It is alleged among Texas lore, that Pedernales Chili was President Lyndon Johnson’s favorite style of Texas chili. I don’t know about that, but its a pretty darn good chili style, if you like a little spice in your life that is. It’s fun to imagine a cowboy president up late at night in the White House kitchen arguing with a highly trained gourmet chef about to make a decent bowl of chili…..
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Chuck steak – cut in half inch cubes
- 18 oz Tomatoes ~3 cups, peeled, seeded, and diced – canned is best with juice
- 8 oz Onions ~2 cups, diced
- 8 oz Beef stock
- 2 Garlic cloves – minced
- 1 TBL Olive oil
- 1 TBL Red chili powder
- 1 tsp ground Cumin
- 0.5 tsp dried Oregano, 1.5 tsp fresh
- Red Chili beans (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Process
- Mise en Place: Measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
- Brush oil on steak and generously salt and pepper both sides. Leave in fridge for 1-12 hrs. to age.
- Remove from fridge and leave on counter 1 hr before you start the chili.
- Heat Dutch oven or cast iron skillet.
- Once hot, sear steak on both sides and remove from pot. Let cool then cut into 1/2″ cubes.
- Reduce heat to Med, and cook onions until translucent ~5 mins.
- Add garlic and cook 1 min.
- Add tomatoes with juice.
- Add spices and stock.
- Add meat back in and simmer for one hour.
Apparently, LBJ didn’t like beans, but I figure a good chili needs beans…..your call.
