Chili con carne was being sold on the plazas of San Antonio in the nineteenth century by the women known as the Chili Queens, and in 1977 the Texas legislature made chili the official state dish, "in recognition of the fact that the only real bowl of red is that prepared by Texans." The Texas version is meat and chiles, with no beans, which the major chili cook offs forbid outright, and usually no tomato. It is made from beef cut into cubes rather than ground, simmered slowly until it is tender enough to break with a spoon.

The flavor comes from whole dried chiles, toasted and blended into a smooth paste, which gives a much deeper, rounder, gently fruity heat than chili powder alone. It is a pot to start in the morning of the United States Grand Prix in Austin and come back to between sessions, and it is even better the next day, which is good news for anyone whose weekend includes both a race and a sprint.

The chile paste

Ingredients

• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 4 dried guajillo chiles
• 1 to 2 dried chiles de árbol
• 2 cups (480 ml) boiling water

The chili

Ingredients

• 3 lb (1.4 kg) boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil or beef fat
• 1 large yellow onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 3 cups (720 ml) beef stock
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons masa harina
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar

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