Did you know that the inventor of chili powder, William Gebhardt, also ran a badger fight ring behind his saloon? Gebhardt, a German immigrant to New Braunfels (the town next to San Antonio, my birthplace, and home to Schlitterbahn and the 10 Day Salute to Sausage aka Wurstfest), came up with the idea for the spice in the 1890s, and it enabled chili to be cooked faster. His product may well have been used by the Chili Queens of San Antonio, and is still used today!
The Chili Queens reigned over the San Antonio night scene from the 1860s to 1930s, these women weren’t just cooks, they were local heroes of a sort. They would set up open-air booths in plazas and squares, and sell foods to folks partaking in the city’s blossoming Red Light District, El Mercado, and Haymarket Plaza. The dishes they’d prepare were things like chile con carne, tamales, and other traditional Tex-Mex favorites that drew in Texas Rangers and gamblers alike. Known to have big personalities to rival their big flavors, the Chili Queens weren’t the “ladylike” shrinking violets of the time, and they would often lean into caricatures of the Mexican women of Texas’ Spanish Colonial past, embodying their matriarchs’ outspoken natures, and in 1894 the Daily Express described them as “ever-attentive, always jolly… bright, bewitching creatures and put themselves too much trouble to please their often too rowdy customers.”
Stephen Crane, author of the Red Badge of Courage, described the scene after visiting the city in 1895, “Upon one of the plazas Mexican vendors with open-air stands sell food that tastes exactly like pounded fire-brick of Hades – chili con carne, tamales, enchiladas, chili verde, frijoles… In the soft atmosphere of the southern night, the cheap glass bottles upon the stands shine like crystal and lamps glow with a tender radiance. A hum of conversation ascends from the strolling visitors who are at their social shrine.”
Although it may sound like a Spanish dish, chili con carne is a prime example of Tex-Mex cuisine, and Mexicans vehemently denied being associated with the dish, one Mexican dictionary even going as far to define the dish as “a detestable food with a false Mexican title.” In current times there are a few manufacturers that can chili con carne, although many Texans swear it does not represent the dish well as many canners will add beans, which may be close to sacrilege for many people.
The Chili Queens had memorialized themselves as a beloved part of San Antonio and in that kingdom became an attraction of their own. Wherever they set up with their mesquite fires to keep their food warm, the crowds followed. Entertainers would gather as well, plazas would fill with music, laughter, and warmth.
Unfortunately, in 1937, the San Antonio city health department ordered the removal of “the Chili Queens and their stands… an end to 200-year-old tradition.” Luckily for us, the chili con carne has survived. Today, you can often find different variations, and the more traditional preparations under the name “Texas Red” (yes, like the one the Arizona Ranger was after). The spirit of the Chili Queens also lives on: each year during Fiesta (a celebration in honor of the Alamo throughout San Antonio), a chili cook-off and chili queen competition upholds their legacy.
One last note: chili with an “i” refers to the dish, and chile with an “e” refers to the peppers for those of you who may not know!
The recipe that follows is of my own creation based on others I’ve seen, so if you don’t like it, you may have done something wrong:
- 4-5 Tbsp lard or bacon fat
- 2 lbs chuck-eye roast (or any high fat roast, cut into 1 inch cubes)
- 4 Tbsp Gebhardt’s chili powder
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 onion chopped fine
- 2-3 Tbsp chile paste (if you choose chipotle paste, it would be yummy to add some adobo as well!)
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste (it will want more salt than you initially think, but remember to add a little at a time!)
- 5 Tbsp Masa Harina or 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- Salt and pepper your cubed beef, then add about a tablespoon of lard to a large dutch oven or similar vessel over medium-high to high heat, and brown the beef in batches. Remove and set aside once browned.
- If needed, add more lard to the pot, turn the heat to medium, and cook down onions until translucent, then the garlic until fragrant. Add spices (adjust spices to personal taste) and chili paste.
- Add beef back in and cook for another 10 or so minutes, then cover with water. Simmer until tender, about 3 hours.
- If using Masa Harina to thicken, mix with water to form a smooth paste (if using cornstarch, make a slurry – I do recommend the Masa Harina since it’s more traditional, and adds to the flavor of the dish). Add to the chili and simmer until thickened.
- Serve with chopped onion, oyster crackers, cilantro, queso fresco, and anything else that tickles your fancy – but please, please don’t add beans!
Vaya con Dios,
Mountain Girl
Mountain Girl Goes 
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