Dave Wright's Chili posted to austin.food
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=chili+group:austin.food&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=383abd25.97407719%40news.texas.net&rnum=9

First step: Pour boiling water over a few dried chiles (that you have
roasted in the oven for a minute or two), to cover. The chiles float
at first, so I put a bowl over them to keep them under water. I like
to use a mixture of anchos, New Mexico, and chipotles, maybe 5-6 in
all, only because these are usually at hand. Use any combination
you can find locally.
                     
Second step: Cut the beef (I use a 2 pound shoulder roast) into
cubes of about 1/4-1/2 inch. Brown the beef in a heavy pot (I use a
cast-iron Dutch oven). Add a chopped onion and 3-4 minced
cloves of garlic. Just let the meat "sweat" till the water boils away
and the meat browns some. Add about a tablespoonful of ground
cumin, almost as much dried oregano leaves, or twice as much
chopped, fresh oregano. Use Mexican oregano if you can get it --
depending on where you live you may be able to find some at a
local nursery and grow it yourself. It's a perennial and  has a
pretty, lavender flower. 
                     
Third: While the meat is cooking down, process the now-softened
chiles with up to a cup of the soaking liquid to make a paste.
                     
Next: Add water to the meat to cover, plus a little more, and put in
a quarter cup or so of the chile paste. Alternatively, use ground
chile powder. If I do that, I prefer pure ground chile rather that the
commercial "chili powder" that has other stuff added. But the
paste makes a better tasting final product, IMO.
                     
Then: Let it simmer for an hour or so, checking the water level
frequently. Test the flavors after about an hour and add more chile
paste, cumin, etc., salt and pepper to taste, and put in a
tablespoon or more of masa harina made into a slurry with water. If
you can't get it where you are, use all-purpose flour instead, but
masa harina adds a nice corn flavor as it thickens the chili. Keep
cooking till the meat is tender.
                     
This is almost as  basic as you can get. There are some who insist
that proper chili con carne is just that -- chile, beef, and water.
I've evolved this method over the years, though, and am happy with it.
I have an idea that the Chili Queens who used to sell chili from carts
or food stands in downtown San Antonio wouldn't look down on my
version. Some people like tomatoes in their chili, but I don't, nor do
I put in beans or chocolate or peanut butter.

Dave
dtwright@texas.net.spambegone