My Dad Has Won 3 Chili Cook-Offs—Here Are His Secrets to the Best Texas Chili

My dad isn’t originally from Texas, but take a bite of his chili, and you would never know.

How can I say this so confidently? Because he has the experts fooled. With several Texas chili cook-off wins under his belt, my dad has proven that his recipe beats that of those raised in the Lone Star State.

But big rewards don’t come without hard work: It took years of experimentation for him to perfect his recipe. Whether you are making one to eat while watching football, or entering a chili cook-off yourself, these tips have you covered for the best bowl of Texas chili.

The Secrets Behind My Dad’s Award-Winning Texas Chili

If you are worried about me sharing my dad’s secrets, don’t be. When I asked him if I could share the recipe, his response text included not one, but three, exclamation points. If your dad is anything like mine, you know it's a big deal to receive a text that doesn’t end with a period or consists of only a thumbs-up emoji. I’ll take it that he’s excited to add this article to the lengthy list of reasons he can be considered a Texas chili expert. 

While he has switched the base recipe up for his chili over the years, my dad’s go-to chili recipe is Lady Bird Johnson’s Pedernales River Chili. Allrecipes' Texas chili is pretty similar.

Regular Texas chili is good, but you don’t win chili cook-offs without going above and beyond. So, here are the secrets that take my dad’s chili from yummy to exceptional.

Swap Ground Beef for Brisket

His biggest tip is to replace the ground beef with brisket. While ground beef is fine, brisket is exceptional. Typically, the brisket he uses is leftover from grilling it for dinner the night before. As grilling is his other area of expertise, making chili is a great way to use precious meat—and have delicious dinners several nights in a row. 

There are a few different ways to get your hands on some brisket. My dad would insist on making it yourself—this is Texas, after all—but you have a couple of alternatives, such as buying it precooked or, more preferably, befriending a Texan who makes good brisket.

Let the Chili Simmer

My dad says he lets his chili simmer for around eight hours for optimal flavor. Don’t worry about overcooking your brisket: As long as you don’t run out of liquid, he says, you can’t overcook it. 

Letting the chili cook for this long takes basically no work, but my dad recommends that you keep this secret to yourself. Instead, tell everyone you are busy cooking for eight hours when, in reality, you are watching football and casually stirring your chili. After all of this “hard work,” you’ll have a bowl of chili as a reward. It's a win-win!

Replace Water With Beer

Sometimes, my dad will replace the water in his recipe for beer. While the alcohol cooks out, the beer leaves behind flavor. In keeping with the Texas theme, my dad insists on using Shiner Bock. He says he is scared a Texas chili will “reject” a non-Texas beer. 

While you probably could use up a cheap or unwanted beer for this recipe, my dad says the beer does need to be good enough that you can drink one while you “cook” your chili for eight hours. This recipe doesn’t take an entire six-pack, after all…

Do Not Add Beans—Ever

A chili can’t be considered Texas chili with the addition of beans. My dad insists on this—absolutely no beans go into his chili. This might be controversial for chili fans outside of Texas. But, the reasoning behind it is that adding them distracts from the star of the meal: the meat. Make your chili to your preferences, but know that it wouldn’t be wise to serve chili with beans to a Texan and call it chili—especially if that Texan is my dad.

Top With Fritos and Enjoy

My dad always tops his chili with Fritos. I like to use them as a base for my chili like a Fritos pie, which means the scoop-shaped Fritos are the optimal choice here. Add a little sour cream and cheese and you are ready to enjoy your Texas chili.