Austin-Reno Red Texas Chili by Jacci Howard Bear from About, Inc. 
http://austin.about.com/library/food/blchili-renored.htm

At our house, serving chili usually means heating up several cans of 
Wolf brand chili and pouring it over corn chips. For a little something 
extra I'll throw in cheese, sour cream, and jalapeno peppers. But, for 
a change of pace I decided to try my hand at chili made from scratch. 

For my first pot of chili I chose a variation on Reno Red. It's a 
Texas-style chili (that means no beans, tomato sauce, or other 
vegetables - just lots of meat, spices, and chili peppers) that gained 
acclaim as ICS (International Chili Society) champ in 1979. I've found 
a few versions of Reno Red on the Web (see sidebar). Here's my own 
"Austinized" (and somewhat tame) version complete with ingredients 
by brand.

Ingredients: 
• 5 lbs H-E-B brand Beef Chuck for Chili 
• 2 medium purple onions 
• 3 teaspoons Adams brand Ground Cumin 
• 5-8 heaping tablespoons Adams brand Chili Powder 
• 3 cloves of garlic, pressed 
• 5-15 Bolner's Fiesta brand Ancho Chili pods 
• 1 teaspoon Adams brand Oregano in 1 cup of water ("tea") 
• Black pepper 

These specific brands are optional but I chose to use Central Texas 
ingredients such as Austin-based Adams Spices. This recipe feeds 6-8.

Remove stems and seeds from chili pods. (To accomodate my kids I 
stopped at 5 chili pods. For hotter chili, add more peppers and/or more 
chili powder.) 

Place chili pods in saucepan, cover with water, and simmer for about 30 
minutes. 

Mash chili pods through a sieve to remove membrane or scrape the pulp 
from the skins with a spoon. Make a paste of the pulp. DO NOT THROW 
OUT THE WATER. Hold for later. 

Chop onions. I used purple onions because I already had them on hand, 
but use your favorite variety. (Note: Some purists oppose the use of 
onions in "real Texas chili.") 
Make a "tea" of the oregano leaves by brewing in 1 cup of water. Set 
aside. (Other recipes use beer instead of water.) 

Brown meat 1 pound at a time, seasoning with black pepper. Brown 
onions along with the meat. Use slotted spoon to remove meat and 
onions to your chili cooking pot as it browns. 

To your browned meat and onions add the cumin, chili powder, and 
3 cloves of pressed garlic. 

Don't have a handy-dandy garlic press? Crush your garlic cloves with 
the flat side of a butcher's knife then chop the crushed garlic very fine. 

Cook mixture for a full 10 minutes, adding a small amount of the 
reserved chili pepper water. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn or stick. 
This step cooks the spices into the meat. 
Stir in the chili paste and about half of the Oregano "tea" and cook over 
low heat for about 1.5 hours. 
Add the remaining Oregano "tea" and pepper water while the chili 
simmers, stirring occasionally. 
Cooking Tip: At this point you might want to split the recipe into two 
pots then add additional chili paste/chili powder to one pot, leaving 
the other pot as is for those who prefer a milder chili. 

Serve over chunks of Mexican cornbread (I used a mix but in true 
Southern tradition I start by putting my greased iron skillet in the 
oven to heat).