Name: Smoked Texas Red Chili
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3.5 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 1/4 lb thick-cut bacon, finely chopped; 4 Tbsp ancho/pasilla chile paste; 3 Tbsp guajillo chile paste; 1/2 tsp chiles de árbol powder; 1/2 EA large yellow onion, finely diced; 4 EA garlic cloves, minced; 1.5 tsp ground cumin; 1.5 tsp dried oregano; 1.5 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp ground coriander; 2 cups low-sodium beef stock; 6 oz Negra Modelo beer; 1 Tbsp tomato paste; 1.5 Tbsp masa harina; 1.5 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper

Description

This lone-star classic skips the beans entirely to focus purely on seared beef chuck and a deeply toasted chili pod paste. Running the Dutch oven uncovered over clean wood smoke infuses every inch of the rich, mahogany gravy as it simmers down. It delivers an intense, meat-forward bowl of red with serious smokehouse character and a warming chili-pepper finish.

Instructions

Video

Fire up the Traeger to 275°F with oak, hickory, or pecan pellets.
Render the chopped bacon in a heavy cast iron Dutch oven on the kitchen stove over medium-high heat until crisp, then remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and keep the fat in the pot.
Sear the beef cubes in the hot bacon fat in small batches until deeply browned on all sides, removing each batch to keep the pot hot.
Reduce heat to medium, add the diced onion to the remaining fat, and cook for 5 minutes until translucent.
Stir in the minced garlic, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, coriander, chiles de árbol powder, salt, and black pepper, cooking for 1 minute.
Add the tomato paste and stir constantly for 2 minutes until it darkens in color.
Stir in the ancho/pasilla and guajillo chile pastes, cooking for 1 minute to wake up the oils.
Pour in the beer to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom.
Return the beef and cooked bacon to the pot, then pour in the beef stock and bring to a simmer.
Transfer the uncovered Dutch oven directly to the Traeger grates and smoke for 1.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to incorporate the smoked surface layer.
Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and continue cooking on the Traeger for 1 hour until the beef is bite-tender.
Whisk the masa harina with 2 Tbsp of warm water to create a slurry.
Remove the lid, stir the slurry into the chili, and leave uncovered on the smoker for an additional 15 minutes to tighten the gravy.

Smoked Texas Red Chili