HomemadeTexas-Style Beef Chili - Video Recipe

The heck with canned chili, my HomemadeTexas-Style Beef Chili is the best way to go. This is an "even better the next day" recipe.

Texas-Style Beef Chili is a Southern staple especially when you are in cattle country. Pull into any truck stop or BBQ joint and you'll find it. Sometimes it's fiery spicy, so make sure to get a tall glass of iced tea.

My favorite version is a chunky and stringy type of Chili you can really sink your teeth into. You get that texture from cheaper cuts of beef steak. It is okay to use ground beef of course.

Click on any photo to see larger.

I've been cooking with beef shank lately. I first tried this cut of beef in an Italian classic pasta dish called Pasta Alla Genovese (just click here to see that recipe.) It is quite lean but in need of braising for a couple hours to break it down into tender bites.

My local Latin market stocks whole sliced shanks for less than three dollars per pound - now that's even cheaper than ground beef these days. The large packages of the beef shank are in the 5-7 pound range. 

For my recipe, you will need 2-3 pounds of meat. Of course, add as much beef as you like to suit your budget. Any leftover meat from a large package freezes well.

Any slabs of chea$kate and tough cuts of beef will tenderize using my slow-braising technique.

The main broth comes from tomato sauce. You can use any type, even canned chopped, or whole tomatoes. There is less work using tomato sauce. Whole or chopped tomatoes will need to be broken apart during the cooking process. 

Canned tomato sauce is cheap anywhere you buy them. Canned tomato sauce labeling is a little confusing as a regular can size is sometimes listed as 14.5 ounces. My recipe calls for 2 cans. If you are in the range of 30 ounces that's close enough. 

All the dried spices for this recipe are easy to get at budget prices.  The main flavor is from dried chiles. You can get them whole in a bag, but there is a bit of work to shake out the seeds and remove stems. I like Chile Powder for its convenience. You can substitute powdered Paprika. 

Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Dried Oregano add a depth of flavor to the Beef Chili. Cumin is a strong spice so I only use a teaspoon.

Go ahead and use dried onion and garlic instead of fresh chopped. While in most cases fresh is best, for slow-cooking you will not notice much difference and it's so much easier using dried.

For the slow-cooking phase, I didn't brown the beef in the beginning because toward the end of simmering the sauce thickens and over time the meat will brown naturally. You can brown the beef first if you like.

All I do is slice up the beef and assemble the ingredients in a large pot, then cover and simmer until the meat is tender. This is an easy recipe anyone can make.

Toppings for your steaming bowl of meaty Chili can include raw chopped onion and shredded cheese, especially sharp cheddar cheese.

A Tex-Mex version has a scoop of Fritos Corn Chips out of the bag. I know it sounds weird, but the extra salty fried corn chip crunch kicks this lowdown cowboy cuisine into high gear. Go ahead and get a small bag of Fritos (I like the lightly salted variety) and see what I'm talking about.

The aroma of my slow-cooking HomemadeTexas-Style Beef Chili will draw a crowd. So keep the doors and windows closed if you don't want unwanted visitors! Hey, add an extra pound of beef and this recipe will feed a family plus friends, so don't be stingy  -- go ahead and throw a Chili Party and invite the neighbors. And don't forget to get a large bag of Frito Corn Chips.

 HomemadeTexas-Style Beef Chili - Video

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 54 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Beef Shank - 2 to 3 pounds - Beef Shank has bone and extra fat, so you need a bit more, depending on how lean the beef is. You can use any cheap cut of beef on sale, bone and all - hey, that's extra flavor. Okay to use 2 pounds of a lean cut of beef like top round, stew meat, and sirloin. Okay to use 2 pounds of ground beef.
• Tomato Sauce - 2 cans 16 ounces each. Okay to use a large 1 pound,  12 ounce can. You can use canned whole tomatoes, any pasta tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes. Also one small can of tomato paste (just add 4 cups of water or broth with tomato paste.) Canned tomatoes come in regular sizes from 14.5 ounces to 16 ounces, either can is close enough.
• Chili Powder - 2 tablespoons. Okay to substitute with dried paprika.
• Cumin - 1 teaspoon
• Onion Powder - 2 tablespoons. Okay to use one whole chopped onion.
• Garlic Powder - 2 tablespoons. Okay to use 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped garlic.
• Oregano - 1 tablespoon dried. Okay to use 1 tablespoon of the fresh herb.
• Water - 2 cups
• Red Wine - 1 cup. Okay to use your favorite broth instead or add water.
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions

Slice beef into chunks. The beef will break down during slow cooking, so okay to have large pieces. After a couple of hours, you should be able to start to break apart the beef into smaller pieces.

