Army Chili, 1896 - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs round steaks, diced
1 tablespoon bacon drippings, hot
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons rice
2 large dried red chilies (whole and de-seeded)
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 onions, chopped

Preparation

In a very large skillet, briefly fry (brown) the steak in the bacon drippings.
Add 1 cup of hot water and the rice. Cover and allow to simmer over very low heat until the rice is tender.
Put the chilies into a bowl and pour in the second cup of boiling water over them and allow to stand until cool. Then, hand-squeeze the chilies until the water is red. Add the flour to the chili water and blend which should make it thicken. Discard the chili hulls.
Add the chili water to the beef in the skillet and also add the salt and onions.
Allow to simmer for about 10 more minutes (until onions are tender) and serve.