Buffalo Snort Red Chili

This chili doesn’t mess around.

We’re talking five tablespoons of red pepper flakes, two tablespoons of cayenne, four jalapenos, green chiles, crumbled chile pods, AND hot sauce. If you’re not sweating by the second spoonful, check your pulse.

The meat situation is equally unhinged: ground beef chuck, chopped T-bone, crumbled hot Italian sausage, and yes, armadillo. (If you can’t source armadillo, pork shoulder makes a respectable stand-in.)

Bacon fat and beer form the foundation, while crushed Roma tomatoes and cumin hold the whole thing together through a two-hour simmer.

This is competition-grade, feeds-a-crowd, clears-your-sinuses chili.

Pro Tips

• Render the bacon slowly over medium heat to get maximum fat for sauteing the onions. That smoky dripping is flavor gold.
• If you can’t find armadillo, use an equal weight of pork shoulder or wild boar, cut into small cubes.
• The heat is serious. Scale the cayenne and pepper flakes back by half if you want bold but survivable.
• Let it sit overnight in the fridge. The flavors meld and the heat actually mellows slightly on day two.