The weather has me ready for a bowl of Texas chili

We are in the midst of winter, the weather has cooled down, and I think this would be a good time to consider making a chili! 

Now you can take the easy way out, buy a can of chili at HEB, and heat it in the microwave. But if you are Texan through and through, you need to consider thinking about building a fire and scorching your own! 

You are right, it can be a lot of work, but when you add the secret ingredient, it becomes a worthwhile endeavor. Chili was probably first mentioned in the Bible when Esau traded his birthright for a “Bowl of the red stew.” (Genesis 25:30.) I will help you start by providing you with my Granddads belly warming world-famous, award-winning chili recipe with my adaptations.                                                                           

Granddads Bowl of Red (Not the easy way…but the cowboy way)                                                                       Head on down to the root cellar to gather two fist sized onions and two cloves of garlic. Next, walk out to the fence row and pick five chilitepins. Then clean an’ dice the onion an’ garlic.  Throw chunks of taller (that’s beef tallow for you greenhorns) in your hot skillet an’ commence to render it down. Add the diced onion and the diced garlic and the five chilitepins. Put the onions in first and later add the garlic, because garlic tends to burn if left over heat too long. 

Prepare the meat. This can be a variety of different meats. I prefer to use a 3 to 5 pound chuck roast, because it has good fat marbling, (Granddad just went out to the windmill where a side of beef was hanging and chopped off what he needed.)  I cut this beef into about 1 inch chunks. Now you can use pork, venison, squirrel, turkey, chicken, even rattle snake but you will find it purty much will all taste like chicken. So use the beef! 

Put this in your skillet or Dutch oven, and it needs to be a big’un, because you still have lots of good things to add.  Now I give this a good scald for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to brown it and prevent sticking and to blend the ingredients, which you will begin to add. (Granddad probably only had some canned termaters and spring water.) but, I stir in 2 cans of original Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and chilis, a cup of beef broth, a can of crushed tomatoes, and some Chipotle peppers in Adobe sauce. Then add two small spoonful’s of paprika, one-half small spoonful of cumin, two handfuls of chili powder and one handful of salt (according to that ol’ Cajun cook, Justin Wilson, you know when you have a handful of salt when you pour salt into the small depression that forms when you hold your hand palm up and slightly cup your hand.) 

Now you need to bring this concoction to a boil for about five minutes, then just simmer it for about an hour or so. Don’t forget to add the secret ingredient! If you let it sit for a day or so, the flavors will blend and it will just get better. 

However, don’t even think about adding beans, this is Texas chili! We all know that real Texans eats their beans with cornbread. Now this part might be a disclaimer because I had been working on a Sunday School lesson about the healing power of prayer and some how hit a wrong key and right in the middle of that chili recipe popped up a verse that I had been working on. 

It said, “Cry out and Heal me, O Lord!” Now that could very well be an omen that this chili might be hot! However, a true Texan will be okay with that. As the Wolf brand chili commercial says, “When’s the last time you had a bowl of chili? Well pardner, that’s just been too long!”

Chili Makin’

He was busted an’ all stove up, an’ purty old,

Been cowboyin’ forever,

Lot of knowledge under that hat, if the truth was told,

In most any endeaver.

The boss come up with a plan to keep him around,

For they shore needed a good cook,

He made good coffee an’ his thinkin was sound,

That crankiness he’d overlook!

So it was agreed that the old timer would stay on,

A decision not so silly,

But shrewdly thought out, his reputation well known,

He shore could make a good chili!

The old gent crawled out of his bunk way ‘fore sunup,

There was sour dough bread to make,

But first he’d hot the coffee an’ pour hisself a cup.

‘Fore the hands shook themselves awake.

He sat there in the pre-dawn chill ponderin’ the day,

He said, “Thank you Lord for your care,

An’ Your blessin’s” as he took this time to pray,

An’ he felt at peace out there.

Then his thoughts drifted to the chores he must get done,

‘Fore the hands clamored for their grub,

Gettin’ sour dough risin was the first thing he begun,

Then washin’ plates in that ol’ tub.

‘Course he’d figgered makin’ a chili for the night,

Them hands was partial to hot,

Addin’ some peppers to the mix would be alright,

Guessed he’d use that ol’ iron pot.

Now he give some thought to what he might have on hand,

It was mostly things he had,

Without ary a doubt, those hands would understand,

 There are things that you must add.

He had onions an’ garlic an’ peppers that was dried,

He’d get that bacon grease heatin’,

Then he’d whack up some of that beef hangin’ outside,

An’ some honey to sweetin’.

He’d throw in some spices an’ a handful of salt,

Get it to boilin’ in that pot,

If they chose not to eat it, that wasn’t his fault,

They’d come around like as not.

Now that was shore ‘nuff the way things seem to turn out,

Livin’ life here in the west,

Tho sometimes the rain clouds comes an’ sometimes there’s drought,

Truth is, most all are purty blessed,

©  Ol’ Jim Cathey

 Tip o’ the week -- Never make the mistake of making the cook mad!

God Bless you and God Bless America