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Pedernales River Chili Recipe


Ground beef chili in bowl
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3.57 from 65 votes
Inspired by a favorite of Lady Bird Johnson, this chili recipe is simple to prepare but full of flavor.
Serve with: A stout or porter.

Course:
Dinner
,
Main Course
Cuisine:
American
difficulty scale
Author: Meathead

Makes:

Servings: 12 servings

Takes:

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds ground beef
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder (or less if you do not want as much heat)
  • 2 cups hot water
  • hot sauce
  • Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
Notes:
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

  • Prep. Chop the onion.
  • Press the garlic with a garlic press or mince.
  • Coarsely chop the tomatoes.
  • Cook. Pre-heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the meat, chopped onion, and garlic. Cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
  • Stir in the oregano, cumin, tomatoes, chili powder, and cups hot water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, skimming off the fat as it cooks. Add salt and hot sauce to taste.
  • Serve. Serve immediately along with extra hot sauce and such condiments as grated cheese, sour cream, and sliced jalapeños.