Reprinted from Killer Chili, Savory Recipes from North America's Favorite Retaurants by Stephanie Anderson with permission from Chronicle Books, San Francisco. Copyright 2007.  All rights reserved.

Click here for a printable version of the recipe.

Wild Billy Chili from Wild Bill’s Saloon

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup canola oil
3 onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 can beer (the darker, the better)
1 tablespoon diced canned chipotle chiles
Four 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
One 14-ounce can red kidney beans
One 14-ounce can black beans
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or other hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Put the ground beef in a large roasting pan and place in the oven. Bake, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until the meat has started to brown, 20 to 40 minutes. Drain the cooked beef in a colander in the sink.

While the beef is cooking, in a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until they start to caramelize. Add the peppers and garlic and cook until soft. Add the spices, stir, and turn off the heat.  Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to release the flavor from the spices.

Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the beer, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.  Add all the remaining ingredients and the drained beef.  Stir well and bring to a simmer, taking care not to burn the bottom.  Simmer for 1 hour.  Remove the cinnamon stick and add salt and pepper. Serves 10 to 15.

Wild Bill’s Saloon, Banff, Alberta

Wild Bill’s is aptly referred to as “Banff’s legendary saloon.”  Its namesake was a real-life Western adventurer, but not the one you may be thinking of: Canada’s version was named Wild Bill Peyto, not Cody.  As the story goes, Peyto was born in England and immigrated to Canada in 1886.  He settled in Banff and became a trail guide in the harsh Alberta wilderness, leading the very first group to climb Mt. Assiniboine.  He later joined the Canadian Mounted Police, and is still considered to be one of western Canada’s leading self-taught naturalists, hunters, geologists, and all-around outdoorsmen.

The eponymous Banff saloon is an homage not only to Wild Bill Peyto, but to Alberta’s past and present cowboy ethos.  Patrons can not only enjoy a good, hearty meal and a cold beer, but hear live bands, do the two-step in the dance hall, take in the majestic view on the patio, watch a football game, and even rope a calf.  The décor is just as rugged as the terrain outdoors, with lots of wood, stone, and taxidermy. The food can best be described as Tex-Mex, and any such restaurant worth its salt has to have good chili.  The smoky, zesty Wild Billy Chili is made with high-quality Alberta beef, two kinds of beans, chipotle chiles, dark beer, and tomatoes.