Merle Ellis's Second Best Chili Merle Ellis calls his chili Second Best Chili, because it is made with the "second best" shank chili meat, instead of "best" teen-aged longhorn. Another reason is that if he had claimed his chili to be "first best" in his newspaper column on the subject, he'd have been up to his neck in disputatious chili correspondence. In his private heart of hearts, Ellis, like every other chili cook, knows his chili is the One-and-Only. For the record, however, he stops short of confessing this. 4 lbs. lean tough beef shank, cut into cubes about the size of your thumb 1/4 cup oil 1 medium onion, minced 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce 1 12-oz. bottle beer 4 to 6 Tbs. chili powder 1 Tbs. cumin 2 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. sugar 2 Tbs. masa harina, or 1 Tbs. flour mixed with 1 Tbs. cornmeal Put meat in heated oil in a good-size heavy pot. Stir with a long wooden spoon so oil will coat the meat. Cook over low heat until the beef turns gray, stirring once In a while. Don't let meat brown. Add onion and garlic, cover, and simmer ten minutes. Add tomato sauce and beer. Cover pot and simmer for another ten minutes. While meat mixture simmers, combine chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar in a small bowl. When the time is right, add all the spices to the pot and stir it up a bit. Put the lid back on, lower heat, and let it cook for one hour or so. Stir once in a while so it won't stick but keep lid on as much as possible so all that good rich pot likker stays inside. Just before serving, mix the masa or flour with cornmeal and with enough cold water to make a thin paste, and stir it into the chili to achieve just the right consistency. Cook's Note: "Serve topped with chopped onions and accompanied with a cold beer!"