Step-by-step instructions follow after the discussion below.

Texas-style chili con carne is the subject of many debates. Beans or no beans? Tomatoes or no tomatoes?

My thought on the subject is that Texas-style chili doesn’t have any beans, but tomatoes should be in there. They add depth and richness. Just don’t add too much.

With that being said, if you want beans in your chili, put em in there. It doesn’t seem very Texan to tell a person how they’re supposed to eat their supper.

Manners are more important than what you put in your chili.

What chili con carne is, is simple. It’s just a beef stew loaded up with a lot of chiles.

The key to making it taste excellent is to use quality ingredients and treat them well. By cooking each component properly and adding a small amount of salt to each, we can build the flavors up to be greater than the sum of their parts.

Although Texas-style chili con carne is simple, this isn’t our simplest recipe for it. Here’s our recipe for easy chili con carne.

Toasting Chiles

You can get away with not toasting your chiles, but to really bring out their flavor, don’t skip this part.

Toasting your chiles will add complexity, bringing out their natural flavors and adding a bit of smokiness.

To toast your chiles, remove the stem and de-seed them, then press them onto a comal or pan, preheated over medium heat, with a metal spatula for 30-60 seconds on each side.

As you toast your chiles, you’ll notice the color lighten up slightly. Just be careful not to burn them. That’ll add a bitter taste.

Don’t worry about straining your chiles after you’ve blended them. I only bother with that when I’m using guajillos. Their tough skins have a hard time breaking down and can add a graininess.

No worries. There aren’t any guajillos in this recipe.

An important note on dried chiles: Chiles should not be so dry that they shatter like glass when you bend them. They should be somewhat soft and pliable. Overly dry chiles are usually old and have lost most of their flavor. If you don’t have a good source, Ole Rico, out of Laredo, Texas, is available on Amazon and sells very high-quality products.

Use Cubed Beef Instead of Ground

Most people use ground beef for their chili con carne. That’s fine, but cubed beef chuck is much better. If you want to use ground beef to make it easier on yourself, be sure to get coarse ground beef so that you’ll have some texture.

If the beef chuck isn’t prepared correctly, it’ll come across as dry in a stew.

You’ll want to put a hard sear on it. When searing, remember, we want it brown, not gray.

You’ll preheat your dutch oven over high heat, add the oil and wait until it’s almost smoking, then add one-half of your cubed beef. It’ll stick as soon as it hits the pan. That’s okay; just give it a few seconds, and it’ll release.

Once it’s seared until it releases, turn a piece over and check that it is nice and browned. If so, flip all the pieces and sear on the opposite side.

It helps to cook it in two batches to prevent overcrowding the meat. If it’s all bunched up together, it’ll steam instead of browning.

Don’t worry if it looks like the meat has toughened up. It’ll absorb moisture and soften back up as it braises in the chili.

Try one of our 12 salsa recipes to help you master Taco Night.

Brown Your Beef Chuck In It’s Own Fat

Fat is where the flavor in meat comes from, no the meat itself.

When you trim your beef chuck, save that fat.

Before you’re ready to start browning your meat, throw the beef fat into the pot and render it over medium heat until it’s release all of it’s liquid.

Once you’ve rendered enough fat to brown your beef (about two tablespoons), you can throw out the fat solids, turn up the heat, and throw in the cubed beef

Using rendered beef fat rather than vegetable oil will substantially amplify the beef flavor in your chili.

Use Canned Tomatoes

Chili is generally a wintertime food. As such, sourcing decent tomatoes is virtually impossible. Winter tomatoes are usually flavorless and not much use for anything.

On the other hand, canned tomatoes are generally packed at the peak of their freshness and offer much more flavor. Opt for a high-quality canned tomato (you usually get what you pay for).

The Secret Weapons in Your Chili con Carne

Sazon Goya

I like Sazon Goya con Culantro y Achiote for the addition of the achiote (annatto) and coriander. It adds a little extra flavor and deepens the red color of your chili (people eat with their eyes first).

The real ingredient in Sazon Goya that elevates the taste of your chili is monosodium glutamate (MSG), one of the most common amino acids in nature.

In foods, MSG enhances the savory, meaty umami flavors, which in this case, will make your chili taste even beefier.

I know MSG has a bad reputation, but there is no real evidence that it’s as evil as it’s made out to be.

If you feel you might be sensitive to MSG, leave the Sazon Goya out of the recipe.

Chipotle Moritas

The first thing to understand is that a chipotle pepper is just a dried jalapeno, and they come in many forms.

When people think of chipotle peppers, they generally think of the canned chipotles in adobo.

Those are fine, but for this recipe, We’re looking for more of a smoky flavor.

Chipotle Moritas will add a smoky flavor to your chili.

To achieve that smoky flavor, chipotle moritas are much better. They’ll add a tremendous amount of smokiness without adding the tang that comes from the adobo.

If you don’t have a Mexican grocery nearby or they don’t carry them, you can get them from Amazon.

What to Serve With Your Chili con Carne

As I said previously, if you like beans and want them in your chili, do it. Food is meant to be enjoyed. Anybody that doesn’t like it can sit in the corner and eat crackers.

Here’s some other things that go great in a bowl of Texas-style chili:

Diced avocado: The creaminess balances the chile peppers nicely.
Chopped white onion: White onions will add a fresh crunch.
Chopped green onions: Green onions will add more of an herbal quality than white onions.
Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots: Pickled jalapenos and carrots add a sour zing that pairs nicely with chili.
Cheese: Cheddar, queso fresco, Monterrey jack.
Saltines or Fritos: Fritos are my weakness.
Flour tortillas: Bonus points if you heat them on a cast-iron comal.
Bread. Chili and masa cornbread or pan de campo is an excellent combination.