Without Tomatoes (Texas Chili)
This recipe for Texas-style chili without beans or tomatoes is the perfect hearty beef chili that cooks in just one pot.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons butter, ghee, or avocado oil *see notes
- 3 pounds boneless chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots, about 2-3 small shallots
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups broth or stock (can be chicken, beef, or vegetable)
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika I used 1/2 tbsp regular and 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Optional: cilantro, chives or green onions to garnish
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim the fat from your chuck roast and cut into 1/2inch cubes.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of ghee, butter, or oil on medium high in a large dutch oven. Cook meat till browned on both sides. I salt the meat with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt here, but if you're sodium sensitive just wait till the very end to see if it needs any.
- Add chopped shallots and minced garlic and stir for about a minute. Pour in all 4 cups of broth. The meat should be barely covered by the broth.
- Add chili powder, paprika, and cinnamon and stir to combine. I recommend adding the cumin later so it does not become bitter. Bring all ingredients to a boil, cover and turn down the heat to simmer on low.
- Simmer for 1 hour and check the amount of liquid. If it looks like there's still too much liquid, remove the cover and allow to simmer for an extra 30 min uncovered. If there's not enough, add more broth. Add the cumin here and stir in. Simmer another 30 minutes, or until the beef is tender. Taste and adjust any seasonings.
Notes
- Do not substitute stew meat for chuck roast or it will not be as tender or flavorful as the recipe intended.
- Approximately 1/2 pound of the meat weight is lost when you trim the fat so keep that in mind for serving size. Calorie information is calculated without trimming.
- I prefer to use 1/2 smoked paprika and 1/2 regular paprika as I think it adds a great smokey flavor to the dish, but either one will do. The cumin is added towards the end as I find sometimes simmering at high heat for a long time can cause it to become bitter.
- Store in the fridge once cooled - this chili is even better the next day!
- Do not substitute chipotle chili powder for regular chili powder unless you prefer a super spicy chili.
- The meat needs to be cooked for an hour for that melt-in-your-mouth texture and flavor. This can be done in a slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours once the meat has been seared.
- To make this dairy free, you can use duck fat for the best flavor, or avocado oil. The recipe is naturally gluten free.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 657kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 71g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 235mg | Sodium: 400mg | Potassium: 1513mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1804IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 9mg
