Texas chili man John Billy Murray, 1988.

“You take poor meat, salt and pepper it, boil the hell out of it and then you take spices and make it taste flavorful.” That’s chili legend John Billy Murray speaking on the art of making a powerful kettle of Texas chili.

Back in 1984, Murray traveled ten hours from his home in Humble to the Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert-Wick Fowler Memorial Championship chili shootout deep in the heart of Big Bend country.

Of course everybody that’s anybody just calls the competition ‘The Wick.’

“Chili should be an individual projection of a person’s personality,” John Billy was known to say. “If you have a bad personality, chances are you won’t make a very good pot of chili.”

John Billy was a legend of the Terlingua chili game. Like many an old chili cook he was always happy to dispense advice on how to improve your chili pot. Here are a few bits of wisdom from the man himself:

  • Never use an expensive cut of meat. It will just fall apart.
  • If you can mash a piece of the meat between two fingers and it doesn’t bounce back, then it’s done.
  • Keep the chili simple. Too many different spices may fight one another.
  • Pequin chilies add “front (of the mouth) bite” to the chili.
  • Jalapenos add overall pepper taste.
  • Japones (dried finger) peppers and cumin mainly add smell, not flavor.

    John Billy Murray

    John Billy’s Chili Recipe

    Ingredients:

    2 tablespoons fat, rendered from chopped beef kidney suet (or the same amount of vegetable oil)
    2 lb. beef chuck tender, cut into sugar cube-size chunks
    1 medium onion, finely chopped
    4 large cloves garlic, peeled
    1 tablespoon garlic powder
    1/2 tablespoon monosodium glutamate (MSG), divided (optional)
    1/2 tablespoon salt, divided
    3/4 cup or more beef bouillon or broth
    8 oz. tomato sauce
    4 heaping tablespoons chili powder
    1 heaping tablespoon ground chili or 1 large dried ancho chile, softened and peeled
    2 tablespoons cumin
    3/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (fine ground red)
    1 tablespoon paprika
    White pepper to taste (about 1/2 tablespoon)
    1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers, halved, seeded, stemmed

    Instructions:

    Render the fat:
    In a large stainless steel pot, render enough fat from suet to make approximately 2 tablespoons. Remove the rendered suet and discard it.

    Cook the beef:
    Add the beef cubes to the pot and cook over high heat until the meat turns gray.

    Add aromatics and seasonings:
    To the meat, add the chopped onion, whole garlic cloves (peeled), garlic powder, 1/4 tablespoon MSG, 1/4 tablespoon salt, and the beef bouillon or broth.

    Cover the pot and cook over medium heat at a rapid boil for about 45 minutes or until the meat is tender enough to squeeze flat between your fingers without bouncing back.

    Simmer with tomato sauce:
    Once the meat is tender, reduce the heat. Add the tomato sauce, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
    (Optional) Remove the garlic cloves or mash them and incorporate them into the chili for added flavor.

    Add spices and chilies:
    Add the remaining 1/4 tablespoon MSG and 1/4 tablespoon salt, chili powder, ancho chile, cumin, paprika, white pepper, and halved jalapenos to the pot. Stir to combine.

    Simmer and finish:
    Cover the pot and simmer for an additional 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

    If needed, add a small amount of additional broth or liquid from the softened ancho chile to prevent the meat from cooking dry.

    Remove jalapenos:
    At the end of cooking time, remove the jalapenos and discard them.

    Check the consistency:
    The chili should have a thick consistency, so that a 10-inch wooden spoon will stand upright in it, then slowly sink to the bottom.

    Serving Size:
    Makes about 2 1/2 quarts or 10 to 12 servings.

    Note:
    To soften the dried ancho chile, seed and stem the pod, then place it under a broiler to blacken the skin. Soak the blackened chile in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Scrape the pulp from the skin and discard the skin. Use the softened chile as indicated in the recipe.

    “Chili should be the individual projection of a person’s personality,” “Cumin doesn’t add that much to the taste, but cumin is truly the smell of chili.” John Billy Murray 90, passed away peacefully at HCA Kingwood [Texas] Hospital on Friday February 28th, 2025.

    Rest in peace Mr Murray and tell Wick, Frank, Carroll and the boys we said howdy.