Texas-Style Chili Con Carne
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When you want a hearty, satisfying chili, this one delivers: tender beef, a rich, smoky sauce, and a slow simmer that’s well worth the wait. A delicious weekend project.
With beef that melts in your mouth and a thick, deeply flavored, smoky sauce, this chili con carne is essentially a chili-spiced beef stew. It’s not the fastest or easiest chili to make (for that, try my ground beef chili recipe), but I think it’s the most authentic. So if you’re looking for a recipe for a chili cook-off, this is the one! What makes it Texas-style? Mainly, it’s made with cubed beef instead of ground beef and no beans. (Some purists skip tomatoes too, but I like the depth they add.)
This recipe requires over an hour of prep and active cooking, plus several hours to simmer on the stove, so it’s best saved for a weekend. I recommend doubling the recipe—you can freeze half for another night or use the leftovers for tacos, burritos, or spooned over rice or baked potatoes. Serve chili con carne with cornbread muffins or cornbread.
“Legit. Great chili.rnrn”
What You’ll Need To Make Texas-Style Chili Con Carne
- Spices (Ancho Chile Pepper, Chipotle Chile Pepper, Cumin, Oregano, Coriander, Cinnamon): This bold blend builds the backbone of the chili, layering smoky heat, earthy notes, and a touch of warmth for a deep, well-rounded flavor.
- Cornmeal: A simple thickener that gives the chili extra body and a subtle corn taste.
- Beef chuck roast & bacon: Using chuck roast gives you hearty chunks that get tender as they braise, while bacon adds smoky richness. Together, they give the chili a meaty base and depth. When buying chuck roast, avoid generic “stew meat,” as it won’t get nearly as tender.
- Yellow Onions, Garlic Cloves, Jalapeño Peppers: This trio forms the aromatic base of the dish. (You can dial up the heat of the chili by including some seeds from the jalapeños.)
- Low-sodium beef broth & beer: Together they make up the liquid base, giving the chili both savory depth and a little malty edge. Using low-sodium broth keeps the level of saltiness in check. (If you don’t drink alcohol, just replace the beer with water.)
- Crushed tomatoes, molasses & cocoa powder: This trio balances the chili. Tomatoes give acidity and body, molasses brings a dark sweetness that smooths out the spices, and cocoa powder is a “secret” ingredient in many chili recipes, adding just a hint of bitterness that complements the spices nicely.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the chili paste. In a small bowl, combine the spices and cornmeal. Add a bit of water to form a paste and set aside.
Pro Tip: Ground ancho chile pepper, made from dried poblanos, is mild with a sweet, earthy smokiness. Ground chipotle chile pepper, from smoked jalapeños, is spicier with a deeper smokiness and subtle chocolate notes. Used together, they create a layered, complex chili flavor.
Step 2: Cook the bacon. Fry until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate with a slotted spoon. Pour all but a few teaspoons of the fat into a small bowl.
Step 3: Sear the beef. In batches, sear the meat in a single layer until well browned on at least one side, adding more reserved bacon fat as needed.
Pro Tip: Don’t crowd the pan. Browning in batches gives you that crusty edge that builds the base of the chili.
Step 4: Deglaze the pot. Transfer the beef to a plate. Deglaze the pan with a splash of water (it will smoke when you add it), scraping up the brown bits, and then pour the liquid over the beef.
Pro Tip: Those brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan are called fond. They’re little caramelized pieces left behind by the meat and aromatics, and when you scrape them up with liquid, they dissolve back into the sauce, giving the chili extra depth and richness.
Step 5: Sauté the aromatics. Reduce the heat to medium and add 3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat. Cook the onions, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeños; cook 2 minutes more.
Step 6: Add the chili paste. Stir in the reserved spice paste and cook a few minutes, until fragrant. It may clump or stick to the bottom a bit—that’s okay.
Step 7: Build the broth. Pour in the beef broth and whisk until the spices dissolve. Add the water, beer, crushed tomatoes, molasses, cocoa powder, seared beef, and bacon.
Step 8: Simmer and serve. Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 2½ to 3 hours, until the beef is tender and the sauce is thickened. Ladle into bowls and serve with shredded cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges. The chili can be refrigerated for up to 3 days (and it just keeps getting better as the flavors meld). Freeze for longer storage.
Video Tutorial
More tex-Mex Recipes to Warm You Up
Texas-Style Chili Con Carne
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ground ancho chile pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground chipotle chile pepper
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 1 (4-lb) beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1½-in (4-cm) cubes (see note below)
- 8 oz (about 8 slices) bacon, cut into ¼-in (6-mm) pieces (see tip below)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 small yellow onions, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) chunks
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 jalapeño peppers, cored, seeded and finely diced (see note)
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 cups water, plus more for the chili paste and deglazing the pan
- 1¼ cups lager beer
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon molasses, such as Grandma's Original
- 2 teaspoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
Optional Garnishes
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Mix the chili powders, cumin, oregano, coriander, cinnamon, and cornmeal in a small bowl and stir in ½ cup (120 ml) water to form a thick paste; set aside.
- Season the beef with the salt; set aside.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, fry the bacon over medium heat, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick, until the fat renders and the bacon crisps, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour all but a few teaspoons of fat from the pot into a small bowl; set aside.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Sear the meat in three batches (it should be in a single layer) until well browned on one side, about 4 minutes per batch, adding more of the reserved bacon fat as necessary. (Hint: Once the meat is in the pan, don't stir or touch it – leaving it alone will allow it to develop a nice brown crust on one side.) Place the seared meat on a plate. Add about ¼ cup (60 ml) of water to the pot (it will smoke), and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to release all of the flavorful brown bits. Pour the dark liquid over the seared meat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat to the pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook 2 minutes more. Add the reserved chili paste and sauté until fragrant, a few minutes (it will look clumpy and stick to the bottom a bit – that's okay).
