Harris Ranch Chili With good reason, meat lovers have long flocked to restaurants located at or close to stockyards. At Coalinga, in California's San Joaquin Valley, Ann Lee Harris and her husband Jack own and operate one of the best of these, the Harris Ranch Restaurant. They also run the Harris Country Store and Feed Company. The latter is one of the country's largest beef-feeding lots. It supplies the restaurant and the store with the beef which, along with the other good things, prompted Gourmet magazine to rave about the Ranch's "western food of quality and integrity," and to add, "There is nothing else comparable to this restaurant in California." Here is the Harris's chili recipe. 1/4 lb. beef suet 1 tsp. powdered cumin 1/2 cup chopped onion cayenne to taste 2 lbs. lean chuck, coarsely ground 1 Tbs. salt 1 Tbs. coarsely ground black pepper 1Tbs. chili powder 1 Tbs. flour water In a heavy iron skillet melt down the suet, and discard. Add onions and brown. Add ground beef and stir until it has turned gray do not brown. Mix next six ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Add water slowly, stirring well to make a thick gravy. Add to meat, mixing thoroughly. Add enough hot water, gradually, to cover meat, and let simmer on low heat for approximately forty-five minutes. Stir frequently to keep from sticking, using a wooden spoon. If chili looks too greasy, mix a little more flour and water to thicken. Taste and correct for salt and pepper seasoning. Author's Note: Like many stockyards restaurants, the Harris Ranch features mountain oysters. Fried huevos de torito-literally, eggs of bull calf, are a favorite hors d'oeuvre in La Cantina, the Ranch's bar.