Chili con Carne

Chili con carne — chunks of beef simmered in a thick sauce of dried chillies, cumin, garlic, and oregano — is the state dish of Texas and the subject of the most passionately enforced regional food rules in America. In Texas, chili does not contain beans (that's a stew with beans, not chili). In Texas, chili does not contain tomato (or uses it minimally, as background, not structure). In Texas, the meat is hand-cut into cubes, not ground (ground-beef chili is a different dish, acceptable for weeknights but not for competition). The Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) and the International Chili Society sanction competitions where these rules are enforced with the seriousness of a sporting league. The dish descends from the *chili queens* of San Antonio — Mexican and Mexican-American women who sold chili from open-air stands in the city's plazas in the late 19th century.

Cubed beef (chuck is the standard — its collagen converts to gelatin during the long cook, producing a thick, unctuous sauce) seared hard, then simmered for 2-3 hours in a sauce built from dried chillies (ancho, guajillo, and/or New Mexican varieties) that have been toasted, rehydrated, and puréed. Cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, onion, and sometimes a small amount of masa harina (for body) complete the seasoning. The finished chili should be thick enough that a spoon stands in it, dark red-brown from the chillies, and the beef should be tender enough to shred with a fork. The flavour should be chile — deep, earthy, warm, complex — not tomato, not cumin, not just heat.

Chili in a bowl with toppings. Cornbread on the side. Cold beer. Frito pie (chili ladled over Fritos corn chips in the bag — the Texas concession stand snack). Chili over spaghetti is the Cincinnati tradition, not the Texas tradition, and Texans consider it an abomination.