Texas Chili

From "The Wild, Wild West Cuisine from the Land of Cactus and Cowboys."
This makes a lot of chili, easily filling my Dutch oven and providing one person 2 weeks worth of dinners. This is the base recipe, adjust as needed for hotness and any other spices you want to add.
There's lots of vegetable chopping in this one, so take what shortcuts you want. For example, instead of fresh tomatoes, I use canned, usually Mexican style or with lime juice.


1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4-6 fresh jalapenos, chopped and seeded
1/2 cup oil
3 pounds chili meat
1/2 tsp Tabasco or to taste
1/4 cup hot (Mexican) chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic salt
2 T cumin
12 ounce bottle of beer
8-10 whole tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 4-oz can green chilies, chopped
1 1/4 c water
1/4 tsp pequin peppers, or to taste
2 15-oz cans ranch-style beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

Place bell peppers, onion, garlic, celery, jalapenos and oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pan. Cook over high heat until all vegetables are tender. Crumble in chili meat and continue cooking until brown. Drain off excess fat (optional). Turn the heat off and stir in Tabasco, chili powder, black pepper, garlic sale, cumin and 8 oz of beer (the other 4 are for the cook). Let this mixture stand for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, green chilies and water. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil, Meanwhile, place the pequin peppers in a blender and grind them until the are a fine powder. These ave very hot peppers so add them a little at a time. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Stir in beans and continue cooking an additional 30 minutes.

Options: I omit the pequin peppers, but often use more Tabasco, or Cholulu sauce and/or Tabasco Chipotle sauce. Sometimes I've added cinnamon or cloves. And I often add a bag of frozen corn along with the beans.

It should be hot enough to draw beads of sweat on your upper lip.

Serve this over Fritos with sour cream and/or cheese.