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Texas beef chili with dark mole is a bold and flavorful twist on a classic beef chili, combining the hearty richness of traditional Texas chili with the deep, complex notes of Mexican mole.
I’m a Texan through and through, so when I started cooking, two of the first things I learned to master were the low and slow art of smoked brisket and Texas red chili. Follow my tips and steps for a nice pot of “Texas Red” and I promise you will elevate your chili game making hearty, flavorful, and comforting chili.
This is actually an award-winning beef chili recipe, as it once earned me the title of Chili King of Chicago and for proof check this Timeout Magazine Chili Cook-off write-up.
Turn up the heat with this Texas red chili—perfect for game day, cold nights, or anytime you need a hearty, soul-warming bowl of comfort.
Yo, my flavor peeps! This ain’t no mild-mannered chili. This here’s a pot of Texas beef chili no beans, where beef chuck roast takes center stage, swimming in a bold broth laced with smoky dried chilis, dark chocolate, and a splash of lager for that deep-down groove. Each spoonful is thick, rich, and ready to make your taste buds two-step.
Flavor Profile: The chili hits with smoky depth from dried Mexican chilis, chili powder, balanced by earthy chocolate and malty lager beer all cooked in a large dutch oven pot.. It’s spicy, savory, and layered with the soul food essence of slow-cooked comfort.
Texture Profile: Tender chunks of beef chuck roast melt in your mouth while the chili base stays thick, velvety, and clings to your spoon. No beans here—just pure, meaty richness with a silky, slow-simmered finish.
Cooking Technique + Time: This chili builds flavor low and slow—first by toasting and rehydrating dried chilis, then browning the beef before simmering for 2–3 hours until every element harmonizes into a deep, soulful stew.
Real Texas Chili - Key Ingredients Highlight
Dried chilis are what make this Texas chili standout! Guajillo, pasilla, and ancho chilis used to make a dope chili paste which bring smoky heat, subtle sweetness, and earthy complexity you can’t get from powders alone. They transform the chili from ordinary to legendary, infusing every bite with authentic depth.
Dark chocolate enriches the broth with a hint of bitterness, lager beer adds malty depth, and beef chuck roast delivers hearty, tender bites worthy of true Texas-style chili. Don't be tempted by stew meat or ground beef - instead put in the work and dice up a nice cut of affordable chuck roast.
Beats and Eats (music to pair with authentic Texas chili)
Because PRhyme’s “Era” hits with the same layered intensity that defines a pot of Texas-style chili. The beat is smoky and hard-hitting, built on grit and soul, much like how dried Mexican chilis (guajillo, ancho, pasilla) give the chili its earthy fire. Royce’s bars are meaty and unrelenting—just like chunks of slow-braised beef chuck that carry weight in every bite.
Texas chili is bold, no-nonsense, and unapologetic—no beans, just pure flavor. “Era” matches that energy with raw lyricism and Premier’s deep, simmering production. Both demand your full attention, reward patience, and leave you with heat that lingers long after.
Secrets to a Great Hearty Chili:
A few tried and true hacks that I learned from all the testing of the recipe.
- Toast your dried chilis before rehydrating to unlock max flavor.
- Cut beef chuck into even cubes (as even as possible) for consistent tenderness.
- Let the chili rest a few minutes off-heat to meld before serving.
- Season in layers—salt, spice, and aromatics should groove together, not compete.
- Use a combination of dried, ground, and fresh chilis
- No beans allowed - no pinto beans, no kidney beans, no beans! Same for tomatoes of any kind - tomato paste, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce.
Serve this soulful bowl of Texas chili with a wedge of cornbread or warm flour tortillas to mop up every drop of that smoky, rich sauce. Top as you like with usual suspects like sour cream, pickled jalapenos, shredded cheddar cheese, etc.
For other dope chili recipes try one of these:
Keep up with my food exploits on Instagram and YouTube. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify to find curated playlists.
Real Texas Chili
Ingredients
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 3 dried guajillo chiles
- 3 dried pasilla chiles
- 1 tablespoon adoba sauce from canned chipotle chilis use sauce only
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 large poblano pepper de-seeded and diced
- 3 jalapeno peppers de-seeded and dice
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 bottle of dark lager beer
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ dark chocolate bar
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoon brown sugar
Method
- Heat a large, dry skillet over high heat and toast dried chilis in batches, until browned in spots but not burned, 30 to 45 seconds per side.
- Mix all the dried spices in a bowl and set aside.
- Cut dried chilis in half lengthwise; remove stems and seeds. Place the dried chiles in a large heatproof bowl. Pour very hot water over the chiles until submerged and let soak for 45 minutes, placing a plate on top of chiles to keep them submerged.
- Peel garlic cloves and place cloves in blender. Add all the soaked chiles, plus the adobo sauce from the can of chilis, along with a cup of the soaking liquid. Puree until smooth.
- Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, using a rubber spatula to press the puree through. Set puree aside.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat add vegetable oil. Season the beef with salt and pepper and lightly brown the meat. Be sure not to crowd the pot, cooking in batches if necessary. Transfer browned beef to a bowl.
- Lower the heat to medium and add more oil if necessary. Saute the onions for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the fresh peppers and about a ¼ of the spice mix cooking for 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and add the beer reducing the liquid by half.
- Reduce the heat, add the chili puree and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring as necessary, about 15 minutes. Add ½ the remaining spice mixture, brown sugar, the broth, oregano, bay leaf, and the beef. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until meat is tender and broth is thickened, about 2-3 hours.
- Add the chocolate last 15 minutes of cooking.
- Add the vinegar before serving. Add more seasoning if necessary. Allow the chili to sit at least an hour and up to overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Serve with your preferred toppings.
Nutrition
Notes
- Season and season often. It's not how much you add but when and how. Season as you saute the garlic and onions, season as you cook down the beer, season as you gently simmer the chili. This approach ensures full flavored and balanced chili.
- Taste as you go and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Brown the beef first! This is the first order of cooking as it intensifies flavor and adds to the texture.
- Give your dish some heat from multiple ingredients other than chili powder. Use a combination of ground, dried, and fresh chilis. This approach yields flavor, aroma, color, and texture. Fresh chilis like jalapenos or poblanos will add freshness and brightness, fresh spiciness, while the chipotles in adobo sauce give the chili that smokiness. Similarly the dried chili paste add complexity and depth of flavor.
- Use a dark beer to deglaze the pan and add more flavor complexity.
- Simmer the chili for at least an hour and half. This will allow the beef to become tender and allows all the flavor contributors to meld.
- Add some acidity from a slice of lime or cider vinegar at the end of cooking. This will open the chili up and release much of the flavor.
- If you can swing it, make the chili a day early and let the dish marinate overnight. The chili will be that much better for it.
- Choose the right cut of beef. Most recipes call for ground beef, which I love, but this recipe is more about chunks of tender beef. For this chuck roast is the beef of choice. Avoid anything that is labeled Stew meat or similar lean cuts as they will likely never get tender. It's okay to remove any large flaps of fat, but don't skew so far. The key is just to give it enough time for the beef to slowly cook to tenderness.
This recipe came out perfectly and is the real deal.
Good deal!!! Thanks for trying it and glad it worked out
Delicious! Texas really knows how to do beef and chili, that's for sure! We loved this!
Thank u! Glad it worked for you.
How many oz of dark chocolate do you use?
I use about half a bar (about 2 oz) in the chili and the other half for me lol