She Strengthens

Fireside Flavors Unite: A Smoked Beer Chili Recipe

The Ancient Roots of Smoked Beer

Smoked beer, an ancient German tradition, has been revived by American brewers with a modern twist. By infusing weightier styles of beer, such as brown ale, porter, or stout, with smoking agents, a unique flavor profile is created. In this recipe, we combine the rich, fireside flavor of smoked beer with the classic warmth of chili.

Gathering Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need:

• Smoked chicken and apple sausage (we used Aidells brand)
• Chili powder (available in grocery stores or make your own using this recipe)
• Smoked beer (available at gourmet markets and liquor stores; we used Schlenkerla Smokebeer)

Game Plan

Before you begin, remember to soak the kidney beans overnight. You can also try a slow cooker variation using beef with our slow cooker chili recipe.

Yield and Difficulty

This recipe yields 8 servings and is considered easy, with a total cooking time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, and active cooking time of 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounces ground beef
• 4 ounces ground pork
• 3 ounces smoked apple and chicken sausage, medium diced
• 1 large yellow onion, medium diced
• 1 small fennel bulb, medium diced
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped red chile peppers
• 4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 (22-ounce) bottle smoked beer
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 6 medium scallions, thinly sliced
• Sour cream, for garnish

Cooking the Chili

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the beef, pork, and sausage, cooking until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the onion, fennel, chiles, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, and tomato paste, cooking until the vegetables are softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the smoked beer, bringing to a boil, then simmering until the beer flavor is cooked off, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining salt, tomatoes, kidney beans, and sugar. Bring the chili to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Taste and season with salt as needed.

Serving

Serve the chili garnished with scallions, sour cream, and a glass of smoked beer to complete the experience.