FLASHBACK: A recipe for Texas Red Chili from Karl Bock, also known as Chef Mojo:

Here ya go. This is the basic recipe. There’s quite a bit of improvisation involved in getting it to your personal tastes. This recipe will give you a fairly spicy pot of chili. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

4 lbs. of coarse (chili) ground chuck
2 medium sweet onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
6 heaping Tb. ancho chili powder
6 heaping Tb. chipotle chili powder
6 heaping Tb. cumin powder
3 Tb. fresh ground black pepper
2 Tb. dried thyme leaf
2 Tb. dried oregano
2 26 oz. containers of Swanson Beef Stock (NOT broth. Stock.)
2 12 oz. cans or bottles of good lager beer.
Salt to taste

Place the chuck, onions and garlic into a large pot and turn the heat on to medium high. Get the beef rendering and browning, breaking it up as it cooks. Do not drain the fat. Trust me on this. When most of the beef liquid is cooked out, add all the spices and herbs and stir it in. Let it cook some in the fat, but be careful not to scorch the mix. Add the stock and beer, scraping the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and set to simmer.

At this point, you have a choice to make: How “wet” do you want the chili to be? By this, I mean how much fat do you leave in? Remember fat = flavor. You may skim after some simmering time, but I leave it in. As the liquid reduces, it becomes easier to emulsify the fat into the liquid by stirring.

Simmer slowly for at least 4 hours, adding more water or beer if it gets to thick for your tastes.

Also, there’s no beans in this recipe. This is old school Texas Red. No tomatoes, either. Yesterday I did it with beans. I added 2 drained cans of Goya brand pinto beans in the last hour or so of cooking.

I miss him. Here’s his recipe for creole remoulade.