Freeze-Dried Texas Slow Cooker Chili

🌶️Spice up your freeze-drying experience with our latest recipe: Texas-Style Chili! 

Texas Chili Extravaganza: 🌶️ Bold spices, succulent beef, and a burst of flavors now in freeze-dried form! Your favorite slow-cooked Texas Chili is ready whenever and wherever you are. ⛺🏞️

Ingredients:

For the Chili:

• 1–2 tablespoons avocado or vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch cubes
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt (1 teaspoon per pound of meat, more to taste)
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• Two 4.5-ounce cans green chiles
• One 14-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

For Toppings:

• Green onions
• Sour cream
• Cheddar cheese
• Chips or cornbread

Instructions:

1. Prep Everything:

   • Chop, measure, and get everything all set up first.

2. Brown the Beef:

   • Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat.
   • Toss the cut beef chunks with salt.
   • Add the beef to the pot and let it cook, undisturbed, for a few minutes on each side until it gets nice and browned. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan.
   • Remove beef chunks and transfer to the slow cooker.

3. Saute Onions and Garlic:

   • Add onions and garlic (and a bit more oil if needed); sauté until golden and softened. This process should lift a lot of yummy browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

4. Add Spices:

   • Add the brown sugar and spices; sauté for 3-5 minutes until nice and fragrant.

5. Add Tomatoes and Chiles:

   • Add green chiles and crushed tomatoes; simmer for 3-5 minutes until bubbly and delicious.

6. Cook Low and Slow:

   • Pour the tomato mixture into the slow cooker over the beef chunks; gently nudge them around so they are surrounded in the sauce.
   • Cook on high for 4-ish hours or low for 8 hours.

7. Serve:

   • Shred the beef into big tender chunks (you should be able to do this directly in the slow cooker) and season with more salt to taste.
   • Serve with sour cream, cheddar, green onions, and cornbread.

Enjoy the rich and robust flavors of Texas-style chili, freeze-dried for your convenience! Perfect for those moments when you crave a hearty, slow-cooked masterpiece on the go.

FREEZE-DRYING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Spread evenly on trays lined with silicone mats. Or use a small cookie scoop to make  dollops. Make note of the weight of the trays with food.
2. Process according to freeze-dryer instructions.
3. When finished freeze-drying, note the weight of the trays. The difference in weight of the trays before and after freeze-drying is the recommended amount of water needed to reconstitute.

TO RECONSTITUTE

Add recommended amount of hot water to chili. Stir and let sit a few minutes until fully reconstituted. More, or less, than the recommended amount of water can be added to get the desired consistency.