A few of our favorite products come together in a smoky, spicy chili. This particular chili recipe is light on the beans. If you like a beany chili, cook a full pound of beans and add them all to the pot. Serve with sour cream, jalapeños, grated cheese, and tortilla chips. It’s also perfect with our savory cornbread. Serves 6 to 8 people.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons beef tallow, lard or bacon fat
• 2 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ lbs.pasture-raised ground beef
• 3 tablespoons Just Cook Ancho Chicken spice blend*
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 jar Happy Girl Kitchen tomatoes, roughly chopped or broken up by hand, juice reserved
• ½ lb Rancho Gordo Midnight Beans or other black beans, cooked as directed

Instructions:

Melt fat in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
Add the bacon and cook 5 minutes or until brown.
Lower heat to medium and add the chopped onion and cook until soft.
Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add ground beef, breaking up the meat, and cook until mostly browned.
Add the spice blend and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the beef stock and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.
Add the cooked beans and simmer 10 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

*Make your own spice blend:

• 1 tablespoon ground Ancho chile powder
• ½ tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1½ teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt