Ingredients

  • 3 quarts water
  • 6 onions, chopped
  • 9 pounds beef tri-tip sirloin, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (such as RO*TEL(R))
  • 6 tablespoons paprika
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons seasoned salt
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal, or as needed

Method

  • Soak onions in water in a large bowl until the water takes on some of the onion flavor, at least 1 hour.
  • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned completely, about 10 minutes.
  • Stir onion-and-water mixture, diced tomatoes, and diced tomatoes with green chile peppers with the beef in the pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 90 minutes.
  • Stir paprika, chili powder, sugar, seasoned salt, garlic powder, cumin, marjoram, and cayenne pepper into the liquid until dissolved; continue to cook at a simmer for 1 hour more.
  • Stir cornmeal into the chili, 1 tablespoon at a time, simmering for a minute to check consistency before adding the next.