Jailhouse Chili, Dallas County Style
If you know anything about Texas food, you know chili isn’t just a recipe — it’s religion. And this one comes straight out of Dallas County lore.
Back in 1962, Dallas Morning News columnist Frank X. Tolbert wrote a piece called “That Bowl of Fire Called Chili” for The Saturday Evening Post. It was one of the first times Texas chili got a national spotlight, and folks across the country paid attention. Tolbert got more than 29,000 letters after it ran — proof that people take their bowl of red real serious.
Now here’s where it gets good. In that article, Tolbert shared a chili recipe from a Dallas County sheriff in the 1930s named Smoot Schmidt. This wasn’t some fancy competition chili — this was jailhouse chili. The kind served inside the Dallas County jail system all the way into the early ’60s. Rumor has it former inmates even requested the recipe when they were released. That’s how you know it was legit.
This was old-school Texas chili at its core: beef, chiles, garlic, and cumin. No fluff. No filler. Just bold flavor.
Of course, this being Texas, the story doesn’t end without a little rivalry.
Bill “Billy Goat” Hauck, the sheriff of Bexar County — home of San Antonio, the Tex-Mex capital of the world — took issue with Dallas getting bragging rights. He claimed his jail system produced a better bowl and even joked he ought to arrest Tolbert for suggesting otherwise.
Problem is… Hauck never shared his recipe.
So Dallas keeps the credit, the legend lives on, and the debate rolls forward — just like it always has in Texas. Because around here, arguing about chili might be our favorite pastime after eating it.
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20 Comments
Matt, this will be my next chili cook! Looks Amazing! Cooking Out in The Elements? Sorry. Here in California, we call that Under Cover. Love the channel.
to be fair…..if it's 2am and I gotta whiz I ain't turning on the lights otherwise I'll never go back down, so instead I'll "sit it out". plus if I'm faded then I don't need to worry about missing the shot in the dark….life lessons son
When you curse at what you make. That is when you know it is sooo good.
Gotta ask here, what was the original recipe? The no onions thing has me baffled. I tried googling it but lead me to places I don’t need to be surfing. lol.
Oh and I thought matza was a flour-ish substance used in kosher cooking? Matza Ball Soup and Matza crackers etc.
What makes it Texas Red when there’s no red in it? I bet it’s pretty good but to me it seems more akin to a beef stew than a chili. And that’s no bean crack…I just expect to see some tomato component in chili. 🤷🏻♂️
I mean a quick Google search shows Wikipedia chili or chili con Carne as it's full name is was orig from Mexico and the Aztecs ate it but I guess we can claim whatever we want in the end since we are American lol.
As a Texan I have never beaned my chili…… No my Yankee wife of 27 years puts beans in her chili and yes its not bad at all. Love "squat to pee"
🤣 "Squat to pee". I mean I think real chili is without beans being a native Texan but damn that was harsh LOL
Sorry Matt, but dont give 2 shits what inmates beg for…
This recipe is going to win me a cook off come this fall with coworkers.
So, when you add the corn tortillas or masa, isn't that considered a filler??
Looks like a mean hot dog sauce thanks for the recipe!
I would love to squat to pee,but if I did,my johnson would be taking a bath..
You probably squat to pee. 😂😂😂😂
He likes the mouth feel of the meat. He said it
Even though I am not from / in Texas, I agree with Matt. Beans make a GREAT side dish. But, they are not a cheap or any sort of filler for chili.
Great recipe. Not trying to be an asshole. But isn't tortillas and masa a filler? From Iowa just trying to figure out how to make authentic Texas red
Anyone who claims that's "hotdog" sauce is crazy! Looks amazing and delicious, thanks for the video.
LOL…sorry but I'm of the "moronic" crowd. I grew up in Florida and Georgia, chili always had beans in it no matter where you went locally. I agree with the idea of an original traditional style. But if my chili has chunks of onions, bell peppers, kidney beans and pinto beans with some cheese on top served with butter crackers crumbled on top…I find it hard to beat. I agree yours looks as tasteful as is. It is "authentic".