Cube the beef into bite-sized chunks. Dice the bacon. Heat a large heavy pot, fry the bacon until almost crisp. Scoop it out and set aside (so it won't get burnt). Then fry the meat in the bacon fat until browned on all sides -- you may have to do this in batches. Scoop out the meat and add to the bacon. Saute the onions (and garlic if you're using it) in the bacon. (Those who really get concerned can drain off some of the fat, but it won't be true Texan at that point.) When it's soft, throw in the cumin, chile powder, and paprika and cook briefly. Return the meat, cover with water and bring it to a boil. Taste and add salt, then cover and set it to simmer for a couple of hours. Thicken as needed with cornmeal or stale tortillas.
Serve with sour cream or cottage cheese, diced onions and, of course, beer.
Like all good chilis this is best made a day in advance and reheated.

NOTES:
From: Henning Petersen
Where is the beer ? This True Texas Chili Recipe sounds very nice, but I would definitely skip the water and throw a couple of beers into the pot instead. By the way, 1 Tb. of oregano would be good as well.
But, is it legal to make Chili without beer in Texas ? If it is legal, there should be a law against it. If it is illegal, finally a law we all can understand the purpose of.

From: David Cook
Posted By: David Cook
Post Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998