traditional beef chili

Amys Gluten Free Pantry

This is my go-to chili; wonderful for a crowd along with all the toppers: cheddar cheese, sour cream, diced red onions and of course, Fritos. I learned a great trick from my friends Jeff and Sandra who make a similar chili. The addition of rice adds a really creamy texture as it throws off its starch as it cooks.

A note about chili ingredients. Depending on where in the country you hail from, putting beans in chili is an absolute no-no. As is using ground beef and even tomatoes. Adding rice would disown me for good from any Texas Chili Making Association, but I believe you need to make recipes your own. That is why the name of this chili is NOT something along the lines of “True Texas Chili” or “Uncle Red’s Ass-Kicking Texas Chili”. No, this is Uncle Red’s distant, shirt-tail relative living a permissive life style in California chili.

I’ve doubled and even tripled this recipe and let it sit for days to let the flavors develop. If you’re entertaining, you can heat it up, then keep it warm in a crock pot while your guests serve themselves. It also freezes beautifully for those nights you have no time or inclination to cook. A nice vinegary salad along with this is a good companion. I use a mild chili powder because of my kids, but feel free to sprinkle a bit of chipotle powder in for some added heat. And if you want the real Texas deal, then omit the tomatoes, cut up a boneless beef chuck, add some ass kickin’ chilis and for God’s sake, forget the rice.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hr 15 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings

3 lbs. ground beef (20% fat)
2 T oil
2 medium yellow onion (about 2 c. chopped)
1 large or 2 small red peppers (about 2 c. chopped)
2 T chili powder (mild)
2 T paprika (I prefer Hungarian)
2 T ground cumin
2 tsp. salt
4 cloves minced garlic
2 c. crushed tomatoes
3/4 c. white rice (I use Basmati, but you can use any long grain rice)
3 c. beef broth
3 c. chicken broth
1/2-1  c. water

  1. In heavy duty skillet (I use cast iron), brown meat, draining all fat. Set aside.
  2. In large soup pot, add oil and saute onion and peppers about 5-8 minutes. Add all spices and garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
  3. Add all stock, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, add rice and recuce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
  4. Remove lid and simmer for additional 30-45 minutes. Taste for seasoning. The rice in the chili sucks up a lot of liquid, so feel free to add a bit more stock or water to get it to the consistency you desire. This is great after it sits for a day or even two. Serve with diced red onions and fritos. Provide sour cream and cheese for anyone who who can eat casein.

 


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