Award-Winning Chuck Wagon Chili

Dad's doctor appointment. I called Marisol an hour after the scheduled time. She took a while to answer. When she did, her voice was steady but careful. Hector has early-stage heart failure — not an emergency, not immediate, but a diagnosis with a direction. The doctors want lifestyle changes, medication, regular monitoring. He's not dying on a schedule. But he has a condition now. He has a thing.

I've been sitting with that information all week. Heart failure. My father, who built houses with his hands and coached Friday night games with his voice, who made calabacitas in a cast iron skillet and drove a pickup truck and never admitted to being tired — he has a failing heart. The words don't map onto the man I know. But bodies do their own accounting, indifferent to who you are.

We went to Las Cruces anyway, as planned. Spring break. I needed to see him. He was thinner in person than he sounded on the phone, but his eyes were sharp and he complained about his medication with enthusiasm, which is how he shows he's still himself. Mom had made red chile pork and Spanish rice and calabacitas — the full Las Cruces welcome spread. She feeds people the way she loves them, which is to say she feeds them as much as possible.

I took Dad to the backyard on Thursday and we grilled together. Just steaks and corn. He let me do the heavy lifting but he stood there and directed and told me I was holding the tongs wrong, which I was not, but I let it go. We ate at the picnic table as the sun went down over the Organ Mountains. He ate more than I expected. That made me happy in a way that was also sad. Every good thing with him is like that now — a gift and a reminder.

That Thursday we grilled steaks, but what I kept thinking about all the way home was the food my mom had made earlier in the week — the red chile pork, the Spanish rice, the calabacitas from that same cast iron skillet Dad always used. There’s a line between those dishes and this chuck wagon chili: all of them are built around beef and fire and the kind of cooking that doesn’t apologize for being filling. When I got back to my own kitchen, I needed something that tasted like standing outside with him while the sun dropped behind the mountains, and this was the closest I could get.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
1 lb beef chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Optional toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, sliced jalapeños, green onions, cornbread

Instructions

Brown the beef. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and no pink remains, about 6–8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
Sear the chuck. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and increase heat to high. Add the cubed chuck in a single layer and sear until browned on all sides, about 5–6 minutes. Work in batches if needed. Remove and set aside with the ground beef.
Sauté the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring frequently.
Build the chili base. Return all the beef to the pot. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant and evenly coated.
Add the liquids. Pour in the fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Simmer low and slow. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chuck is tender and the flavors have melded.
Add beans and finish. Stir in the kidney beans and pinto beans. Continue simmering uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until the chili thickens to your liking. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, or whatever toppings feel right. Best served with cornbread on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Award-Winning Chuck Wagon Chili — The Taste of a Thursday Backyard in Las Cruces