- Add the beef broth and stir with a whisk until the spice mixture is completely dissolved. Scrape the bottom of the pot with the whisk to release any spices. Stir in the the water, beer, crushed tomatoes, molasses and cocoa powder. Add the reserved bacon and seared beef (along with the juices from the beef on the bottom of the plate) back to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover, leaving the lid just barely ajar. Simmer, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn, until the meat is meltingly tender and the juices are thickened, 2½ to 3 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Ladle the chile con carne into bowls and serve with cilantro, cheese, and lime wedges.
Notes
- When selecting the meat, be sure not to buy anything generically labeled "stew meat." Also, you will lose about ½ lb (230 g) after trimming the fat, so if you buy the meat already trimmed and cubed, you'll only need about 3½ lb (1.6 kg).
- To make bacon easier to chop, try placing it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes first. The colder it is, the easier it is to cut.
- When handling jalapeño peppers, avoid touching your eyes and wash your hands well afterward.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The chili can be made up to 3 days ahead or frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost it in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Native Texan here. I usually make a box mix chili with ground beef or ground turkey which I love. I made this to be different for a friend’s cook-off. I made just like the recipe called for, ingredient wise, and I love it. It is too soupy so maybe use less water – so I added a cornstarch slurry. I also had to cook it a lot longer, like four extra hours, to get the meat to be very tender. But I was just watching tv so no problem. It’s nice to eat a chili with beef chunks vs ground. It makes a terrific frito pie.
Excellent chili flavor. Will definitely make this again. Easy to adjust heat for milder chili for non-heat guests.
Absolutely amazing recipe. I take MUCH longer to brown the beef putting in only 5 chunks at a time, takes about 40 minutes. Chipotles in Adobo are a nice upgrade to the powder, as is grinding your own dried ancho chili and cumin seeds. I use an entire bottle of Sam Adams and cut the water accordingly. Biggest improvement? Serve with fresh baked sourdough cinnamon buns: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-cinnamon-buns-recipe
Thanks for another amazingly delicious recipe Jenn. I have made this several times and my husband raves about the flavor. However, I made it for a dinner party so doubled it to have enough and cooked it in 2 Dutch ovens. I put it in oven instead of on stovetop but may have used wrong temperature because took too long to get tender and sauce not reduced. I made it the day before to let the flavor develop. What temperature do you suggest if cooking in oven for the next time I make it? The meat ended up perfectly tender after cooking on stovetop the next day for 2 more hours but the sauce was still too thin. Thanks!
Sorry you had a problem with cooking it in the oven! I’d use the temperature and timing of this beef stew.
Okay so I have never made chili before this and need major help! Mine turned into soup and didn’t thicken up at all. I followed the recipe exactly minus the jalapenos since I am a sissy for spice. If anyone has advice on how to get it to thicken up please feel free to comment your tips and tricks.
Hi Morgan, sorry you had a problem with it thickening! If you experience this again, continue simmering the chili with the lid off and it will thicken up nicely. You can always add a little more cornmeal too, if necessary (but not too much). Hope that helps!
Just a thought, the larger/wider your pan, the more surface area which means faster reducing time.
Amazing flavor. I use it as the filling for Volcano Potatoes.
So I tried this. It’s good. I’m not a fan of chuck though. While it is the go to cheap meat slab it’s not beefy enough for me and kinda tastes like chuck. I’d much rather short sub in short rib but that’s just me and not a knock on this. I also missed kidney beans. Not authentic but it does bulk up the dish, adds more nutrition and just tastes great with these flavors. Five stars but I think I would make these two changes if I were to do this again.
Hello Jenn!
I actually have a ton of dried ancho peppers and I’m trying to use them. How many peppers do you think I would need to use in place of the dried ancho powder?
Can I use whole chipotle chilis too?
Thank you!
Hi Amara, I’ve never tried using whole chipotle chilis or dried ancho peppers in this but from what I read, 1 tbsp. of ancho powder is the equivalent of 1 medium chile, so it sounds like you’d need 4. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I love this recipe. I have made it for tons of people! Decided to try and make it my own and be fancy. I add 12 oz of maple syrup immediately before I end my boiling. Sweetens it up just enough to balance some of the heat.
Get rid of the cinnamon!! I’m a Texan and I know chili. No cinnamon or it tastes like some Middle East dish. I also use Chili Powder instead of Ancho Chili powder. Other than that, not a bad recipe from someone that’s never even been in the Lone Star State.
Cinnamon is a very common ingredient in Mexico, which is right here in North America, in case geography confuses you. And the name is Texas “style”…
And no one came here to check out a recipe from someone who’s never been OUT of the lone star state.
Dear Jenn,
I just made this and it’s absolutely delicious!!! Not sure why there are some negative reviews.
Anyways, I did make it up ahead of time and my concern was the amount of solidified fat accumulated once in the fridge. I skimmed part of it off – only out of guilt, however, what do you recommend? Again, thank you for the most amazing recipes for us home cooks!
It’s perfectly fine for you to skim some of the fat off the top, particularly if you still thought it was delicious after doing that. Glad you enjoyed!
I absolutely love this recipe. Have made it several times. I do make some changes however. First, I add a tablespoon of tomato paste before adding the chili seasoning paste to deepen the tomato flavor. I also do a second dump after 2 hours of cooking by adding one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and a bit of the adobo sauce as well. I then adjust as needed with more cocoa powder and add brown sugar. This is my only chili recipe now and it is a hit with the family! Thank you for the delicious and smoky recipe!