Texas Brisket Chili Recipe

4.65 from 455 votes

Texas Brisket Chili Recipe

This authentic Texas chili recipe has won over 150 blue ribbons & trophies at Chili Cookoffs throughout the country! This iconic brisket chili recipe was served at my Grandparent's cafes since the 1950s and now I want to share it with your family!

Course Main Dishes, Soup

Cuisine Texas Cooking

Keyword authentic texas chili, brisket, chili, tex mex

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 30

Servings

Calories 1436kcal

Author Sarah Penrod

Ingredients

4 slices thick cut bacon
3-4 lb. beef brisket flat trimmed

Spices For Browning Meat

1/4 cup oil
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder

Building The Chili

2 c. white onion, diced (one large onion)
5 garlic cloves pressed through a garlic press
1 T paprika
1 T. cumin powder
3 ½ T Texas chili powder such as Mexene or Gebhardt’s
½ t. dried thyme
½ t. chipotle chile powder
½ t. salt
1 quart beef broth
½ c. strong black coffee you can save this from your morning coffee
28 oz. can whole tomatoes in juice

Traditional Garnishes (optional)

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
1 bag Fritos corn chips
1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
1 tbsp Tabasco, or favorite hot pepper sauces

Instructions

Trimming and Seasoning The Brisket Flat

For the 3-4 pound brisket flat, trim off any excess fat. If you bought a whole brisket in order to have a brisket flat, reserve the brisket point for another meal. (See my suggestions for excess brisket in the notes section.)
Cube the brisket flat into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes.
Season the cubes liberally with kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder on all sides.

Cooking The Bacon

In a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, cook 4 pieces of bacon until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside until later. We will use the bacon grease to sear the brisket cubes.

Browning the Brisket Cubes

Increase the heat to medium-high.
In the bacon fat, brown the seasoned brisket cubes in 3 batches making sure not to crowd the pan. You want to develop as much browning on the cubes as possible and browning in 3 batches will ensure that moisture coming from the meat won’t crowd the pan and prohibit the browning process.
As needed during the searing process, continue seasoning with salt, pepper, and onion powder and garlic powder, to develop a nice crust on the cubes.
Remove the previous batch to a bowl before starting on the next batch. You can add additional cooking oil if you need to. Cook all 3 batches and reserve.

Making The Chili Base

In the same pot you've been working in, add the diced white onion and stir in a pinch of salt.
Cook down, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits and lightly brown the onion. Reduce the heat if necessary to cook the onion down and slightly caramelize it.
Add in all of the spices. Cook 2 minutes.
Add in the garlic (which should be pressed through a garlic press, but finely dicing is also fine) and stir. Cook 1 minute.
Add the seared meat back into the pan. Add the coffee and 2 c. of the beef broth. Stir well.
Open the canned tomatoes and pour them into a large bowl. Using your hands (gloves are handy here) break them up into whisps of tomato. Pour all the tomato chunks and juice into the chili pot. Stir in well.
Crumble in the cooked bacon reserved from the first step. Place the lid back on the pot and cook over low-medium (simmer gently) for 2 ½ - 3 hours. Add the additional 2 c. beef broth as necessary. (This is the time to transfer to a slow cooker if you wish.)

This braising step of the chili is where the brisket cubes break down. It's hard to say how long it takes (3.5-5 hours) because temperatures vary and the size of the cubes vary from cook to cook.

It's certainly edible when the chunks are squishy and soft, but you can continue cooking down this chili until the brisket cubes completely and thoroughly fall apart (which is how I prefer it).

As you braise away all day you may have to add additional beef broth or water. This is completely fine as excess water can be evaporated by simmering until you reach the thickness you prefer.

When you're happy with the texture of the chili, always taste for seasoning as an additional last minute spoonful of chili powder, salt, or even a little hot pepper sauce can really wake up the flavors before you serve your guests.

Serve bowls of chili topped with freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese, freshly minced white onion, pickled jalapeno and Fritos corn chips. Finish off with tabasco pepper sauce if desired.

Video

Notes

This recipe makes about 1-1.25 gallons of thick, full-meat chili.

Doubling the chili? Use the flat and the point of the brisket but trim as much fat as possible from the point. You will only need a small brisket as the original recipe is written for 3-4 pounds of flat meat. So you will need 7-8 pounds of brisket cubes to double the chili.

Double all of the other ingredients and make sure you feel comfortable tasting the chili as needed to add more spices or broth. Doubling the recipe is possible, but it does require you to season and make judgements at your discretion (as with all big batch recipes).

Instant Pot Instructions:

This chili recipe can also be made in the Instant pot. Follow all of the instructions up to the braising step. The chili can be poured into the Instant pot and cooked 1.5 hours. To further break up the meat, an immersion blender may be used to encourage the chunks of brisket to further break down.

Nutrition