Johnny Cash's Signature Chili Was Completely Unique Thanks To These Ingredients

Johnny Cash was one of a kind. Along with being a lauded singer and songwriter, he was an ordained minister, novelist, and TV star, so is it really any wonder that his signature chili was just as unique as he was? The key ingredients that made the country star's Iron-Pot chili so distinctive were chopped sirloin or venison and cornmeal.

It isn't unusual for an all American chili to be a mix of different ground meats, such as beef and pork (it creates a complexity of flavor and is a clever way to combine cheaper meats with more expensive ones). However, Cash's version was different because of the way the meat was prepared. Along with ground beef (or venison) and turkey, he tossed in an additional portion of venison or sirloin that had been chopped into chunks rather than minced, according to The Cash and Carter Family Cookbook. This move created a characterful chili that had a satisfying texture and gamier quality, which paired well with the veggies, beans, and canned tomatoes. Secondly, the star put cornmeal in his chili after it had been slow cooking for hours, which thickened up the sauce and gave it extra body. Classic recipes for chili don't contain cornmeal, but this clever addition amps up the filling nature of this comforting dish and imbues it with a mild corn flavor.

The final thing that made Cash's chili unlike others was how much cornmeal he added to the pot, which seemed to vary each time. In an interview with NPR, Cash's son John said his father "would go by the chili pot with a handful of cornmeal in his hand — I remember seeing this so many times when I was a boy — and he would throw the cornmeal at the pot. You didn't know how much was going to get into one pot of chili to the next. However much it was — that was the specific texture and thickness of that chili."

If you want to cook chili like Cash, bear in mind that Autumn is the best time for eating venison because it marries up with the hunting season. As this rich meat is more readily available in the fall, it's also less expensive than if you were to buy it during other seasons. However, for cheaper chili, sub the venison for more ground beef. While you could also use ground chicken or turkey, these meats are naturally drier because they contain less fat than red meat. Swapping the cornmeal for masa harina, a finer flour made with dried corn that's been soaked in limewater,  is also an option as it cooks faster than cornmeal. To keep yourself busy while your chili is simmering, why not prepare some homemade tortilla dough by combining your masa harina with water and salt?