Cowgirl Chili
A three-hour, cowboy-camp classic: seared sirloin and ground beef simmered low over the coals with a dried ancho-and-cumin spice mix you grind at home.
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Dutch Oven with a handle for hanging over the fire
- 1 tripod with hook (or a sturdy grate) positioned at least 8 in / 20 cm above the coals
- 1 spice mill or mortar and pestle for the ancho chiles and cumin
Ingredients
Chili Spice Mix (Prepare at Home)
- 2 small dried ancho chiles with seeds
- 2 tsp cumin freshly ground
For the Chili
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb sirloin tip beef cut into cubes
- 2 lb ground beef medium-lean
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 poblano pepper seeded and chopped
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers seeded and chopped, to taste
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce or 1 tsp pimentón (hot smoked Spanish paprika)
- 1 can (900 ml) beef broth
- 1 can (798 ml) crushed tomatoes 28 oz
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp salt if using unsalted or reduced-sodium broth
- 1 short espresso about 1/3 cup
- 1 can (540 ml) red kidney beans 19 oz, drained
- 1 can (540 ml) pinto beans 19 oz, drained
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or sugar, or molasses
- Tabasco sauce to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
To Serve
- cornbread or the bread of your choice
- grated cheese
- green onions chopped
- sour cream
- Tabasco sauce
Instructions
Make it ahead
- Combine the dried ancho chiles (seeds included) with the cumin and grind together in a spice mill, or crush with a mortar and pestle, until you have a coarse, fragrant powder. Seal in a bag and set it aside until you're ready to cook.
Over the fire
- Build your fire and let it burn down to a bed of good glowing coals, at least 45 minutes before you start cooking.
- Set up a tripod with a hook to hold the Dutch oven by its handle, or a sturdy grate positioned at least 8 inches (20 cm) above the coals.
- Heat the olive oil in the Dutch oven.
- Sear the diced sirloin tip beef in the hot oil, a few pieces at a time so they brown instead of boiling in their own juices. Set the seared pieces aside as you go.
- Brown the ground beef in the same pot, breaking it up as it cooks, then set it aside with the sirloin.
- In the same pot, soften the onion, poblano pepper, and jalapeño pepper(s).
- Stir in the garlic and the chili spice mix and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Return the beef to the pot, then add the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (or the pimentón) and cover with the beef broth.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, the Worcestershire sauce, the salt and the espresso, and stir well.
- Bring it to a boil with the pot hanging as close to the flames as you can get it. Then move it to indirect heat — swing the tripod out, or shift the pot to a quieter corner of the fire — and leave it uncovered. Let it simmer gently for about 40 minutes, stirring regularly so nothing catches on the bottom.
- Add the drained kidney beans and pinto beans, the maple syrup and Tabasco to taste. Keep cooking over low heat, stirring regularly. Taste. Adjust. Taste again. Adjust again. Let it reduce slowly until it reaches the consistency you want, about 2 hours.
- Season with salt and pepper, and serve with cornbread, grated cheese, green onions, sour cream and more Tabasco.
Notes
The one shortcut. Canned beans, drained, stirred in for the final stretch of the simmer, are Manon's only concession in this recipe — add a drained can near the end if you like your chili with beans.
Heat is adjustable. Start with one jalapeño and the milder pimentón option if you're unsure of your tolerance — you can always add more heat, but you can't take it back out.
Make the spice mix ahead. Grind a bigger batch of ancho chiles and cumin at home and keep the extra in a sealed jar for your next few trips — it holds its fragrance for a couple of weeks.
Watch your fire, not the clock. Feed the coals under the pot every 30 to 45 minutes rather than piling on fresh wood, which brings flame back into the mix and can scorch the bottom.
Leftovers improve. Chili tastes even better the next day — cool it, keep it covered, and reheat gently with a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up.
See the frequently asked questions
- Making it at home instead
- Substituting dried ancho chilies
- Using only ground beef
- Knowing when it’s done
- Making the spice mix ahead
- Handling the leftovers
- How spicy the recipe is