Two-Meat, Two Bean Chili
Submitted by zachrob
A hearty two-meat chili: ground round and hot Italian sausage simmered with pink beans, black beans, peppers, and a cornmeal thickener. Feeds 15, perfect for game day or a freezer stash.
YIELD
15 servngsPREP
20 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
2 hrsThis is industrial-strength chili, the kind of pot that turns out 15 servings without breaking a sweat. The two-meat blend is the secret. Ground round brings the deep beefy backbone while crumbled hot Italian sausage drops in fennel, garlic, and chili-flake heat that no amount of seasoning can replicate.
The cornmeal-water slurry stirred in at the end is the move borrowed from old-school Texas chili joints. It thickens without gluing the chili together, gives it a slight Mexican-corn-tortilla undertone, and creates the spoon-coating texture that separates a real chili from beef stew with chili powder.
Two kinds of beans (creamy pink and earthy black) keep things visually interesting and add layers of texture. Top each bowl with sour cream, shredded cheddar, sliced green onion, and pickled jalapeños.
Pro Tips
- Brown the meat in batches if your pot can’t handle it all at once. Crowding steams the meat and you lose the seared, flavor-building fond.
- Toast the chili powder, oregano, and cumin in the rendered fat for a full minute before adding tomatoes. Untoasted spices taste raw and dusty in the finished pot.
- Don’t add the beans until after the long simmer. Cooking beans for 1½ hours turns them to mush.
- Make this a day ahead. Chili improves dramatically overnight as the flavors meld and the fat solidifies for easy skimming.
- Freeze leftovers in single-serving portions for grab-and-reheat lunches. Chili holds its texture beautifully for up to 3 months frozen.
Variations
- Swap hot Italian sausage for chorizo or hot breakfast sausage for different heat profiles.
- Add a dark beer or a shot of bourbon during the simmer for malty depth.
- Stir in a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder or a square of dark chocolate for mole-style complexity.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large soup kettle, cook the ground round, sausage, onions, red and green pepeprs, chili peppers, and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the meat is seared (but not browned), about 10 minutes.
Pour off excess fat.
Add the chili powder, salt, oregano, cumin, and bay leaves and stir for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes with their purée, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon.
Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced, about 1½ hours.
In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal and ½ cup of water.
Stir the cornmeal mixture and the pink and black beans into the chili.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chili is thickened, about 10 minutes.
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