Caution Flag Chili with Flat Tire Toppers

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 2 poblano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning, a couple of palm fulls
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
• 2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of the sauce
• 1/2 cup steak sauce (recommended: Peter Luger or A1)
• 1 cup beer (1/2 a bottle)
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy, made to package directions for corn pancakes, listed on the side of the box)
• Softened butter, for greasing a griddle
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, half a palm full
• 2 scallions, chopped

Directions

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium high to high heat. When oil smokes, add the sliced poblanos and char them a couple of minutes and scoot them off to the side of the pan and add meat. Break up beef and brown it a couple of minutes then add the onions and garlic. Season the meat with grill seasoning, Worcestershire and chipotles in adobo. Cook until onions are tender, 5 to 6 minutes more, then stir in steak sauce and beer. Cook beer off for 1 minute then add stock and tomatoes and reduce heat to low.

Heat a nonstick griddle pan over medium heat. Butter the griddle then pour in batter to make 3 3/4-inch corn pancakes. Season beans with cumin. Top each poured corn cake with a couple tablespoons of black beans and a little chopped scallion. Flip cakes when bottoms are deeply golden and cook another 1 to 2 minutes on the opposite side. You should be able to make 6 cakes in 2 batches.

Top bowlfuls of the chili with flat tire toppers and serve.

Serve with plenty of cold 40s or wine coolers (recommended: thunderbird). Put all firearms away before serving.