Tucson Jailhouse Chili

Somewhere in the Sonoran Desert, somebody in a jailhouse kitchen figured out that if you load a pot with enough chili powder, cumin, and jalapeños, even pinto beans and ground beef become something worth fighting over.

This Tucson-style chili doesn’t mess around: two pounds of ground beef, green chilis, jalapeños, diced tomatoes, and a heavy hand of spice all go into a Dutch oven and simmer low for nearly two hours until the flavors fuse into something deep, smoky, and seriously warming.

A touch of brown sugar and vinegar balance the heat with a little sweet-tart backbone.

Pile on the sharp cheddar, sliced scallions, and scoop it up with corn chips.

Pro Tips

• Don’t rush the simmer. The full two hours lets the chili powder and cumin bloom into something much bigger than the sum of their parts. One hour will taste fine, but two hours will taste like it’s been simmering all day.
• Six tablespoons of chili powder is correct. It sounds like a lot, but over two hours of simmering and spread across six servings, it mellows into a warm, smoky backbone rather than raw heat.
• Use a heavy Dutch oven. Even heat distribution prevents scorching on the bottom during that long simmer. Stir occasionally and keep it at a low bubble.
• Sharp cheddar only. Mild cheese melts into nothing here. You need that aged bite to stand up to all that spice.