United States / Main
Pedernales River Chili
Pedernales River Chili was American President Lyndon Johnson's favorite chili con carne recipe. It was named after the location of his Texas Hill Country ranch. The recipe calls for leaving out the traditional beef suet (on doctor's orders after his heart attack while he was U.S. Senate Majority Leader) and also adds tomatoes and onions. LBJ preferred venison, when available, over beef; Hill Country deer were thought to be leaner than most. Lady Bird Johnson, the First Lady, had it printed up on cards as a mail-out because of the many thousands of requests the White House received for the recipe. The recipe is originally from Zephyr Wright, the Johnson's family cook.
Ingredients
- coarse-ground meat, coarsely ground; venison preferred; source metric quantity incomplete: 1.84 lb
- onion, large; chopped1
- garlic, finely chopped2 clove
- dried oregano, dried; preferred over fresh oregano growing wild in central Texas1 tsp
- powdered cumin, powdered1 tsp
- chili powder, or more, to taste6 tsp
- whole tomatoes, whole; 16 oz/500 g per can2 can
- salt, to taste
- hot water, hot; 470 ml2 cup
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 3 steps
Brown meat, onion, and garlic in a large skillet.
Add rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about an hour.
Skim off grease.