In a large pot add beef over medium to high heat. 

Pour in canned tomato sauce. Okay to use any type of canned tomato. Tomato chunks will break down after a few hours of simmering. You can break them apart further the longer Chili cooks.

 Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of wine (or substitute the wine with broth or just more water.)

Finally add dried oregano and dried spices including chili, onion, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Stir ingredients.

(If you cannot find Chili Powder, it's okay to use a can of Enchilada Sauce or Red Chili Sauce.)

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until a low simmer. Cover and cook until beef is tender, usually about 3 to 4 hours.

Check water levels after an hour or two. It's okay for some liquid to cook out so the sauce will thicken. Just don't let it cook away. Stir occasionally as the meat may stick to the bottom of the pot. 

If Chili is too watery it's easy enough to uncover and cook away some liquid to thicken the sauce to your liking. You can also add a little water if the Chili is too thick.

When done remove bones and any chunks of fat if necessary. If the beef is very fatty it's okay to remove some before starting the recipe, but do leave a little fat as that is extra flavor!

If you use ground beef you can reduce cooking time to a couple of hours as the meat will tenderize quickly. 

Of course, let the Ground Beef Chili cook as long as you like. Chili is the kind of stew you can keep on the stovetop slow-cooking for hours.

I like to serve a bowl of Beef Chili with chopped onion, and sometimes a bit of grated Cheddar cheese. Cooked rice is a filling addition, too.

My HomemadeTexas-Style Beef Chili will freeze well and reheat later, so you can make Chili Dogs or Chili Burgers on any game day down the road.

Pasta alla Genovese (onion & beef pasta sauce) - Video Recipe

My Pasta alla Genovese is an exquisite masterpiece of a meal that Italian renaissance painter, Caravaggio, could have featured in his shadowy, luscious paintings.

Well, this Culinary Artist has made a video which is suitably framed in your computer monitor.

The ingredients are humble, just beef, onion, carrot, celery and a little white wine. And the recipe is easy to do.

This rich pasta dish takes a lot of time cooking, kind of like a pot of beans. But, it's worth it. Just put it on after lunch and 3 or 4 hours later, it's ready. It only needs a stir every once in a while.

And you may shed a few tears chopping a dozen onions because it takes about 4 pounds worth. I sliced 8 cheap yellow onions for my recipe. It doesn't take too long to do it since the onions are only roughly sliced. They will soften, shrink, and cook down to a thick pasta sauce.

Onions are the cheapest veggie. Usually priced way below 99 cents per pound, and yellow onions are often on sale for 3 to 7 pounds per dollar. You can use any type of onion you like.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Traditionally the protein part of Pasta alla Genovese is made with beef, veal, pork, or a combination of these meats. Pork is a cheap way to go, but for this version I went over budget, but not by too much. And, enough pasta sauce is made for 4-6 servings (or more,) so it still cheap, at around a buck per serving (depending on the price of beef at your neighborhood grocery.)

I used the cheapest cut of beef I could find -  beef shank on sale at my local Latin market for around two dollars per pound. Beef shank is a tough cut of meat, that's why it's a bargain. But if you cook it for a couple of hours it gets fall-apart tender. And if you want to keep it cheaper, then try combining pork and beef.

For beef at $1.87 per pound, you have to by the whole shank. This cut of beef freezes well for stews, or a hearty beef chili.

For this cheap$kate recipe it takes 2 slices of these bad boys. I splurged and purchased a package at $2.29 per pound, for $3.16. I got about 5 servings with pasta - that's still an excellent deal.

I like beef shank because there is a wide bone in the center that's filled with buttery marrow. Make sure to scoop it out to eat when done - that's the cook's reward.

You could even do a version with cheap chicken leg quarters or cheap cuts of pork like the shoulder. Nobody will complain, it's really all about the sweet flavor of slow cooked onion. If you have tried French Onion Soup then you know what I mean (my own cheapie French Onion Soup version is a click away, here.)

Overall it's simple to do, nothing fancy, and with very few ingredients to deal with. You can easily feed the whole family with my cheap$kate entree. It even tastes better the next day, and it also freezes well, to pack for work lunches. (For reheating I would use a divided container, so you can take out the pasta before it overcooks - the meat and onion sauce takes longer to heat up.)

So check out my recipe video below for Pasta alla Genovese. Your guests, or family, will be impressed with this luscious, Italian edible masterpiece.

Pasta alla Genovese - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 16 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (4-6 servings)

• 1 to 2 pounds beef - I used a package with 2 beef shanks (about a pound and a half.) Beef chuck blade steak is cheap too. Some recipes call for a mix of pork and beef - that right there make this recipe even cheaper. You could even go for the cheapest way by using chicken leg and thighs. Beef shanks can have large bones, so you may need more, just try to have a pound or two of beef in the end.
• 4 pounds of onions - or about 6 whole onions, depending on size, roughly sliced. Red, white or yellow onion. I used cheap yellow onions. You can't have too much onion!
• 1 whole carrot - chopped. Okay to use shredded carrot from the package (about a cup.) For baby carrots, just roughly chop the equivelent of a whole carrot.
• 1 stalk of celery - chopped.
• 3/4 cup white wine - optional, okay to use red wine. If you leave out wine then add water, or a favorite broth, instead.
• 1 bay leaf - optional.
• Tablespoon of oil - for sauteing beef and veggies.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Pasta -  Cooked any way you like or to package directions. I like a penne or large tube pasta, although you can use any favorite you have on hand. Make pasta just before serving meat and onion pasta sauce.
• Parmesan - optional. Sprinkle on dried or fresh parmesan when serving.

Directions
I used 2 beef shanks (about a pound and a half.) Slice beef into large cubes. It will eventually shrink and break apart. Trim any excess fat, although I like me some fat, so don't discard it all, that's extra flavor.

In your largest pot add a tablespoon of oil over a medium heat. Add the cubed beef and saute for about 5 to 8 minutes to brown, at least, one side. This will give the sauce a rich, dark hue. Stir beef when brown.

While beef cooks, slice carrot (discarding ends) and celery. You can use celery leaves, too.

Next add the chopped carrot and celery to browned beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Pour in white wine, water or a favorite broth. Mix beef and veggies well, scrapping the pot bottom to free up the tasty beef brown bits. Add a bay leaf, optional.

Slice off onion ends, divide the onion, and  peel off the papery skin.Rough slice the onion halves. Don't worry about how thin; the onions will shrink and cook down after 2 hours.

Now time to bring it all together. Fill up the pot with sliced onions and cover the pot. Keep the heat at a medium/low heat as onions cook down.

*If your pot cannot hold all the chopped onion, let the onions sweat and cook down for about half an hour. This will give you room to add the rest of the chopped onions.

Now you can mix all the pot ingredients. Cover the pot and just keep simmering the meat and onion on low, for about 2-3 hours, until all the onion is reduced. Time will vary, depending how much onion you use. Stir ingredients every half hour or so.

You will notice how much liquid the onions give off, about 2 cups worth.

(This Italian sauce can be cooked for hours, covered and at a low simmer - anywhere from 3 to 6 hours. Just check to make sure the liquid doesn't cook away. Add half a cup of favorite broth, or water, as needed.)

Finally, uncover and continue cooking until the sauce is reduced by half, about another 30 minutes (if needed.) Stir occasionally. You want to end up with a sauce that's mainly caramelized onion and meat. It's up to you how thick or thin you like the pasta sauce. Add more broth or water if the liquid cooks down too much.

When the sauce is done you can make your favorite pasta. Just keep the sauce warm until the pasta is ready. Serve with dried or fresh parmesan. Heck, this Pasta alla Genovese is good enough without parmesan cheese.

Hindsight
Some recipes call for adding 1/2 cup of milk and a tablespoon of tomato paste. I like these additions, too.

You want to cook the onions until they are caramelized and starting to break down, at least 3 to 4 hours. It's like cooking dried beans, you can keep the sauce covered and low simmering most of the day if you like (and have the patience.) Just check to make sure sauce doesn't dry out - add a little water or broth as needed.

You can add more or less meat. It's up to you and your budget.

Freeze the leftovers - it microwaves fine.