Texas Chili Recipe

Below is my version of Texas Chili.  Not sure what makes it "Texas," but it is yummy! 

To prepare to make this version of chili, I soak dry beans in a large pot for 24 hours.  I usually use 1 (16 ounce) bag of dry Chili Beans or Black Beans.  I cook the beans by themselves for several hours before I use this recipe.

Texas Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped

6 stalks of celery, thinly chopped

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

4 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

3 jalapeno peppers, minced (optional)

1/2 cup chili powder

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

16 ounce dry chili (or pinto) beans, cooked  

OR  3 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans

Directions:

Cook and stir the beef, onion, and bell pepper in a large pot over medium heat until the beef is brown and onion, celery and pepper are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain grease from beef.

Stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, jalapenos (if using), chili powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Bring mixture to a slow boil; cover and reduce heat. Simmer chili at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so that it does not stick.

This chili can be simmered for several hours; the longer you simmer, the more flavor you will get.