Mr. Mason's Chili

My grandmother used to care for the Masons. Mr. Mason was a pioneer in the roadside food industry. He owned cafes in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas that served chili and apple pie. He kept his chili recipe secret for decades. He lived to be 107 years old, and my grandma finally got his recipe.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 55 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 399 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 cup water, or as needed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (such as Gebhardt®)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place the ground beef and half the chili powder into a large saucepan over high heat, and cook until meat is browned, breaking the meat apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Mix in the onion, and cook and stir until onion is softened, about 10 more minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomato paste, and cocoa powder, and cover pan.

Step 2

Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until meat is tender and flavors have blended, mixing enough water to make a thick chili, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.