HEAT, SWEET &
When it comes to comfort food, this duo was unbeatable. Aaron Medenwald’s Smokeshow Chili brought the bold, smoky heat, while his golden cornbread balanced every bite with just the right touch of sweet. With six chilis in the running and twenty-eight votes cast, the judges made it clear: this fiery- and-sweet pairing was the crowd favorite and took home top honors.
Chili Ingredients • 2 lbs ground beef • 1 lb chorizo, casings removed • 1 large white onion, diced • 5 garlic clove, minced • 1 dried ancho pepper • 1 dried guajillo pepper • 1 dried pasillo pepper • 1 can chipotle in adobo • 1 teaspoon paprika • 1 teaspoon cumin (ground) • 4 cloves (ground) • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 manzano pepper, seeded and diced
• • • •
3 jalapeños, finely diced
3 serrano peppers, finely diced 3 aji dulce peppers, finely diced 1 (28 oz) can of whole peeled san marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand or blended
• 3 cups beef stock • 1 cup chicken stock • 1 16 oz beer (porter or stout works best, I used a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout) • 3 tbsp masa harina (corn masa) • Salt and black pepper to taste • 2 tbsp olive oil
Cornbread Ingredients • 2 boxes Jiffy
• 1 can cream corn • 1 tsp baking soda • 4 eggs • 2/3 cup buttermilk (use milk and 1 table- spoon white vinegar if needed) • Honey • Optional: Add peppers if you want it spicy.
Want to recreate the winning combo? You’ve got the ingredients for both the Smokeshow Chili and the cornbread right here. For Aaron’s full step-by- step instructions, scan the QR code and see how he brought the heat, balanced the sweet, and took home the crown. It was a close call, though—Rob Ertel’s came in a strong second place, and you can find his recipe there too when you scan the code.
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