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Lady Bird Johnson's Pedernales River Chili recipe from scratch served in a white bowl on a wicker mat.

Pedernales Chili Recipe From Scratch

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Lady Bird Johnson’s Pedernales River Chili became one of the most requested recipes from the LBJ Ranch during the 1960s, with the First Lady’s staff eventually printing copies to send to the thousands of people who wrote in asking for it. Built on a base of ground beef cooked in bacon drippings with red kidney beans, canned whole tomatoes, chicken broth, and a bold blend of spices including chili powder and comino seed, this is a straightforward, deeply flavorful beef chili made entirely from scratch. The addition of one pound of ground Italian sausage in place of one pound of ground beef deepens the richness and adds a savory note that makes the whole pot taste like it simmered twice as long. Serve it with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and homemade cornbread for a perfect meal.

  • Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
  • Yield: 10 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 lbs ground round or ground chuck
  • 1 lb ground Italian sausage
  • 8 tablespoons bacon drippings
  • 1 large yellow or red onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 1 teaspoon comino seed (or ground cumin)
  • 3/4 cup dried mushrooms
  • 6 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 - 14 ounce can of whole tomatoes
  • 2 - 27 ounce cans of red kidney beans, drained
  • 2 to 6 generous dashes of hot sauce
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Step 1: Gather your chili ingredients and set up your station
    Pull out your large dutch oven before you do anything else. Chop your onion into small pieces, mince the garlic, and measure out your chili powder, ground cumin, and oregano so everything is ready before the ground meat hits the pot. Getting organized here means you won’t be scrambling once the drippings are hot and the clock is running.
  2. Step 2: Brown the ground meat
    Add the bacon drippings to your large dutch oven over medium-high heat and let them melt and warm through before anything else goes in. Add the ground round and ground Italian sausage and cook, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until just light-colored and no longer pink, about 8 to 10 minutes. Resist the urge to stir constantly; letting the meat sit against the hot pan for a minute before breaking it up is how you build color and flavor, not just cook through. Drain grease, leaving a small amount behind because it carries flavor into every layer that follows.
  3. Step 3: Soften the onion and bloom the garlic
    Add the chopped yellow onion to the drained meat and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir it through for about 60 seconds until fragrant. Don’t let the garlic go longer than that; it moves from golden to bitter faster than you’d expect.
  4. Step 3: Build the flavor base
    Add the oregano, comino seed, chili powder, black pepper, and salt directly to the browned ground meat and stir everything together using your wooden spoon. Let the blend of spices coat the meat and cook for about 60 seconds over medium heat. You’ll smell it immediately. That moment when the chili powder and ground cumin hit the hot fat is when the kitchen smells like every good chili cook-off you’ve ever walked past.
  5. Step 4: Add the liquids and remaining chili ingredients
    Pour in the canned whole tomatoes, drained red kidney beans, dried mushrooms, hot sauce, and chicken broth. Stir everything together and bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat. The chicken broth does real work here, giving the whole pot a savory depth that water or beef broth alone can’t quite match. If you want a thicker chili, you can crush a few of the whole tomatoes against the side of the pot with your wooden spoon as they soften.
  6. Step 5: Simmer low and let time do the work
    Once the pot reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low heat and let the chili simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour. Skim off fat from the surface periodically as it rises during cooking. Don’t rush this step. The long simmer is what turns a decent pot of chili into a great one. The dried mushrooms will rehydrate and nearly dissolve into the broth, adding an earthy depth of flavor you won’t be able to put your finger on but absolutely will notice if it’s missing. Stir occasionally and taste for salt about halfway through.
  7. Step 6: Taste, adjust, and serve
    Before you serve, taste for salt, extra heat, and spice balance. Want more heat? Add another dash or two of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper. Prefer a richer tomato flavor? Stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste and give it five more minutes on the heat. Serve hot in individual soup or chili bowls with your favorite toppings.

Notes

This recipe is lean on the tomatoes, which is consistent with the original Texas ranch style, where chili was about the beef and spice, not a tomato-heavy sauce. That said, if you want more tomatoes, add them!

Find it online: https://recipe-rewind.com/chili-recipe-from-scratch/

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