Instructions: (Taught me by an old friend Ed from Texas, as much a Texas boy as there ever was)

In keeping with all good recipes, measurements are pretty on the fly here.

Cube the beef into bite-sized chunks. Dice the bacon. Heat a large heavy pot, fry the bacon until almost crisp. Scoop it out and set aside (so it wont get burnt). Then fry the meat in the bacon fat until browned on all sides - you may have to do this in batches. Scoop out the meat and add to the bacon. Saute the onions (and garlic if youre using it) in the bacon.

(Those who really get concerned can drain off some of the fat, but it wont be true Texan at that point.) When its soft, throw in the cumin, chile powder, and paprika and cook briefly. Return the meat, cover with water and bring it to a boil. Taste and add salt, then cover and set it to simmer for a couple of hours. Thicken as needed with cornmeal or stale tortillas.

Serve with sour cream or cottage cheese, diced onions and, of course, beer.

Like all good chilis this is best made a day in advance and reheated.

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