Texas Chili

We have had a really snowy and cold winter and comfort food has been on my mind, so I figured chili would really hit the spot while watching football. My roommate piped in that we would partake (who wouldn’t want a home cooked meal?) as long as it was Texas style Chili with NO beans. Hmmm. I didn’t have a good recipe for that so I went in search and food one from Food Network that was rated well and could sit all day in the slow cooker. I figured if I am making a big pot of chili I should make something we would both want to eat

The house smelled incredible all day!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 4.5-ounce cans chopped green chiles drained
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3/4 cup chili powder
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles
• 1 to 2 tablespoons green hot sauce
• Sliced scallions, fresh cilantro and/or sour cream, for topping
• Tortilla chips, for serving (optional)

Directions

Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon each brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef in batches until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not crowd the pan). Transfer to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chiles, cumin and chili powder and cook 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and the tomatoes and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low, 7 hours.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the hot sauce to the chili. Serve with scallions, cilantro and/or sour cream for topping, and chips, if desired.