Texas lays a lot of claim to chili. Whether it was first introduced by spanish immigrants to san antonio in the 18th century or conjured up in the 19th century by cowboy cooks on texas cattle drives to cover up the taste of sometimes nearly inedible range meats at hand, it's a texas story. Their idea of a bowl of red adheres as closely as possible to the dictates of these legends. If it's not authentic, it's not texas chili. So what's the difference between a real texas chili recipe and other chili recipes? What makes it authentic? Common knowledge in texas says real chili recipes use cubed chunks of meat instead of ground beef and also don't call for beans. Cutting the chuck into cubes gives this chili recipe a more stew-like texture than the more common ground beef recipes.