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Chili is always made with chiles in one form or another, which might seem confusing, but it doesn’t need to be. The Spanish spelling for the dried, spicy peppers that are the namesake of this dish in C-H-I-L-E, but the Americanized name for the dish is C-H-I-L-I.  Both spellings seem to be accepted and understood to describe either concept, but I think it’s best to spell the name for the dish in the English fashion and spell the pepper in the Spanish language.  It helps to avoid confusion and it just seems like the right thing to do (like avoiding pronouncing ‘quesadilla’ like Napoleon Dynamite).

Texas Chili (a.k.a. chili con carne) is really just braised beef chuck in a nicely-spiced chile sauce. It contains no beans, so it makes a perfect paleo meal.  My version is relatively mild provided you discard the seeds from the dried chiles as I describe in the instructions. Let the chili do its thing in the oven for four hours and it will become intensely rich and delicious thanks to all of the lovely fat that renders from the meat as it slowly simmers.  Serve it in big bowls with a spoonful of rich sour cream or chunks of avocado.

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