Beef Beliefs #14 | Chili Season
When the first cool weather settles over West Texas, few things bring people to the table quite like a pot of chili. It is hearty, deeply seasoned and built around the ingredient we believe belongs at the center of the bowl: beef.
Texas chili is often called a “bowl of red,” and at its simplest, it is chile con carne—chiles with meat. There are endless variations and nearly as many opinions about what belongs in the pot, but a good Texas-style chili should always lead with rich beef flavor.
The Texas Roots of Chili
Chili does not have one tidy origin story. Its roots reflect the blend of Mexican, Tejano, Spanish and ranching cultures that shaped Texas itself.
The best-documented chapter begins in San Antonio, where women known as the Chili Queens served chile con carne and other Mexican dishes from open-air stands in the city’s plazas during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their tables became gathering places for locals and travelers, helping transform a regional dish into one of the foods most closely associated with Texas.
Chili reached an even wider audience when a San Antonio chili stand appeared at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Around the same time, William Gebhardt began drying and grinding ancho chiles in New Braunfels, eventually producing a commercial chili powder that made the dish easier to prepare far beyond South Texas.
By 1977, chili had become so firmly tied to Texas that the state legislature officially named it the State Dish of Texas.
Choosing the Beef
The best cuts for chili are the ones that reward time and patience. Slow cooking allows their marbling and connective tissue to break down, creating tender pieces of beef and a rich, full-bodied pot.
Chuck roast is a great choice for a classic chili. Cut from the shoulder, it has plenty of beef flavor and enough marbling to remain juicy through a long simmer. Cut it into generous cubes rather than grinding it, and it will become fork-tender without disappearing into the sauce.
Brisket is another natural fit. It brings bold flavor and holds its shape well when cubed, especially when cooked low and slow. Leftover smoked brisket can also add another layer of flavor to the pot.
Short ribs bring exceptional richness. Boneless short ribs can be cubed and used alone, or combined with chuck for a chili with even more depth.
Ground beef works well when time is short, but a true slow-simmered bowl of chili benefits from whole cuts of beef. Browning the cubes in small batches before adding any liquid builds a deeply savory foundation for the chili.
Why We Reach for Cast Iron
A heavy cast-iron Dutch oven is made for this kind of cooking. It holds heat beautifully, gives the beef room to develop a proper brown crust and maintains the steady, gentle simmer that transforms a tough cut into something tender.
It is equally at home on the stovetop, in the oven or near a carefully tended fire. Start by heating the Dutch oven well, then brown the beef in batches so the pieces sear instead of steam. Once the chiles, seasonings and liquid are added, lower the heat and give the pot time to work.
That long, unhurried simmer brings everything together with the richness of the beef, the earthiness of the dried chiles and the warmth of the spices.
A Dish Made for Gathering
Chili has endured because it is practical, generous and meant to be shared. It can feed a hunting party, a house full of football fans or a group of friends gathered outside on a cool evening. Set the Dutch oven near the fire, pass the bowls and let everyone stay awhile.
As for whether beans belong in Texas chili, that is a debate Texans have been enjoying for generations. We will leave that decision to you but we will always believe the beef should come first.
Perini Ranch Steakhouse's "Texas Chili" is found on page 163 in Perini Ranch Steakhouse Cookbook: A Celebration of History, Heritage and Home on the Ranch. All great chili is best served with amazing cornbread, and this "Southern Sweet Cornbread" is the best. Order Now!
