Recipes

Hearty Winter Chili

To many, chili is the ultimate “man food” and the ultimate expression of culinary independence. This recipe fits the bill on both counts with smoked pork belly and our own Not-So-Basic Barbecue Rub in place of the traditional chili powder. Despite the long cooking time, the recipe is not a lot of work. Prepare it a day ahead and reheat it for the game. You will need a 5 1/2 or 7 quart cast iron Dutch oven.

As written, I would call this a medium heat chili. For a more mild chili, cut the chipotle and jalapeno amounts by half.

Hearty Winter Chili
By Russ Faulk, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
10
Ingredients
Directions
  • 2 pounds pork belly, cut into squares roughly 4" x 4"
  • 4 tablespoons Not-So-Basic Barbecue Rub
  • About 3 cups wood chips, soaked for at least 1 hour (I use maple)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 3 to 3 1/2 pounds beef tri-tip, cut into 1/4" cubes
  • 1 12-ounce bottle of brown ale (I use Bell’s Best Brown Ale)
  • 2 pounds Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 4 chipotle peppers (canned, in adobo sauce), finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
  • 2 fresh jalapenos, finely chopped
  • 1/2 large red onion, diced
  • 16 ounces frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 2 15-ounce cans of chili bean mix (pinto, kidney and black), rinsed and drained
  • 6 to 12 ounces tomato paste
  • Sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced green onions for serving

Prepare the grill forindirect cookingwithwood smokeat 325°F.

Rub 1 to 2 tablespoonsNot-So-Basic Barbecue Rubinto both sides of the pork belly pieces. Add the wood chips to the grill, place the pork in the indirect cooking zone and close the hood to begin smoking. I get this going before prepping all the other ingredients. The pork belly can get about an hour of smoking in while you cut up all the other ingredients. After the pork belly has been smoking for an hour, heat a 5 1/2 quart (or larger) cast iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil. Brown the tri-tip for a few minutes, working in small batches to avoid over-crowding the pot.

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