D.C. Half-Smoke with Chili

Ingredients

• 6 half-smoke sausages, or coarse smoked pork and beef sausages
• 6 hot dog buns
• 1 lb ground beef, 85/15
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp fine cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely diced white onion, for topping
• Yellow mustard, for serving

Before you cook

• Chop the yellow onion fine and mince the garlic.
• Dice the white onion separately for topping.
• Split each sausage lengthwise most of the way through so it can be opened flat.

Steps

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the chopped yellow onion for 6 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and mustard powder and toast them for 30 seconds.
4. Add the ground beef and mash it fine with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 6 minutes, until no pink remains and the texture is smooth rather than chunky.
5. Stir in the tomato paste, beef broth, cornmeal, and salt.
6. Simmer the chili uncovered over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until it is thick and clings to a spoon.
7. Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat and lay the sausages cut side down.
8. Cook the sausages for 4 minutes, until the cut faces are charred and the fat is running, then flip and cook 3 minutes more.
9. Steam or griddle the buns until soft and warm.
10. Set a split sausage in each bun and squeeze yellow mustard down its length.
11. Ladle a heavy spoonful of chili over the sausage.
12. Top with a big pinch of diced white onion and serve hot.