Texas Truck-Stop Chili

8 Servings

3 lb beef brisket, Trimmed
1/4 lb bacon, diced
1 lb onions, chopped
1 T cumin, Ground
3 T chili powder
2 t paprika
1 t each oregano leaves, Dried
1 pepper and salt
1/2 t thyme leaves, Dried
1/8 t cinnamon, Ground
4 lg cloves garlic, minced
1 cn beef broth, (13-3/4 oz)
1 cn plum tomatoes in puree, (28
2 chipotle chiles (smoke, Dried
1 c water, optional
1 chopped red onion, for garni
Cut beef into 1/2-inch cubes. In Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove; reserve. Remove all but 1 T drippings; reserve. Over high heat, saute beef in batches, adding drippings as needed. Remove to bowl; over medium heat, saute onions in any remaining drippings 10 minutes or until well browned. Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat.
Add cumin; cook 1 minutes or until very fragrant and toasted

Stir in chili powder, paprika, oregano, pepper, salt, thyme and cinnamon.
Stir seasonings and garlic into onions; saute 1 minute.
Stir in bacon, broth, tomatoes, chiles and beef, breaking up tomatoes with wooden spoon. Heat chili to boiling; reduce heat. Partially cover; simmer gently 3 hours or until beef is tender, stirring frequently toward the end of cooing time to prevent sticking and adding water if necessary if mixture is too thick. Remove and discard chipotles. In bowls, serve chili topped with chopped red onion.