Texas-style chili con carne

Remove the chili stems and toss the chilies in a bowl so most of the seeds fall out; more seeds and ribs make it spicier.

Toast the whole dried chilies in the Dutch oven until they smell nice and toasty.

Trim just some of the big swaths of fat from the chuck and leave it in large chunks, so it sears rather than steams.

Put the toasted chilies in the blender.

Sear the beef (salted the night before and left uncovered in the fridge) in a little oil, in big pieces, crowding is fine; cover partly against splatter. Sear two faces only.

Grind about a tablespoon of cumin, five allspice berries and a good amount of Mexican oregano in a molcajete; it need not be a complete powder.

Ladle chicken stock into the blender with the chilies and blend to a chili base.

Smash and roughly mince the garlic; chop the onions.

Remove the seared beef to a tray to cool slightly.

Toast the pasilla powder with the ground spices in the fat, then add the garlic and onion and cook over low heat until lightly softened.

Cut the beef into strips, then chunks of about an inch and a half.

Deglaze with the chili mixture, rinse the blender with chicken stock, scrape up the browned bits, and add more stock, about a quart to a quart and a half in all.

Add the meat and some salt.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer with the lid cracked, and cook about two and a half to three hours until the meat is tender but holds its shape (or in an oven at about 250 or 275).

Skim off some of the rendered fat with a ladle (or chill overnight and lift off the solid fat; never down the drain).

Whisk in masa harina a little at a time to thicken and emulsify the fat.

Brighten with a dash of apple cider vinegar; serve with scallions and cilantro.

After the tasting, stir in two cans of kidney beans to bulk it up.