Texas Brisket “Slow Cooked Chili”
“Can one imagine Mediterranean food without tomatoes?” Jane Grigson asks in her 
Vegetable book, 1978. Add to that chilis and I declare two of the most used ingredients in my kitchen.
A gold standard for flavor combinations and a failsafe marriage of tastes, we dive a little deeper into the specifics of tomatoes and chilis to optimize a Texas Brisket Chili for our slow cooker. It begins with what we anticipate from a bowl of chili. Deep, savory flavors, a thick sauce, and chunks of meat are a good baseline.
The Sauce
Choosing the tomatoes
To maintain the gluten free properties of this dish, I was looking for a solution to thicken the sauce without adding flour, or alternatives which I think distort the texture of a dish (such as cornflour.) This recipe calls for a bottle of beer, which I definitely wanted to include for the flavor, but I was concerned it would yield a watery sauce with the addition of a can of tomatoes. Over years of testing slow cooker recipes I discovered that by replacing the diced tomatoes with a small can of tomato paste is one great method to thicken the sauce and give it a rich, concentrated tomato flavor. “Because it’s naturally full of glutamates, which stimulate tastebuds just like salt and sugar, it brings out subtle depths and savory notes.” – Cooks Illustrated, Taste Tests
Choosing the chilis
For anyone who has the time and inclination, making a chili paste from whole, dried chilis produces a wonderfully fresh and pungent base. However, sticking to our guiding principles of 20 minutes or less prep time, we chose our own Southwest Fiesta Slow Cooker Spice Blend with the fruity, rich, ancho chili. Choose your own favorite Southwest blend or follow the suggestions in the recipe.
Choosing the meat
Flat cut brisket is a robust choice and despite it’s leaner properties, there is a layer of fat on one side. I asked my butcher to trim the thick outer layer of fat and leave a thin layer to keep it moist during cooking and add flavor to the chili. This also allows more flexibility in the length of cooking time because the meat is less likely to dry out. If you prefer to remove the fat, do so after cooking.
After 9 hours of cooking the squash was beginning to fall apart, adding texture to the sauce. A toothsome chili and every bite includes a chunk of tender, slow cooked meat smothered in a fruity and spicy tomato sauce. 
To make this dish even simpler to prepare, the Southwest Fiesta Slow Cooker Spice Blends are available on our online store with a special offering of buy 2 and get one free for the month of October. Just remember to put a note in your online order.
- 2 1/2 lbs flat cut brisket or 2 lbs trimmed of fat cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 large cloves garlic, 6 tsp minced
- 1 sachet Southwest Fiesta or 2 tsp ancho chili powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp mexican oregano)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3oz bacon, diced
- 1 cup / 1 large onion, diced
- 7oz can diced green chilis
- 1 x 6oz can tomato paste
- 12 oz beer, light ale
- 2 cups squash, 2 cm cubes
- rub the garlic onto meat and sprinkle with the Southwest spices & salt
- cover and refrigerate or set aside for use
- heat the olive oil in a skillet and fry bacon and onion
- transfer bacon mixture to the slow cooker
- lay brisket on top of bacon mixture
- add diced green chilis, tomato paste, beer and squash
- mix well to distribute the tomato paste
- cover & cook on LOW for 8 -9 hours or HIGH for 4 hours
- serve with fluffy, steamed brown basmati rice and sour cream
“Sensory quality – Chiles may be expected to be hot and pungent. Once accustomed to their fiery pungency, one is surprised how many subtle flavours they may show: Fruity, earthy, smoky, fresh, sweet and flowery are just some of them.” Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages
