Branding Iron Chili

Y’all, this ain’t your weeknight can-of-beans chili. This is the real deal.

Five pounds of rough-ground sirloin and pork get browned in cast iron, then dumped into a pot of beer and sour mash whiskey that’s already at a slow boil.

Four jalapenos, five cloves of garlic, five tablespoons of cumin, a cup of tomato paste, and a few shakes of hot sauce build a chili so thick and meaty you could probably eat it with a fork.

Two hours of simmering and your kitchen smells like a Texas cookoff. The last tablespoon of cumin goes in right at the end for a fresh, earthy punch that ties the whole pot together.

Pro Tips

• Roughly ground meat is key. Don’t use fine-ground hamburger. You want chunky, toothy bites that hold up to two hours of cooking. Ask your butcher to coarse-grind the sirloin and pork, or pulse it in a food processor yourself.
• Brown the meat in batches in a hot cast iron skillet. This step builds the fond (those crusty brown bits) that forms the flavor backbone of the whole pot.
• Bring the beer and whiskey to a boil before adding the meat and spices. This burns off some of the harsh alcohol and leaves behind the good stuff: malty sweetness and smoky warmth.
• Hold back a tablespoon of cumin until the very end. Fresh cumin at the finish adds a bright, aromatic layer on top of the deep, toasty cumin that’s been simmering for two hours.
• Let it rest overnight if you can. Like all great chili, this one is even better the next day.