Loaded Spicy Chili with Italian Sausage & Ground Beef
Submitted by flee
Loaded chili built on three meats, ground beef, hot Italian sausage, and smoked sausage, with kidney beans, a layered hit of serrano and habanero heat, and a splash of red wine. Thickened with cornmeal and tastes even better the next day.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
45 minREADY
1 1/6 hrsThree meats, not one, are what set this chili apart. Ground beef brings the backbone, hot Italian sausage layers in fennel and spice, and a pound of smoked sausage adds a low, smoky hum the others can’t.
The heat is built in stages: chili powder and paprika for body, then serrano, habanero, cayenne, and hot sauce for the sharp, climbing burn. The red wine and aromatics do the deep flavor work while the chilies add the zing.
Here’s the clever part. A slurry of cornmeal whisked with the reserved bean liquid gets stirred in near the end, thickening the pot to a rich, spoon-coating texture without flour.
Top it with melted mozzarella or gouda and tear off a hunk of sourdough. Better still, freeze a batch and reheat. The flavors cure and deepen the longer they sit.
Chef Tips
- Keep the smoked sausage to a pound. More than that and the chili starts tasting like spaghetti sauce instead of chili.
- Drain most of the rendered fat after browning the meats, or the pot turns greasy.
- Whisk the cornmeal into the bean liquid until it’s pancake-batter smooth before it hits the pot, so it never clumps.
- Low and slow wins. A two-hour simmer melds the spices far better than a quick fifteen minutes.
Variations
- Dial the habanero and serrano up or down to set your own heat level.
- Swap kidney beans for black or pinto, or use a mix for more texture.
Ingredients
Directions
- Cut this up into ½ inch chunks. It’s not recommended to use more than 1 lb because it’ll make it taste like spaghetti sauce.
** Drain and reserve ½ of the liquid to mix with the corn meal *** These things just add the “Zing” and not much full bodied flavor. That is what the wine and other things do for it. In a large pot, brown the beef, pork, onions and garlic over medium heat. After the above is browned, add the bell pepper and the smoked sausage. Cook for 5 to 10 more minutes. Reduce heat to low (and drain most of the fat) Blend in the tomatoes and spices and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the drained beans. In a small bowl, mix the bean liquid with the corn meal until it’s like pancake patter. Mix the “batter” into the chili and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or MORE. (Some people simmer their batch for about 2 hours, so use your judgement on this.) Sprinkle with Mozzarella or Gouda cheese and serve with sourdough bread. Or, make a Chili sandwich with a good sourdough roll. For best taste, freeze the result to “cure” the mix! Thaw, heat and serve.
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