True Texas chili: tender cubed beef, dried chilies rehydrated and pureed, cumin, garlic, and dark beer simmered to a thick rust-red gravy. No tomatoes, no beans, no ground beef.

Chili con carne was first served by the chili queens of San Antonio in the 1880s and codified as a Texas dish by 1893 when Texas State Fair vendors sold bowls for a dime. State legislature declared chili the official Texas state dish in 1977. The Houston tradition holds the original rule of meat-and-chiles only; competition chili across the Texas circuit follows the same rule.

5 editor picks for Texas Chili (Chili con Carne, No Beans) in Houston, ranked by editorial score. All Houston signature dishes · Texas Chili (Chili con Carne, No Beans) across every city.