Food

Although there are many variations on Chili in the US, the one I know best is the Texas Red version. Texas chilis differ from the others in the US in that they have no onions, no beans and no tomatoes. Stripped back and closer to the ones that originated on cattle drives where the mobile kitchens would have had no supplies of fresh ingredients. They are also quite a deep red colour and nothing like the spag-bol texture of the chilis I've seen here.

You can get the chipotle and ancho powders from here - They also have a stall at borough market and are available at various places around London. You can also use their dried Mexican oregano instead. It's amazing stuff.

Chili Mix:
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder

For the chili:
1.3 kg beef brisket
5-6 tablespoons sunflower oil (or 90g lard or kidney suet if you want to be old school)
3 heaping tablespoons of the above chili mix
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 tablespoon salt (to taste but you will need twice that amount if you use sea salt)
1 tablespoon Tabasco
8 garlic cloves

Remove the fat from the brisket and cut into thumb sizes pieces
Brown the meat in the oil/lard/suet in batches
Drain the excess fat and replace the meat
Cover the meat with about an inch of water and add the chili mix. Use less of the chili mix if you want it less spicy or are unsure of your tolerance for heat. The chili heat is like salt, you can always add it to the dish but you cannot take it away.
Bring the whole thing to the boil and simmer for about 45 minutes
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for another 45 minutes – do not let it go dry - add water (or beer) to maintain enough moisture. Don’t stir it much either. Taste and adjust seasoning.
You are aiming for a decent thickness of the sauce – not soupy but not sticky either. Once done, you can thicken the liquid with corn starch dissolved in a little water.

For the love of all that is sacred do not serve this with rice. Ever. Don’t even think about it.

Serve with cornbread, cole slaw and beer.

I'm making this soon purely because a Polar Bear said so.

Polars bears in suit's are a bunch of cunts mind you...