Chili H. Allen Smith
From the famous iconoclast and author of The Great Chili Confrontation, here's the recipe that infuriated Texans after it was published in Holiday Magazine in 1967. Smith had the gall to title his article "Nobody Knows More About Chili Than I Do." Once again, the directions are in Smith's own words.

Ingredients


  • 3 pounds chuck, coarsely ground

  • 2 or 3 medium onions, chopped

  • 1 bell pepper, seeds and stems removed, chopped

  • 1 or 2 cloves garlic

  • ½ teaspoon oregano

  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seed

  • 2 small cans tomato paste

  • 1 quart water

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 3 tablespoons [New Mexican] chile powder

  • 2 cans kidney or pinto beans



Instructions


Get 3 pounds of chuck, coarse ground. Brown it in an iron kettle. (If you don't have an iron kettle you are not civilized. Go out and get one.) Chop two or three medium-sized onions and one bell pepper and add to the browned meat. Crush or mince one or two cloves of garlic and throw it into the pot, then add about a half a teaspoon of oregano and a quarter teaspoon of cumin seed.

Now add two small cans of tomato paste; if you prefer canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, put them through a colander. Add about a quart of water. Salt liberally and grind in some black pepper, and, for a starter, two or three tablespoons of chile powder. (Some of us use chile pods, but chile powder is just as good.)

Simmer for an hour and a half or longer, then add your beans. Pinto beans are best, but if they are not available, canned kidney beans will do—two 15-17 oz. cans will be adequate. Simmer another half hour.

Throughout the cooking, do some tasting from time to time and, as the Gourmet Cookbook puts it, "correct seasoning." When you've got it right let it set for several hours. Later, you may heat it up as much as you want, and put the remainder in the refrigerator. It will taste better the second day, still better the third, and absolutely superb the fourth. You can’t even begin to imagine the delights in store for you one week later.

 

Servings
8
Servings
8