FOOD NEWS
The Culinary Crime You Should Not Commit With Texas Chili
BY EMMA SEGREST
Texas chili, which likely originated from the San Antonio Canary Island population, is one of the most famous iterations of the stew, and there are strict rules about making it.
The San Antonio Canary Island population included a group of women called the Chili Queens, who famously served an array of dishes to the public, including chili con carne.
This version of chili was a slow-cooked stew of finely chopped or ground meat, garlic, cumin, onion, and chile peppers. Notably, there were no beans or tomatoes to be found.
Adding beans and tomatoes to Texas chili is still considered a culinary crime by many. The focus is mainly on the chiles, with the meat coming in second place.
Texas chili has a thick stew-like texture from a chili-pepper paste, which also gives the dish its signature spice. It may use peppers such as ancho, pasilla, hatch, or guajillo.
Today, the most common meat used for chili in the U.S. is ground beef, but Texas chili uses cubed chuck roast or short ribs that are slow cooked to a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.