Numero Uno Chili

Four pounds of meat, a hit of cocoa powder, and a generous dose of cinnamon set this chili apart from every other pot you’ve made. The cocoa adds a dark, earthy undertone without any sweetness, while the cinnamon rounds out the heat from the cayenne into something smooth and layered.

Cooking the onions low and slow for a full 20 minutes while the meat browns separately means both develop real flavor before they meet in the pot. Toasted cumin seeds ground fresh make a huge difference here. Pre-ground cumin from a jar just doesn’t have the same punch.

The 90-minute uncovered simmer concentrates everything down into a thick, glossy chili with deep color. Stirring in cornmeal at the end is an old-school trick that binds surface fat and thickens without changing the flavor. The kidney beans go in last, just long enough to warm through without turning to mush.

Kitchen Tips

• Toast whole cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant, then grind them. This one step changes the whole pot.
• Use chuck, shoulder, or shank for the beef. Fattier cuts keep the chili from drying out during the long simmer.
• Add the garlic at the very end as the recipe directs. Stirring it in late keeps a brighter garlic bite instead of letting it cook away.
• Start with 2 teaspoons chili powder and taste after the first hour. You can always add more heat, but you can’t take it back.

Variations

• Swap kidney beans for black beans or pinto beans.
• Replace ground pork with ground turkey for a leaner version.
• Add a bottle of dark beer with the tomato juice for a deeper, maltier base.