Gotta Love Texas

In all the years I’ve been making Chili and eating Chili, I don’t think I’ve ever had a chili that lacked beans. Meatless Chili, yes. I’ve made an amazing Meatless Chili served in Sourdough Bowls. It’s a Winter’s Friday Night Special.

But never have I tried a chili without beans. While Kiddo and I enjoyed the chili, Hubby equated it to having Sloppy Joes without the buns. He’d be right. This would make a great Chili Joe. Maybe next time. Hey I needed to at least give this chili a try. After all, it claims to have hailed from Texas. While I’ve never been to Texas (unless lay-overs in Dallas count) Hubby and I have talked for years about relocating to Texas once he’s retired. We like the politics (away from Austin) and the Tex-Mex flairs. We’re country people at heart. Simple, down to earth. Crazy as it sounds, I like the smell of cattle and horses and dust blowing in the wind. Who knows – maybe Texas was my home in a prior life.

This no-bean chili would be amazing atop grilled hot dogs. Hum, maybe that’s what I’ll try next.

West Texas No Bean Chili
1 large Yellow Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 lb Ground Beef
Salt to taste
1-1/2 tablespoons Ancho Chile Powder
1 tablespoon Cumin
1/2 tablespoon Paprika
1 (15 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
3 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1/2 cup Lon Star or other Texas Brewed Beer, divided
1 cup Beef Stock, divided
1 tablespoon Masa Flour

Peel and dice onion. Peel and mince garlic. Set aside.

In a Dutch Oven, warm oil over medium heat. Add ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook, breaking meat into small pieces as it coos. Once cooked through, drain well and return to pot.

Season with salt, Ancho chili, cumin and paprika. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to blend.

Pour in 1/4 cup beef and 1/2 cup beef stock, simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After first simmer, pour in remaining 1/4 cup beer and 1/2 cup stock. Continue to simmer another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add masa flour, cook 10 minutes longer. If desired, add additional beef stock to reach desired consistency. Or leave thick if preferred.

Serve with Southern Skillet Cornbread and enjoy.

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Before we get into the baking portion of today’s delicious share, I have a confession to make. When I originally scheduled this meat West Texas Chili for supper, I had paired it with a Northern Cornbread. Yeah, that would have been teetering on the edge of Sacrilegious! I will admit, we prefer Northern style Cornbread. What’s the difference? Northern Cornbread is more cake-like in texture and sweeter than Southern Cornbread. No self respecting Texas would serve anything other than a skillet style cornbread. Now if you are more the cake-like sweetness of Northern Cornbread, that’s okay too.

Southern Skillet Cornbread
2 tablespoons Bacon Drippings
1-1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1/2 cup Flour
4 tablespoons Sugar (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Baking Powder
1 tablespoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup rapidly boiling Water
1 cup Buttermilk
1 large Egg, beaten lightly

A “must” for this bread is a hot cast-iron skillet. Although the bread can be made in a cake pan or square casserole dish, that would just be too “Yankee” to do the bread justice. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set 8-inch cast iron skillet with bacon fat in it to heat oven.

Measure 1/2 cup cornmeal into medium bowl. Set aside.

Mix remaining 1 cup cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in small bowl; set aside.

Bring water to a rapid, full boil. Pour boiling water all at once into the 1/2 cup cornmeal; stir to make a stiff mush. Whisk in buttermilk gradually, breaking up lumps until smooth. Cornmeal mush of just the right texture is essential to this bread. The mush must be smooth without overworking the batter. Don’t rush the buttermilk and you’ll have less lumps to break up. Once the mush is ready, add the egg.

Once the oven is heated and skillet very hot, stir dry ingredients into mush mixture until just moistened. Carefully remove skillet from oven. Pour hot bacon fat into batter and stir to incorporate, then quickly pour batter into heated skillet.

Place skillet back into the oven, then immediately lower the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes or so. Remove from oven and immediately turn corn bread onto wire rack; cool for 5 minutes, then serve with sweet butter as desired.

Note: This cornbread can also be served from the skillet for a very rustic, cowboy presentation.

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The day of the Lord is near;
Behold, He comes to save us.