Beef Chuck

If you don't have a slow cooker, use a covered Dutch oven; cook the curry in a 325°F oven until the beef is tender, about 2 hours, adding 1/2 cup water if the stew is dry. The spice paste can be made up to a week ahead of cooking.

Home turf: Texas
Local flavor: Chili is practically a religion in Texas. The thick, meaty "bowl of red" dates back to San Antonio in the 1820s. By the 1880s, the city's plazas were full of pushcarts run by "chili queens" who would lure customers with live music. And Texans may argue about chili ingredients—but purists agree that the hearty stew would never, ever involve beans.
Make it a meal: Round things out with cornbread, iceberg wedges with artisanal blue cheese, and Shiner Bock (Texas, $8 per six-pack), a full-bodied Texas brew. A few tablespoons of masa (corn tortilla mix) is used to thicken this chili.

Brazilians typically enjoy this hearty meal at midday, accompanied by a caipirinha and followed by a nap. Plan on spending two or three days putting this magnificent dish together. Serve feijoada with steamed rice, braised greens, and sliced oranges for a traditional presentation.

For a falling-off-the-bone roast (about $4 a pound), crack open a tenderizing can of beer.

Freshly ground coffee adds a depth to the spice rub and brings out the flavor of the meat. Be sure to keep the rub recipe handy. The spice rub would also be great on steaks and chicken.

These kid-size burgers have the cheese on the inside. Serve with your favorite burger accompaniments.

Melons and cucumbers have a real affinity—they're related, after all. Here, they come together in a cool, uncooked chutney, which cuts the robust richness of thinly sliced hanger steak.

Long, slow cooking turns a supermarket chuck roast into something gloriously tender, flavorful, and aromatic. Leftovers are delicious shredded, heated in the sauce, and served over egg noodles.

This richly flavored chili pays homage to the Texas "bowl of red," in which meat is the star. Mole paste, ancho chile powder, and cumin add depth of flavor. Set out bowls of beans, cheese, onions, and other garnishes so that guests can have their chili just the way they like it.

Mashed potatoes are a tried-and-true side dish with steak, but for something new, try an Italian purée of white beans—it's just as creamy and much faster.

This full-bodied stew will bring the crowd running when you lift the lid. First, pieces of chuck are browned to develop their flavor, then they’re braised in a red-wine beef broth. Adding the potatoes and carrots toward the end of cooking keeps their character and color bright.

Classic stuffed cabbage is a time-consuming endeavor. This unorthodox version, which uses dried cranberries and a combination of beef and pork, is much easier—and, we like to think, even better.

The recipe and introductory text below are reprinted with permission from Gameday Gourmet by Pableaux Johnson. Fred Thompson, the kitchen wizard behind this project, wanted to make sure to include a recipe for all the bean-loving chili fans out there. His time-tested recipe has seen its fair share of Tar Heel games and Appalachian State University parking lots.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com . There are those days that nothing will do except a bacon cheeseburger. Instead of visiting your favorite burger joint, make them at home. You may never order a burger out again!

The sweetness of the carrots is a nice contrast to the slightly bitter beer.

A single pot-au-feu can become several courses. First, serve the marrowbones with salt and toast, then present the meats and vegetables. The broth can be a separate course or can be immediately ladled over the meats and vegetables, with mustard and horseradish added to taste and cornichons served on the side.

This rustic, satisfying spiced soup—a perfect dish to make ahead and reheat on busy weeknights—will help stave off even the fiercest midwinter chill.

This soup gets a rich, earthy flavor from dried porcini mushrooms, which are available in the produce section of many supermarkets and at Italian markets and specialty foods stores.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico! I serve this traditional side dish as an antipasto. Guess what? I like it more as a small plate to kick off a meal than as a side. On the other hand, you could serve this in larger amounts as a side dish or even instead of a pasta course. And because the ragu is even better the second day, I make a lot, so you will have leftovers. Soft polenta, blended with plenty of cheese and butter, is lusciously creamy and becomes the delicious base for the meaty mushroom and sausage ragu. This is a terrific start to a fall meal of fish and a salad. Polenta may be yellow or white; I prefer yellow because of its color and slightly earthy, intense flavor.