There’s a little bit of sleight of hand going on in this, and it’s not very deftly done, but the intent is clear: In Texas, it’s not chili unless it’s a bowl of red. The main rule of thumb is that it definitely cannot contain a filler of any kind, the most warned-against offender being beans. A healthy debate persists over whether tomatoes can be included, and a chili recipe published in the New York Times in January 2015 merited a full-article rebuttal in Texas Monthly, which targeted in particular the inclusion of coriander seed. In the end, the only way you’ll ever know whether something is a true Texas chili is if you’re Texan, at which point you can fight with other Texans about what does and doesn’t go in the dish. For the rest of us, “no beans” is about as definitive as it gets. While the stew also relied on cumin, beef, and some chili pepper, the brothers added ingredients that were more at home in a Mediterranean kitchen, like paprika and allspice, as well as the style’s distinctive combo of cinnamon and chocolate.
