Chili con carne

Break down the chuck roast, trim the silver skin and excess fat and cut into about half-inch cubes.

Lay the meat out in a single layer, salt it generously with kosher salt, rest it at room temperature about 10 minutes and then blot it as dry as possible, since moisture means steam instead of browning.

Heat vegetable oil over medium-high until it gives off wisps of smoke and brown about half of the meat on each side; browning half is enough to build the fond.

Roughly chop the onions and sweat them in the fond and fat over medium heat until soft and golden.

Crush in the garlic and saute with the onions about one minute until fragrant.

Deglaze with four cups of chicken stock, scraping up everything on the bottom of the pot, then add all the meat, seared and unseared.

Add about a cup and a half of chili paste and bring to a simmer.

Add shakes of cinnamon, allspice and ground coriander seed, a very generous shake of oregano and the optional tomato paste.

Partially cover and simmer until the beef is tender and the stew has thickened, anywhere from one and a half to three hours, tasting and tweaking as it goes.

Thicken with two to three tablespoons of masa harina and add the juice of two limes, then cook five more minutes to finish thickening.

Serve with grated pepper jack and lime wedges; cornbread, sour cream, tortilla chips and avocado are all fair game.