Click here to view the top 3 recipe searches from last month.
Standing Walrus

Butt Burnin' Chili

Here it is, another Sunday cookin' day, (during the winter) and it's quiet around the dock. I'm undecided about what to make, and I'm thinkin' cold weather, it's time for some stomach warming comfort food. Now, ya'll know that I really like hot, spicy foods, so it should come as no surprise to you that I decided to come up with a serious hot chile recipe.

I do my shopping, and pick up a whole bunch of different peppers. Each one adds a different flavor, and a different type of heat to the finished dish.

So, now I've put it together, and I seem to have accomplished my goal of a seriously hot chile. It has both front burn AND afterburn. Just the way I like it.

The next day one of my buddies was over for dinner, and he really wanted to give it a try. He loved it, and even took some home with him for the next couple of days. It really helps to have someone to share food with, especially when you cook something like this in large quantities. As you may know by now, freezer space is almost nonexistant on my boat, and if I make too much of something, I end up eating it every lunch and dinner for the rest of the week. No matter how much you like a meal, it can get very old after a week of eating it, or even 4 days of it.

Now we had to name it, and came up with a couple of good ideas, but none really seemed to be just the right name befitting how good this chile was. That all changed when I got a phone call from my buddie, the dinner guest, who told me that "not only does it burn goin' in, but it burned just as much goin' out". The perfect name came to me pretty quickly after hearing that, and we settled on "Butt Burnin' Chile".

This makes for a fairly soupy, end product. You can change this by using 4 pounds of meat instead of 2.

I like mine with some beans in it. Texas Chile uses no beans, and no ground meat. You could add a couple of pounds of chuck, cut into bite sized pieces, for a more Texas style texture. I've even been known to use Venison to make it a Venison Chile.

I like to serve this with a green salad that has a oil and vinegar dressing, and Garlic Bread. For the Garlic Bread, I'll use either my Appetizer Garlic Bread, or my Garlic Bread for Dinner.



  • 6 Slices Thick-sliced Bacon
  • 2 Pounds Ground Chuck, 80/20
  • 3 Medium Onions, chopped
  • 6 Medium Jalapeno Peppers, chopped
  • 3 Medium Serrano Chile Peppers, chopped
  • 1 Medium Pablano Chile Pepper, chopped
  • 1 Medium Hungarian Wax Chile Pepper, chopped
  • 8 Medium Assorted Dried Chile Peppers, soaked, then chopped
  • 3 Cans Dark Red Kidney Beans, 14 oz. cans
  • 1 Cans Light Red Kidney Beans, 14 oz. cans
  • 2 Can Black Beans, 14 oz. can
  • 1 Can Tomato Puree, 28 oz. can
  • 3 Tablespoons Ancho Chile Powder, divided, to taste
  • 3 Tablespoons Choptle Chile Powder, divided, to taste
  • 3 Tablespoons Cayenne Pepper, divided, to taste
  • 1/2 cup Butt Kickin' Blacken, divided, to taste
  • 3 Tablespoons Cumin
  • 1/2 Pound Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/2 Pound Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese

Chili Ingredients, Picture

Click on the Picture to Enlarge.
1. Here's the picture of my basic ingredients less the bacon, because it's already in the pot. I had 2 cans of the tomato puree, but only ended up using 1.

2. Chop the bacon into 3/4" pieces or so and place in a large pot to cook at medium high heat (you want them to crisp up, not burn). Remove the bacon when it's crispy, and set on some paper towels.

3. Turn the heat to high, and add the meat. The high heat will help get red of the moisture, in order for it to brown. Break up the chinks with a spatula as the meat begins to brown.

4. Chop up the onions and peppers while the meat is cooking. I use a bowl to place all of my chopped veggies in until I'm ready to use them.

5. When the meat is a little brown, add all of the veggies, stir well, turn the heat down to medium, and put the lid on. Cooking the onions and peppers this way, will help to lose them in the finished product.

6. While this is cooking, place some water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Separate the dried peppers enough to get out the stems and seeds. Boil them for about 5 minutes, then let them sit another 10 minutes. Now you can chop them up. Save the liquid for later.

7. When the onions and peppers are REAL soft, add the beans (with there liquid). Then the tomato puree, and the bacon. Stir well then add one tablespoon of each of the spices. Bring to liquid to a boil, turn down the heat to simmer, and place the lid on leaving a crack so that the steam can be released. Don't worry about it looking too watery at this time, because it will thicken up as it cooks.

8. After 1 1/2 hours or there-a-bouts, add another tablespoon of each of the spices. And then again after another 1 1/2 hours or so. This is the time to taste for the heat of the spice. When I make this, I'll usually add 2 tablespoons of each to get the heat that I want.

9. After about 3 hours of cooking, it's done. Now, for the hardest part. Let it cool on the stove, and eat it the next day. The flavors will continue to blend and the chile will be at it's best after sitting overnight.

10. Now it's time to serve it. Grate the cheddar, and mozzarella, and mix them up well. Reheat the chile, place in individual serving bowls, cover the top with the cheese mixture and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly, and just starts to brown. If you don't have a broiler (like me), place the bowls in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or, until the cheese melts. Or, you can nuke it to melt the cheese.

11. Serve with garlic bread, and plenty of beer, or milk for the less heat loving people out there.


Feedback is GREAT!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this recipe, or any other of my recipes you've either looked at or tried.
  1. Whether or not you like this recipe and why.
  2. How you'd like to see it different.
  3. Suggestions for new recipes I could post.
  4. Recipes you've made using Butt Kickin' Blacken.
Just send me a note:
thecapn@capnrons.com