Ingredients:
·
2-3 pound pot (chuck) roast (or other cut of
beef: brisket, round sirloin, strip steak, etc.)
·
1 can diced tomatoes 14.5oz (use a second can of
tomatoes if desired)
·
1 small can tomato paste 6oz
·
½ to 1c tomato juice
·
1c beef or chicken broth
·
2 fresh habanero chilis
·
3 large fresh jalapeño chilis
·
1 diced onion (yellow or white)
·
1 red bell pepper
·
4-5 cloves of fresh chopped garlic or 1 large
Tbs minced garlic (garlic powder is not recommended)
·
1-2 Tbs per pound of meat of Texas Red chili
seasoning from Meat Church BBQ (Waxahachie, TX) Tip: some Ace Hardware stores
carry Meat Church products.
·
Red cayenne pepper (to taste)
· Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste while cooking…go easy and taste test it.
Trim extra fat from chuck roast…save trimmings. Cube meat into 1inch squares. Lightly season meat with salt and pepper. Chop one whole onion. Chop garlic. In a cast iron skillet, render the fat trimmings, remove the solids and sear the meat in the same skillet. Don’t crowd the pan. I may take two or three batches. Set the browned, seared meat aside. In the same skillet, sauté the onion until they begin to turn translucent…scraping the meat drippings into the onion, add the garlic for no more than 1 minute. Remove from heat and set it aside.
On a flat griddle, roast the fresh chilis and bell pepper after cutting them in half removing the seeds. Mash the chilis flat on a very hot griddle using the cast iron skillet for weight. Rough cut them after roasting. Combine all these ingredients in a food processor or blender: tomatoes, paste, juice, broth, chilis and seasoning (add red cayenne to bring up the heat, if desired). Blend until smooth.
Combine all ingredients in a cast iron or enamel Dutch oven. Mix them well. Add more broth if you want the rich broth to be a bit thinner (personal preference). Cook in preheated at 250° (you can also cook it on a smoker or outdoor grill (indirect heat). If cooking outdoors, keep the temp between 250-300°. Cook for several hours until the meat very tender. Normally this will be 4 to 6 hours. Stir hourly to prevent burning. Add liquid if needed.
Serve in a heavy ceramic bowl with toppings of your
choice: Grated cheddar, cilantro, fresh
chopped green onions, sour cream, etc. Enjoy.