Flavorful Southwestern Chili

July in Memphis, and the city has turned its attention to fall — the leaves changing along my still walking my mail route through Midtown Memphis, the air carrying that crispness that makes a man want to light a fire and stand next to it. I am 60, and this week the fire I stood next to was Uncle Clyde\'s smoker, and the standing was its own kind of prayer.

The week\'s main current was halloween. Walter Jr. came by the house this week, bringing the energy he always brings — steady, organized, the FedEx man\'s approach to family visits: arrive on time, deliver what\'s needed, check that everything\'s in order. Rosetta orchestrated the visit the way she orchestrates everything: with the invisible precision of a woman who has been managing a household, a hospital floor, and a husband for three and a half decades, and who considers all three jobs equally challenging and equally rewarding.

I cooked this week the way I cook every week: with intention, with the ingredients at hand, and with the understanding that food made in a home kitchen for people you love is fundamentally different from food made anywhere else. The recipe doesn\'t matter as much as the hands that make it and the table that receives it. I stood at my stove or sat beside my smoker and I made Big E's chili with smoked pork, and the making was the medicine, and the eating was the communion, and the cleaning up afterward was the humility that every cook needs — the reminder that the meal is over but the feeding continues, tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

Sunday at Mt. Zion, the choir sang and I added my bass to the foundation, and the sound rose through the sanctuary the way smoke rises through the air — upward, always upward, seeking something higher than itself. After church, I drove to Whitehaven or I called Mama or I sat in the backyard and thought about the things I always think about: family, fire, food, and the faith that holds them all together. The week was done. The next one was coming. And I would show up for it, as I show up for everything, because showing up is the only skill I have that never fails.

Standing next to Uncle Clyde’s smoker has a way of reminding you what chili is supposed to taste like — smoke-kissed, slow-built, and patient. When Walter Jr. came through and Rosetta had the house running like a well-staffed hospital floor, I knew the pot on the stove needed to earn its place at that table, and this Flavorful Southwestern Chili did exactly that. It’s the kind of recipe that rewards the cook who’s willing to let the fire do its work, which is the only kind of cooking I’ve ever trusted.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs smoked pork shoulder, pulled or roughly chopped
1 lb ground beef (80/20)
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (15 oz each) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Toppings: shredded cheddar, sour cream, sliced green onions, pickled jalapeños

Instructions

Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat and set beef aside.
Sauté the aromatics. In the same pot over medium heat, add onion and both bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Bloom the spices. Add chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper directly to the vegetables. Stir and cook for 1–2 minutes to toast the spices and deepen their flavor.
Build the base. Return the browned beef to the pot. Add fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Stir everything together, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the smoked pork and beans. Fold in the pulled smoked pork shoulder and both cans of beans. Stir to combine evenly throughout the pot.
Simmer low and slow. Bring the chili to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring every 15–20 minutes, until the chili has thickened and the flavors have melded. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Serve and top. Ladle into bowls and finish with shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, sliced green onions, and pickled jalapeños as desired. Serve with cornbread or crusty rolls alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Flavorful Southwestern Chili — The Fire That Feeds the Family