Recipe

Original San Antonio Cattle Trail Chili Recipe

	Oldgringo / All my dishes 1 year, 11 months ago An intermediate recipe, Original San Antonio Cattle Trail Chili, filled in between Chile Colorado con Carne and Tex-Mex Chili. It was passed from Mexican Vaqueros to Texas Cowboys. Prep:30m Cook:60m Servings:6	Oldgringo
	chili

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Ingredients

1/2 lb beef suet

3 lb lean shoulder beef

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

4 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano leaves; crushed

1 tablespoon fine ground cumino

6 cups beef stock

6 ancho chile; see note *

1 pasilla negro chile; see note *

1 cascabel chile; see note *

4 tablespoons flour

Directions

Note: This recipe is one of the original cattle-trail recipes use in the San Antonio area for Tex-Mex "Chili." The Tex-Mex dish, "Chili," was adapted from the Mexican dish, "Chili Colorado con Carne" which means "chiles with meat." Tex-Mex cooks from around San Antonio are mighty proud of their chili and mighty set in their ways of puttin' chiles in and leavin' other stuff out.

Pinto beans were always served as a side dish and never cooked in the chili. Some purist did the same thing with the onion. No one ever, ever, put tomatoes in chili under any circumstances. That's where the expression, "Git a rope!" came from.

Instructions:

Render the suet in a large heavy kettle. Remove and discard any solids.

Cut meat into 1/2 inch cubes. Salt and pepper and brown the meat in the fat. Add onions, garlic, oregano, and cumin. Cook until onions are soft.

Add beef stock and bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer slowly while preparing the chiles.

Remove stems, membranes and seeds from dried chiles.

Put the chiles in a sauce pan; cover with boiling water and let steep for 10 minutes.

Lift out the hydrated chiles and grind or puree, adding 1 cup of liquid in which chiles were cooked.

Add the puree to the meat, cover and simmer one hour or until meat is tender.

Adjust seasonings to taste.

Mix flour with cold water, then stir into chili and cook 10 minutes to thicken and cook the flour.

*Note: If these chiles are unavailable, substitute 4 to 6 tablespoons of commercial chili powder.

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Comments

jenniferbyrdez 1 year, 11 months ago said:
I don't put tomato's in mine either. That's soup. I'm so happy I can get these chili's now. Nice post. TY.

kukla 1 year, 11 months ago said:
Another wonderful, authentic recipe -- and all the extra info & history makes everything well worth it! Thanks OldGringo :) [Printing this one off!]

rml 1 year, 11 months ago said:
This sounds wonderful, but where are the beans?...(just kidding) I Love your recipes!

cabincrazyone 1 year, 10 months ago said:
For years I've been cooking a chili very similar. Possibly a subspecies that gradually made its way north. (ha) No tomatoes, but pinto beans in the chili.
I kind of like the idea of pinto beans on the side. Sitting on the ground looking at the camp fire, tin plate in my hand, the cattle are lowing ... first a bite of chili, then a bite of beans, a little bread ... I like it.