Yeah, there are almost no words to describe this Fourth of July chili dog…but don’t worry, I found a few! I hope you like spicy food because this chili will rock your world. Along with chili flakes, cayenne pepper and chipotle hot sauce, I’ve added bhut jolokia chili pepper, otherwise known as the Ghost Chili. If you’ve ever watched Man v. Food with Adam Richman on the Travel Channel, you know what the ghost chili is. But if you’re not a TV food junky like me and you haven’t cringed as you watched Adam fight his way through insanely spicy concoctions, I will describe the Ghost to you now. Know as one of the hottest peppers in the world, the bhut jolokia is 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. Need I say more? But don’t worry, my chili will not burn your mouth off, although you can definitely feel the heat. The ghost chili also adds smokiness, sort of like a chipotle pepper. And hey, if you don’t like hot, just leave out all of the spicy ingredients and you will still have a fantastic chili. Trust me.
Ghost Chili
This recipe makes A LOT of chili, so you can divide it or make the whole recipe and freeze half. Chili freezes really well. Oh, and I suggest wearing gloves while adding the spices. If you get some of the ghost on your hands and you touch your eyes, you are in for it!
2 lbs ground meat
1 steak, chopped in to small cubes (easier to chop when partially frozen)
2 chopped onions
4 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp Cajun creole seasoning
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp smoked red paprika
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground bhut jolokia pepper/ghost chili (buy here)
1 tsp chipotle sauce
14 oz can diced tomatoes
28 oz crushed tomatoes
8 oz diced green chiles
16 oz vegetarian beans
32 oz chicken/vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
I added the steak cubes, ground meat and onions to a large pot and let it brown for a few minutes in a little bit of olive oil. You can probably cook the meat without oil since the beef is naturally fatty, but I always get nervous about burning so I add a little oil to coat the pot. I then added ALL of the spices and mixed.
I continued to brown the meat until cooked through. You will find that the meat becomes paste-like and that is exactly what you want. This meat is going to flavor the whole chili so you want it to be over spiced.
At this point, I added the hot sauce, diced and crushed tomatoes, green chilies and beans. I mixed everything together then added the chicken broth.
I simmered the chili on the stove for 1 hour. While I waited, I find other things to do, like taking pictures of myself in the kitchen. You are very welcome to walk away from your chili. Just come back every once in a while and stir the pot so the bottom doesn’t burn.
After the hour was up, I poured the chili in to a foil pan and baked it covered for 2 hours. If you don’t have time, you don’t have to do this step, but it thickens and darkens the chili.
Here comes the best part…eating the chili!!! You can eat it plain or with a bowl of taco chips, but my favorite way to eat chili is on a hot dog. For the Fourth of July, Justin and I decided that it was time to pull out the big guns. I split a Jacks Gourmet spicy Italian sausage and browned it in a pan until cooked through.
I sliced two challah rolls and placed the sausage lengthwise along the center. Â I poured tons of the spicy chili all over the top then I added pieces of the nectarine pickles. The fruit added sweetness to counteract the spiciness of the meats. If you have not made the nectarine pickles (and I suggest you do), you can always buy a fruit compote instead. I don’t think the chili would be the same without it.
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